Lewis Hamilton’s Almave Made Non-Alcoholic Margaritas. They’re $12.99 at Target.

Remember when the only option for non-drinkers at a party was a warm can of soda?

You showed up to the holiday party, said you weren’t drinking tonight and got handed whatever was left in the cooler. Usually that meant flat cola or tap water in a red cup. Then somebody asked if you were okay.

What actually happened

Almave is the non-alcoholic blue agave spirit that seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton co-founded with Casa Lumbre, a spirits company based in Mexico, and its master distiller, Dr. Iván Saldaña. Until now, it came in bottles: Blanco, Ámbar and Humo. On Nov 10, the brand launched its first ready-to-drink cocktails, a Classic Margarita with citrus and a Paloma with grapefruit.

They’re only at Target. A four-pack of either flavor is $12.99, and a variety six-pack with three cans of each is $17.99. Almave says the drinks are made with real blue agave from the highlands of Jalisco.

Hamilton’s pitch is about not feeling left out. “It’s about being able to enjoy a great, authentic drink when you decide not to have alcohol, without feeling like you’re compromising on the experience or feeling like you’re missing out,” he said.

Our read: skipping the drink got easier to buy

This is our read. Non-alcoholic spirits have mostly lived in fancy bottles you had to know how to mix. A four-pack you can grab on a Target run is a different thing. It makes not drinking as easy as drinking, which is the whole point for anyone doing a dry night, a dry month or just a Tuesday.

The reality check

A famous co-founder doesn’t make a drink taste good, and “real blue agave” is how the company describes it, not something we can test. Non-alcoholic doesn’t mean zero sugar or zero calories, so read the nutrition panel on the can before you stock up. And since it’s a Target exclusive, don’t expect to find it at your usual liquor store.

The close

So the next time you say you’re not drinking tonight, you can bring your own margarita. Nobody has to ask if you’re okay.

Sources

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