BYOB summer parties just got easier for Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens. They have their own premixed cocktails now, along with an elite team of celebs crashing the fast-growing ready-to-drink (RTD) category. New drinks company Thomas Ashbourne has released four premixed cocktails curated by its celebrity founding partners: actress-producer-wine star Sarah Jessica Parker (Perfect Cosmo by SJP), actor and WWE star John Cena (Old Fashioned), actresses Dawson, Hudgens and Ashley Benson (Margalicious Margarita) and rapper Playboi Carti (the white wine–inspired Hardscatto).
Dawson, who teamed with Hudgens and Benson to create the margarita, says she was attracted to the brand's focus on high quality RTD cocktails with a modern twist. "The process has been incredibly rewarding, as all of the founders were so hands-on developing these cocktails, from taste-testing, designing the packaging and even coming up with the names," Dawson told Wine Spectator via email. "Everyone involved in this brand is so passionate and collaborative with the goal of bringing the brand to market and raising the bar on what a premade cocktail can be."
For Parker, this venture is a way to bring cosmos to the masses. "This particular cocktail, while being closely associated with a well-known character I've played for many years, is also a personal favorite in my own life," she said in a statement. "I hope others find it as enjoyable and refreshing as we do."
While Cena opted for a classic old fashioned, Playboi Carti’s Hardscatto is inspired by Muscat wine—though wine it is not: Like most of the other Ashbourne premade cocktails, the vodka-fueled Hardscatto checks in at 40 proof (Cena’s old fashioned is 50).
"The Hardscatto discards the stuffy and more pretentious views on the wine category, to serve a more inclusive option," Thomas Ashbourne CEO Cara Kamenev told Wine Spectator. "[Playboi Carti] ultimately wanted to create a drink that people could party with that was reminiscent of the traditional Moscato, but adding more potency in the premium distilled vodka, and depth of tasting notes with aromas of peach, apricot and delicate elderflower."
The Thomas Ashbourne collection is available in both 375ml bottles ($16) and 200ml cans ($26 per 4-pack), and proceeds help support Thomas Ashbourne’s charitable partnership with Keep America Beautiful.
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