There are always new ways for drinks companies to make alcohol seem even more exciting. Smirnoff has added gold leaf to some of its vodkas (apparently it’s both real and edible); cans of Dragon Soop and Four Loko deliver heart attack-inducing combinations of sugar, caffeine and alcohol; and the appropriately named Aftershock is rumoured to crystallise in your stomach for a few hours before reverting back to liquid form to release a second wave of alcohol into your bloodstream. (This is almost certainly an urban myth, but Aftershock drinkers remain convinced.) The latest fad was created during one woman’s postgraduate degree – and has since transformed the experience of partygoers across the world. Behold BuzzBallz.
Picture a classic fishbowl cocktail – but a quarter of the size, double the strength and without all the straws. Its fluorescent packaging makes it hard to miss and its price tag – around £3.99 in most off-licences – makes it hard to resist. It is ready to drink straight off the shelf with an ABV of 13.5 per cent, but its creators have somehow managed to cram just enough sugar in to cancel out the taste of alcohol – or at least distract from it.
There are even sharing versions, BuzzBallz Biggies – 1.75 litres for those splitting it among friends, or with a death wish. I would love to say I have been remunerated by BuzzBallz LLC to write this. But I must confess: I am simply another convert to these little globes taking over the streets of Britain.
BuzzBallz may be having a moment (their UK sales have tripled in the past year and they’ve even started producing limited edition collectible bags), but they took a long time to get noticed. In 2010, 48-year-old US high-school teacher Merrilee Kick was sitting by her pool, marking exam papers, when the idea came to her. She wanted to create a strong and ‘stylish’ cocktail, but one that didn’t leave the drinker feeling ‘fat and bloated’ like a pint might. Inspired by a crystal snowball from Sweden and the metal cap on the top of a tennis ball packet, she came up with the concept of BuzzBallz and turned it into her master’s degree thesis.
Kick bought a warehouse, then raised enough funds to get a forklift and an employee and start producing the drinks. It was a lonely project: her husband was sceptical and forbade her from using any of their savings for the start-up. His pessimism was misplaced – the company was profitable after year one. ‘He loves it now,’ Kick told Forbes magazine. ‘He has a new golf membership and a house in Montana.’
BuzzBallz are all over Instagram and TikTok, making them the corner shop cocktail of choice. But their social media presence hasn’t quite turned them into a household name – yet. Many a confused glance was exchanged when my colleague Uber-ordered one of the ‘Biggies’ to the Spectator offices before Christmas. The 2kg raspberry-coloured sphere was passed from person to person before one staffer tentatively poured a little into his champagne. ‘It gets better the more you drink,’ another murmured contemplatively. ‘It feels like paint stripper on my teeth’ was a more direct appraisal.
Perhaps that is the secret of BuzzBallz: they make no claim to be good, only strong enough that you don’t care.
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