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Taste Testing the Four New Surfside Flavors for 2026

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Mar 2nd, 2026 · 9:11 AM EST

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It almost touched 60 degrees this past weekend, so you know what that means. Time to jump the gun and pretend that spring has sprung, even though there’s snow in the overnight forecast.

We just gotta make it to Easter, then we’re home free.

Nonetheless, it was as good a time as any to drink, and we’ve been keeping an eye on Stateside since President Matt Quigley told us back in August that new product was on the way for early 2026.

Just about two weeks ago, they dropped four new Surfside flavors – a blueberry lemonade and vodka, then three new half and halves sold as part of an eight pack. Those include raspberry, mango, and blackberry.

These all follow the same ready-to-drink formula that’s worked wonders for Stateside. Each can is100 calories, two grams of sugar, no bubbles, and 4.5% alcohol. I enlisted my willing and capable wife for taste testing assistance and we graded them out in the name of impact journalism.

Blueberry Lemonade + Vodka

grade: A

It’s done well, just enough blueberry flavor to stand out without being overpowering. Light and refreshing!

Blueberry as a standalone alcohol flavor is hit or miss, but when it’s done right it’s a slam dunk, and this is one of those cases. And lemonade always seems to work as a blueberry partner flavor. They seem to go together naturally. And there’s a local strength here because blueberry is a South Jersey flavor. Think of Flying Fish brewing “Blueberry Braggot” or Hidden Sands doing their “Sandy Blue” Kolsch. Anybody around here who does a blueberry lemon shandy does it well. Regional brewers and distillers know how to do blueberry the right way and this is another example.

(my wife gave it an A+ and I gave it an A- so we settled on a A)

Raspberry Half & Half + Vodka

grade: A

Now to the half and half flavors. My wife points out that raspberry is a classic mix flavor for tea, pointing out the big ice tea jugs you get at the grocery store, or Wawa, or Turkey Hill or maybe even the new Sheetz over in Limerick.

It works in a mixed drink, too. You could probably drink half of this can and think you were chugging Rosenberger’s, like you had a half-gallon just sitting there while you’re skating or playing video games or watching the Eagles or whatever. It’s blended really well.

Mango Half & Half + Vodka

grade: B+

Gotta be honest with you –

I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad mango-flavored anything. Whether it’s Rita’s Italian Ice, Golden Road’s “Mango Cart,” or just a regular-ass mango from the grocery store.

In this case, the mango hits pretty hard right off the top. It tails off into a slight bit of ice tea flavor, but not that much, and it’s really light. You picture yourself drinking 4-5 of these on the beach.

Blackberry Half & Half + Vodka

grade: A-

When I think of blackberry alcohol, I think of Jacquin’s flavored brandy, which is famously seen in the 1981 Veterans Stadium clip of the two shirtless guys at the Eagles vs. Cowboys NFC Championship Game.

That was Mike Linko and George Palmer, and they would have liked Surfside’s spin on the flavor, though I wanted more blackberry flavor than I was getting in this. It felt like it was fighting the ice tea for prevalence, if that makes sense, like the blackberry was on the front end, then the iced tea on the back end.

Still, it’s really good, a solid A-.

Takeaways

In the interest of full transparency, I don’t think I’ve had a Stateside or Surfside product that I didn’t like. So I went into this one with some pre-existing bias, but it was all confirmed as we tried the new flavors. They’re all A-quality drinks, or B+ at the worst. The blackberry and raspberry delivered more tea flavor on the back end, while the mango was more overpowering on the front.

If there’s any knock at all, I guess you could point out that Surfside is seasonal, like you equate these with Citizens Bank Park or the Jersey shore or the lake house or something like that. You’re not cracking raspberry half and half at the Christmas party, are you? I don’t know, maybe you are. But Surfside in my mind is kind of like pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater for spring training. There’s a certain change-of-season symbolism that comes with these canned drinks, and we didn’t have that in college when we were drinking Natty Lite out of the beer pong cups, or whatever other piss-water we could scrounge up at the time.

My wife’s favorite saying is “variety is the spice of life” and you have to appreciate the “optionality” of these Surfside flavors, which is the word Daryl Morey would use.

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Here’s a portion of the press release, and some can photos:

PHILADELPHIA, PA (February 2026) – Surfside, the spirits-based iced tea and lemonade ready-to-drink (RTD) category leader announces the launch of four new flavors, further expanding its award-winning canned cocktail lineup. The new, highly anticipated Surfside Blueberry Lemonade and Half & Half Variety Pack, arrive just in time for spring festivities, marking another milestone in the brand’s exponential growth as sales performance and cultural relevance continue to surge. 

Surfside launched in 2022 by Philadelphia natives Matt and Bryan Quigley, and Clement and Zach Pappas. The brand took off from the onset and has since gained nationwide momentum. 2025 was the brand’s strongest performance to date as Surfside’s sales volume skyrocketed to an impressive 11.1 million cases sold, growing by over 6 million cases from the year prior, and was the top volume growth spirits brand in the United States. Surfside was named the “2025 Spirits Brand of the Year” by Market Watch Magazine, a recognition driven in part by its best-in-class growth performance and is now the #3 spirits volume brand in the United States.

“Our new flavor innovations are a direct reflection of our fans’ evolving taste preferences – a growing desire for delicious, flavor-forward, sessionable beverages,” said Stateside Brands CEO and Co-Founder Clement Pappas. “We took our time to ensure each flavor was executed to the best taste profile possible. Heading into the warmer months, we’re excited to bring our Blueberry Lemonade and Half & Half Variety Pack to our current fans and new consumers across the country, while continuing to reinforce our leadership in the spirits-based RTD category.”

Surfside’s sessionable RTDs are made with vodka, real tea and real lemonade – each can is just 100 calories, 2g of sugar and zero bubbles.