I first took a sip of Rick's Spiked Lemonade last weekend, and I instantly became quite a fan. Brewed at the RSL Spiked Beverage Company in Auburndale, Florida, this drink has quite an attitude. In fact, most things from Florida have this kind of attitude.

Twist the top off the bottle, and you'll notice the standard carbonation steam coming off the top of the lemonade. Raise the bottle to your nose, breathe in, and you'll smell tropical lemonade, something that will keep you cool on the hottest days.

Lower the bottle to your lips and begin to drink. The hot, humid weather suddenly turns to 75 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal humidity. The couch transforms itself into a straw mat, and the carpet becomes sand. You open your eyes, and you see, through the sunglasses that have suddenly appeared on your face, waves crashing on to the sand. Rick's Spiked Lemonade tends to have this effect on me, anyway. I want to get out of my house, drive 5 hours to the nearest beach, pull my surfboard out of my trunk, and have at it with a six-pack and some surfing.

This relatively new-to-the-market beverage contains 5.2% alcohol and some sulfites, just to make sure it stays fresh. Lemonade, as you may know, can tend to go bad fairly quickly. Sulfites merely make it last longer. They're only unhealthy if you ingest a large amount of them in a short period of time -- don't drink more than 100 Spiked Lemonades in a 10-minute timeframe, in other words.

As you can probably guess, any activity that would go along well with lemonade will also go along well with Rick's Spiked Lemonade. Surfing, my example, is one of the myriad activities available for conjunction with drinking lemonade.

Foods are the same way. Sandwiches and other around-the-house foods go well with Rick's Spiked Lemonade. Since most of us have drunk lemonade at some point in our lives, it should be relatively easy to decide what you want to do or eat while drinking this.

In effect, I see Rick's Spiked Lemonade as a beverage of entertainment, just as I see lemonade. It's not romantic, and it's definitely not something you'd want to have a drinking contest with. The only reasons I can find for somebody to not enjoy drinking Rick's Spiked Lemonade are an aversion to the taste of lemon or an aversion to malt beverages, though it really doesn't taste like other malts. So, give it a whirl! Rick's Spiked Lemonade can be bought at your local liquor store, convenience store, supermarket, and most every other place that sells beer.



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