All The Small (Picnic) Things

With beaches set to open on July 1 and Independence Day celebrations less than a week away, and there’s no time like the present to throw a few liquid snacks into your go-bag. Actually, who are we kidding? Anytime is a good time, especially these days. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of socially distant picnic-ready potables in stock at Wine & Spirits. Here are some of our faves:

From the west coast, Canned Oregon wines are designed to be as easy to carry as they are crushable. Available in five varieties—pinot noir, pinot gris, rosé, and pink & white bubbly—the idea behind these wines are simple: Whatever you’re doing, however you’re doing it, there’s a wine for that. At 375 ml per can (1⁄2 standard size bottle), there’s plenty.

Moving from the west coast to the best coast, Bushwick-made Wandering Barman fits the bill perfectly, each bottle clocking in at a tidy 3.4 oz. Born from a need to serve craft cocktails faster than they could be made on busy bar nights, Wandering Barman is a collection of pre-batched, bottled cocktails serving up boozy, refreshing flavors on the go. These zingy gin cocktails only use fresh, locally sourced ingredients that are organic when available. Bartenders are the original intended audience, able to serve cocktails in a fraction of the time without sacrificing quality, but you can easily slip one or two of these attractive little flasks in your picnic basket or backpack.

It’s not a party—even a socially distant party—without our longtime staff fave, Vinny. These dry, crisp bubblies, available in white and rosé, hail from New York’s famed Finger Lakes region, are perfect on their own or in a cocktail. Who needs a glass? This juice is delightful right out of the can. A single four pack offers 1 L of wine. Now if that doesn't get your picnic blanket ready to party...

Spruce up any outdoor adventure with these spritz cocktails from locally made St. Agrestis. Newly reformulated and repackaged into adorable cans, these are so refreshing after a dip in the ocean (Coney Island, natch). A combination of the unreleased St. Agrestis Paradiso Aperitivo, sparkling Italian wine and sparkling water, this is a citrus-driven, perfect warm-weather sipper for aperitivo lovers. Bring on the snacks! This one complements light appetizers and assorted munchies wonderfully.

Summer days are long. We have a cocktail for that. The Long Drink hails from Finland, the “happiest country in the world,” so you know it’s a good time. A mixture of refreshing grapefruit soda with premium gin, each can a bag friendly 375-ml. Also available in sugar free and cranberry flavor.