SPOT.ph Team Picks: Must-Sip Alcoholic Dranks From Convenience Stores

(SPOT.ph) Sometimes life just hits—maybe you’re looking to celebrate a promotion, distract yourself from a recent breakup, or you just need a companion to your late-night bag of chips—and you must get your booze, like, stat. Thankfully, convenience stores can be found all around the city, so making it relatively uncomplicated to drink away your problems whenever you need it. (We’re kidding, btw; drink wisely.)

Also read: SPOT.ph Editors' Picks: The Dangerously Fun Drinks We Call Traydor

Get these canned or bottled alcoholic drinks at your nearby convenience stores:

Lemon-Dou

Looking for a sunny sip? Chuhai drink Lemon-Dou is your best bet, though mind you, this ain’t yo’ mama’s lemonade. Made with whole lemons that are crushed and infused into alcohol, this fizzy drink delivers the brightness you’d expect from the fruit plus a hint of saltiness. It’ll also leave you with a smile as vivid as its telltale taste, having 3% ABV. We’ve seen this at Uncle John’s, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson.

Jinro Plum Soju

Soju ought to be on your regular (booze) rotation, even outside KBBQ; its light yet subtly sweet, subtly bitter character makes for a great pair with pretty much any salty snack or rich, oily viand. Jinro makes the traditional distilled beverage in a couple of fun flavors, like sweet-tangy Plum—perfect for sipping on when it’s hot out, or mixing with your go-to cultured milk drink. Drop by your nearby Uncle John’s for a bottle (or five); just keep in mind it's 13% ABV.

San Mig Hard Seltzer Citrus Mix

This canned highball gives you a vivifying fizz and lemon-y, lime-y fruitiness that’s just stimulating enough without being overwhelmingly strong—making it the perfect foil to a catchup inuman sesh with friends. It’s not too sweet, either, which makes it all too easy to down a can—take note that it’s 5% ABV. We’ve seen cans of this at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart.

Emperador Coffee Brandy

The coffee-booze tandem is one that’s as old as time. In particular, the caffeinated beverage pairs beautifully with brandy, which itself has rounded depth to balance out the former’s robustness. Emperador Coffee Brandy’s one to try, either as a sweet dessert-esque shot, mixed into cocktails, or used in place of the traditional dark rum for tiramisu. We spotted this at FamilyMart.

Horoyoi White Grape

This classic chuhai brand is a Japanese fave for its refreshing, effervescent character that we’d almost describe as revitalizing… at least before the alcohol kicks in. It’s available in a number of flavor variants, a SPOT.ph team fave being the white grape with its distinct muscat-y fruitiness. We picked up ours from FamilyMart.

Engkanto High Hive Honey Ale

Feasting on spicy food? You’d do well to pair it with local craft-beer brand Engkanto’s High Hive Honey Ale. Brewed with honey sourced from local farms, it has a sweet, subtly floral profile that balances out almost any food with a strong flavor. Get your bottle at your nearby FamilyMart.

-196°C Strong Zero Double Grapefruit

There’s a reason -196°C Strong Zero is so well-loved in the Land of the Rising Sun. This canned chuhai’s got the fruity flavor you’d crave to quench your thirst, being made by freezing fruits in liquid nitrogen at -196°C (hence the name) then pulverizing and soaking that in alcohol. At 9% ABV, they’re not kidding about their name. Our team fave? The zingy Double Grapefruit (also just called Grapefruit).

Jack Daniels Coke

Whisky coke is a perplexing cocktail—it says you’re worldly, nay, sophisticated enough to have whisky be your booze of choice, but also not afraid to have some carbonated-soda drink fun. Here’s one you can try, pre-mixed for convenience: the famous Jack Daniels Coke that you can now get in canned form at 7-Eleven.

Chill Spiked Spirit Lychee

It’s sweet, it’s sparkly… and don’t you forget it’s spiked. Chill Spiked Spirit Lychee carries the tropical taste and vitality of lychee—quite the fun fruit in itself—with 5% ABV to get you in the state of mind of its namesake. You can pick up a can from Uncle John’s, and salty, oily chips to match with it, too.

Smirnoff Mule

This bottled Moscow mule uses Smirnoff Vodka along with the essential ginger beer and lime for zingy, fizzy results. This 5% ABV beverage pretty much the perfect Friday-night companion, being distinctive in taste and just the right amount of assertive without being too strong to pair with a bucket of buttery popcorn. Go ahead and get your bottles from Lawson.

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