During a recent trip to a chocolate shop of all places I came across Hopwater. This non-alcoholic water is part soda, part sparking water…and I absolutely had to try it.
At the store I was at there were a number of different flavors available, but I opted for Ginger because that sounded like the most delicious at the time. Other options include lime, grapefruit, and original, which I presume is just literally hoppy water.
The best description I can come up for this is…bitter tonic water. But bitter in a great way. My ginger version was slightly bitter, with a tiny kick from the ginger. It was a flavor that was fine on its own, but sipping on it I could see how it would be amazing with a little liquor mixed in.
That puts Hopwater in an interesting place, straddling the line between craft beer and craft spirits. I can’t say that I’ve ever considered dropping hops into a cocktail, but in the case of Hopwater I can see how it could work, and how it could make for a phenomenal drink (or 3).
I’m not the only one that thinks so. Hopwater has a line on the side of the bottle suggesting you drink down to a particular spot and then add the spirit of your choice to fill the bottle up again. It’s a solid idea.
Cocktail ideas on the company’s site include using it in a Gin & Tonic, Margarita, Moscow Mule, and even creating something called “Hop On The Beach.” Sounds like my kind of cocktail.
Unfortunately for me, I only picked up one bottle at the chocolate shop in the town where I was traveling, and it looks like Hopwater isn’t distributed where I live in California. If you do happen upon it, I recommend grabbing a few bottles, especially if you’re a beer lover that likes making cocktails, you won’t be disappointed.