Taste Test: Is Loverboy Worth the Hype?

Loverboy
Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for AminoLean

These Summer House people drink Loverboy like it’s going out of style. During every house party, Kyle Cooke refills the outside coolers with all the flavors, and guests and roomies alike chug the drink down. Now, for most of their drinks, you are looking at a zero-sugar, 90-calorie option with naturally sweetened additives. Most of the drinks have around 4.2% alcohol content. So I’m going to drink some of the most popular flavors, so you don’t have to and give my honest opinion.  

Sparkling hard tea

I love the slender feel of the can. I don’t feel like I’m just picking up another White Claw—dare I say I feel a bit more sophisticated? The colors of each can pop, and the design of the boxes draws my eye in like a Magpie with a bald head. Thank goodness Amanda Batula came on as the creative designer because her work is beautiful, and it is clear she knows her audience. 

When it came to the Strawberry Lemonade, the moment I cracked it open, I was hit with a strawberry fragrance. Now, I grew up when Twisted Tea was the go-to drink so I wasn’t holding out much hope, but Loverboy has surprised me. Even if you are not a big tea person, I think you’ll like this flavor because the leaves and spices are not overwhelming. The taste is light and something you could easily drink at a July 4th BBQ or sitting by the water’s edge while at the beach.

I also tried the Hibiscus Lime and was NOT a fan. At best, I’d give this flavor an okay rating. The first couple of sips were delightful, but after a bit, the aftertaste creeps in, and it has a strong artificial sweetener taste, which I’m not a fan of. 

Spritz me

If I were reaching for a Loverboy item, I’d have to choose the line of spritzes over the hard teas any day. I tried the Blueberry Lemon and found it pretty delectable. While the teas have a more fermented taste, the spritz family uses an orange wine base to make them taste much closer to sugar than a Stevia alternative. 

Now, my top pick of the entire Loverboy line would have to be the online exclusive flavor Limoncello Spritz. It is the perfect afternoon summery drink, and I swear if you close your eyes, you could be in a piazza in Rome. I was hit with a refreshing lemon zest and a heavy sour kick. Again, it was the can that lured me in with a lovely yellow pallet and blue lettering, so I hope Amanda got a little raise with this one!

Cocktails

Let me preface this by saying I am not a coffee fan. But again, every time the gang heads out on the town in Montauk, they order round after round of espresso martinis. However, the Loverboy Espresso Martini was way too sweet for me, so I handed the job of taste testing off to my panel of expert judges. And by expert judges, I mean these are the friends I grew up partying in Hoboken with, so they know what a good cocktail should taste like. 

So the verdict was, and I quote, “It was all right. But it was pretty expensive for what it was.” The cocktail cans are 8.4 fl. oz, while the hard teas and spritz cans are 11.5 fl. oz. A pack of eight costs $39, while a pack of eight hard teas costs $31.99. 

The verdict

I’m a sucker for anything Bravo-related, and I’m not too proud to say I also have a bit of merchandise from Loverboy in the form of the Summer Should Be Fun sweatshirt which I wear proudly. If you are a big fan of the show and enjoy these types of drinks, I’d say try Loverboy! I found I was very down the middle when it came to the flavors I liked and the flavors I disliked, so I do think you might need to go through a few options before you find your flavor. Mine will forever be the Limoncello Sprtiz, which you will find me drinking every week during the new episodes of Summer House. Bottoms up! 

TELL US – HAVE YOU TRIED LOVERBOY? DID YOU LIKE IT OR HATE IT?

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