Toasting 2024 With New Jersey’s Favorite Cocktail
A Margarita cocktail at a restaurant, December 22.
Happy New Year! What was your drink choice or favorite cocktail on New Year’s Eve?
You weren’t alone if you had a delicious and refreshing Margarita. You weren’t the only one “searching for your lost shaker of salt?” Margarita Day doesn’t happen until next month. However, in New Jersey, the margarita is our go-to no matter what the date or the occasion. Sadly, we lost Jimmy Buffet last year. Jimmy was the Mayor of Margaritaville and the leader of the Parrotheads.
A report by the folks at Ungraded Points discovered what we like to order most when we go to a bar. They surveyed over two thousand American drinkers across the country and learned about their bar ordering habits. Some liked Mojitos, a few preferred Moscow Mules, and there were some Cosmopolitan, Whiskey Sour, and Manhattan lovers as well. However, most of their respondents show that they prefer to order a Margarita at the bar.
New Jersey’s Favorite Cocktail
When it comes to cocktails, we in New Jersey prefer to order a Margarita when ordering at a bar. Our favorite bar drink type overall is beer, which is the category I fall into. However, it is surprising that when ordering a beer, Jersey seems to go for Sam Adams the most. Different states favored or preferred different types of bars, and in New Jersey, it was breweries over cocktail lounges, sports bars, or dive bars.
The Big Apple Likes a Little Lime
New Yorkers said that their go-to cocktail was a Mojito with Sam Adams also being their favorite beer. They also shared that a cocktail lounge is their preference.
Pennsylvania Loves Their Local Brew
Our neighbors in Pennsylvania said they like Margaritas, cocktail lounges, and Yuengling. Yuengling beer is brewed in Pottsville, PA.
Now let’s talk tipping. When it comes to tipping, the largest share of respondents in New Jersey usually tip their bartenders by 20%. I imagine most would agree with this, but many think that 22% to 25% is more appropriate nowadays.
The study also found that New Jersey drinkers are willing to pay $12.69 on average for their favorite premium cocktail.
Whatever your favorite drink may be, I hope you drink it responsibly in 2024!
Ranking The 4 Best Hard Seltzers
Since Memorial Day I have been fortunate enough to attend a wedding, beachside barbeques, and neighborhood get-togethers. Though food options varied, I did notice hard seltzers were a common beverage. There were multiple brands, so I decided to rank the ones that I tried.
Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer can be credited as the first official can to hit the shelves in 2013. Or you can go back to Zima as being a pioneer in this carbonated alcohol space. Nowadays, it seems like every brand has their own variation of spiked seltzer. With limited creativity in terms of flavor options (most people would prefer a simple pineapple flavor to a green apple, cherry, celery mashup any time), now certain beverage companies are swapping out the vodka mix for tequila. Furthermore, funny commercials and vibrant cans allow different marketing angles on seemingly similar drinks.
Speaking of marketing, a thinner can is often associated with containing a lower-calorie drink. A CNN op-ed speculates that most hard seltzers are displayed in these taller, skinny cans to distinguish themselves in a crowded liquor store.
My Methodology
In creating this ranking of the best hard seltzers, there were certain criteria that I considered to be most important. Taste is a broad category. It was imperative here that the drink was smooth, did not contain a syrupy aftertaste and actually tasked like the flavor it suggests. Then, I looked at the overall “nutrition” facts. Finally, I’d ask myself a question: “Would I drink another one, or would I buy a case of this repeatedly?”
It’s important to note that I disqualified top beer brands. While I applaud their efforts for the attempt at entering the hip space, I have yet to find one where their best product was not actually their beer. Lastly, I am not a big fruit juice person. Nor do I typically like citrus mixed with alcohol. In this case, however, there are four hard seltzers where I find the fruit flavor enjoyable. My top choice here is now a brand that I do keep stocked in my cooler.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
