It may have launched on April 1, but the latest seltzer on the market is no joke. Monday Distillery’s new range of non-alcoholic seltzers – Wise Craic – features unique flavours including “Pickle Juice & Tang” and “Jackfruit Jubiliee”.

The brand name plays on the Irish slang craic (pronounced crack), which means having a good time.  

“We found it hilarious that by adding alcohol to fizzy water, these brands are making a killing in the young adult and the ‘I don’t really like alcohol, so this is all I can drink’ markets,” said Wise Craic Founder and Monday Distillery ideas girl Eleanor Rigby.

“The funniest thing of all is that most of these drinks taste gross. So, we figured we’d leave the booze (and sugar) out, but bring the delicious instead.”

Wise Craic is positioned as an ‘adult-looking and tasting’ beverage you can sip at parties without feeling like a social outcast. No kiddy cola or weak-sauce water drinks here.

While the packaging is sophisticated, when you dig a little deeper, the words on the label add a real twist of fun. For example, the description on the pickle juice & tang flavour reads: “You’re the kind of person who orders an onion at the fish n’ chip shop. You know the ones on the counter floating in those jars? Why? Because savoury is tasty. Keep that train going with this sparkly seltzer that blends pickle and lemon to create something you’ll go ‘wow, that actually doesn’t taste like feet!” 

So, what DOES pickle juice seltzer taste like?

“The pickle juice seltzer has a great salty taste and surprisingly balances wonderfully with the tart flavours of passionfruit, yuzu and pink grapefruit,” Rigby said.

“When creating a new drink flavour always come first for me. Experimenting with unusual flavours the key is balancing sweet and sour. That and making sure the drink is really bubbly and refreshing. I am very passionate about crafting sugar-free options. Using my background in distilled botanicals and beverages, I always set out to develop something with all the emotional connection, taste and vibe of my favourite cocktail without the messy effects of alcohol.”

Rigby said it’s been an exciting time for Monday Distillery since launching late last year. The first three flavours the non-alcoholic company created were a Classic Dry Gin & Tonic, Exotic Spice Gin & Tonic, plus a rum-inspired Dark & Stormy. 

“The last few months have been wonderful for our business,” she noted. “Society is increasingly conscious of what we are putting into our bodies and this is leading to a major shift in the beverage market. Consumers are wanting something better than sugar-filled soft drinks. They not only want something that tastes better, but something that is also better for you.

“With the culture of reducing or avoiding alcohol has had a huge upswell of support Dry January, Feb Fast, Dry July, OcSober, Sober Curious and zero-alcohol venues all leading the movement. This market is just getting started and is poised for a growth explosion. Within Monday we started with the G&Ts first because it too has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in recent years, so they have both been very popular. In saying that the Dark and Stormy and Paloma with faux Paloma are giving the G&Ts a run for their money.” 

Visit drinkwisecraic.com to find out more.