What Kind Of Alcohol Is Actually In BeatBox Drinks?

Ready-to-drink beverages generally use malt as a base, so BeatBox's line up of wine-based concoctions are atypical. Though the brightly colored packaging may not lead drinkers to immediately think of wine, CEO Justin Fenchel clarifies to Vine Pair, "Yeah, I mean, without getting too much into the trade secrets or anything, we use the bulk OTS wine, which is like a 21% alcohol base, a neutral base, a clean base," he says. "It's that, water, our flavoring, and we use a little bit of cane sugar and a little bit of Splenda."

BeatBox's party punches and hard teas come in a range of wine-base and malt-base recipes, with ABVs ranging from 6% to 11.1%. A 11.1% party punch can be made with either an orange wine or a malt base, while the 8% ABV party punch offers a malt base, and the 6% zero sugar product uses wine. BeatBox's drinks are ready to sip straight out of the packaging, but some revelers have taken it upon themselves to combine the ready-made drinks with soda and juices to create other kinds of beverage recipes to enjoy. "Consumers don't necessarily care too much about the base, they care that it tastes great," Fenchel admitted.

The trio of entrepreneurs behind the pre-made drinks tried to raise money through crowdfunding before appearing on "SharkTank" in 2014. After receiving investment, the group distributed boxes of booze with printed designs to look like speakers and smaller, handheld options. The concept eliminated the need to carry bottles or fancy stemware to parties and concerts, and the product line-up offered flavors such as Blue Razzberry, Pink Lemonade, and Peach Punch.

"You have to remember: our generation did not grow up with just one flavor of Gatorade; we grew up with many," Amy Steadman, one of the co-founders of the brand, explained to Beverage Dynamics. BeatBox has since added more flavors to its roster, like Cherry Limeade, Green Apple, Juicy Mango, and an assortment of hard teas. For those unsure where to begin, a six-pack party box provides indecisive drinkers with a sample of flavors so you can decide whether the wine or malt-based drinks are right for you. To enjoy responsibly, keep in mind that at 11.1% ABV, some of the BeatBox drinks can carry as much alcohol equivalent to several beers or a bottle of wine, so the tasty drinks may eventually creep up on you, regardless of the base ingredients.