In case you were ever thinking about giving me a “man card”, which if you have ever read any of my other posts I don’t think that could even be an option, I have a confession to make:  I don’t drink beer.  Actually, that’s something that anyone that knows me learns pretty much right off the bat.  Most people are goaded into it at some point in their life, forcing it down simply to fit in with friends, and that time is generally referred to as “college”.  Having never gone, I never had the ‘misfortune’ of cramming large quantities of something disgusting down my throat until it starts to taste not-so-disgusting, which is referred to as an “acquired taste” (see: coffee).

Now this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy drinking, because I do.  But if I’m out with friends, you’re probably going to find me drinking something the ladies are drinking.  And that is probably as good a segue as I’m going to get as a lead-in to why I purchased this Strawberry Beach Daiquiri from Aldi.  Well, that paired up with its nicely-affordable price tag ($5.99 here in OH for a 750 mL bottle, though that price generally tends to be lower in just about every other state).  There was just something inviting about its blood-red color; the thought of strawberries dancing on my taste buds during a hot summer day as I cooled off with a refreshing, yet delightfully alcoholic beverage.

While the actual experience of tasting it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had floating around my head, it was actually somewhat close.  The strawberry syrup actually tastes within the general vicinity of a fresh batch of the real thing, though of course there’s also a heavy amount of syrupy sugar added, too.  So this is probably not a drink that you should drink to get drunk off of, because there would probably be a rather large headache involved the following morning.  There’s also a somewhat bitter alcohol finish toward the end, which can be expected, though the strawberry is thankfully the flavor at the forefront.

I plowed through a bottle in a couple of days, and can’t say that I regretted either the decision to buy it, or drink it, in the least.  Well, until the heartburn kicked in, a not-so-gentle reminder that I should really learn to drink beer, because I’m getting too old to put up with the high sugar content of these super-sweet drinks.

Now of course, this is merely reviewing the product right out of the bottle.  As with most (all?) alcoholic beverages, the possibility exists of either using this as a mixer in another tropical beverage, or adding something to it, such as fresh fruit and/or sparkling water, to give it even more refreshing properties.  I will mention the ABV is at 14%, which is sadly pretty decent for an alcoholic beverage from Aldi, and given its low price point, can give you a decent buzz on a budget.

Overall: 7.5/10.  I had originally typed up this review in 2014, to a 6-point rating, but upon re-reviewing it this year, I found it to be a lot better than I did back then.  In fact, I’m on my third bottle in just as many weeks.  I deducted points last year for a fakey strawberry flavor, but I actually find it to be pretty accurate, at least as far as these kinds of drinks are concerned.  There is a slight bitter finish, courtesy of the alcohol, which can be expected, but the strawberry overwhelms it, so it’s not a big deal.  Also note this review is for the product straight out of the bottle; the potential to use this as a mixer in another alcoholic concoction, or to add fresh fruit or other products to liven it up a little bit adds a whole new world of possibilities that could make it even better.