Applebee’s Just Partnered With Two Hip Hop Icons on New Cocktails—And I Tried Them First
Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch
When Snoop Dogg first rapped about sippin’ on gin and juice, he likely wasn’t picturing himself cozied up at a booth at Applebee’s. Well, fast-forward a few decades and the rapper/actor has partnered with fellow musician Dr. Dre on Still G.I.N., and they’re showcasing the liquor with two new cocktails at Applebee’s. Those two new sips are the Rollin‘ On the Beach ($10) and the Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch ($7). And yes, I tried ‘em.
Gin tends to be the liquor people shy away from the most, but I’m here to tell you that there’s nothing to fear when it comes to the Rollin‘ On the Beach or the Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch. In fact, they both come with temporary tattoos, which makes for a fun moment while you sip.
I did have a hands-down favorite among the two cocktails—read ahead to discover how each one stacked up.
Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch
A fruity-meets-boozy blend, the Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch is a mix of Still G.I.N., grenadine, lemon sour and pineapple. For me, it was a little unremarkable compared to the Rollin’ On the Beach. I always find that grenadine can be tricky as an ingredient since it can easily overpower the other flavors. Overall, the Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch tasted like a cherry-forward fruit punch with the gin being pretty present flavor-wise. It wasn’t bad, just not something to write home about.
Rollin’ On the Beach
Rollin’ On the Beach
This cocktail is described as the more “laid back” of the two, and is made from a combination of Still G.I.N., peach schnapps, prickly pear, orange and cranberry juices. With such an assortment of fruit flavors, I was a little leery, but this ended up being my favorite of the new Still G.I.N. drinks. It was equal parts fruity and boozy. It was sweet, but not in an overpowering way. I also thought the gold-hued sugar on the rim was a fun addition. Most importantly, Rollin’ On The Beach is poured tableside and served in a chilled shaker, so you get quite a few pours after the initial serving.
In addition, to the Rollin’ On the Beach and the Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch, Applebee’s also rolled out two new Mucho cocktails: the Emerald Escape and Pricklycane. Stay tuned for my thoughts on those!