Innovative Sips and Nibbles Perfect For Poolside Fun

Apr 23, 2025 Vacationer Staff

Heading to the beach, the pool, or perhaps a picnic in the park this Summer? Here are some delicious must-haves to take with you.

For Memorial Day everyone loves to gather with casual food, and for those of use who prefer to stretch out on a pool chaise or picnic blanket rather than salve over a hot grill, these handy beverages and snacks will help elevate your day off in the sun.

Featured: Melograno Cocktails

Move over, hard seltzer! We like Melograno much better. This refined beverage in a slimline, elegantly designed can is perfect for quick and easy chilling, and discreet consumption poolside. This is not a carbonated, malt-based beverage brand. This is an organic and ultra-chic experience—premium non-carbonated agave cocktails designed to elevate the drinking experience. These handcrafted, nitrogen-infused cocktails are made with organic blue agave wine and deliver a smoother texture and enhanced flavors, while being lower in sugar and alcohol than other adult drinks. The Melograno range includes delicious twists on old craft cocktail favorites: Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, Melon Margarita, Orange Blossom Martini, and Cucumber Lime Mojito—all made from sustainably grown agave plants from Jalisco, Mexico.

The taste is definitely a cut above those one-note, malt-based brands, and we believe Melograno Cocktails is big leap forward in adult beverages. We loved all the flavors and could not settle on our favorite! Luckily, Melograno Cocktails come in a variety 8-pack with the original four flavors: Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, Cucumber Lime Mojito, Orange Blossom Martini, and Melon Margarita, each with only 120 calories, 5 grams of organic cane sugar, and 5% alcohol by volume in a 12-oz sleek can. Available at Food City, Total Wine & More, MacysWineShop.com, and other outlets. For a full list of retailers, go here.

Mind Garden

For a completely non-alcoholic option, but one that also delivers some transformative benefits, Mind Garden offers flavored beverages that come in relaxing and botanical-inspired varieties: Grapefruit Bergamot, Quince Rosemary, Mango Hibiscus and Strawberry Rose—all containing brewed hemp and a blend of active adaptogens and nootropics, known to support relaxation and sharpen focus. We found this delicious elixir to be the perfect comedown after a long and stressful day when we didn’t want alcohol’s numbing properties—we wanted something gentler and more reflective that would promote clarity and calm. Mind Garden is a functional beverage that encourages you to pause and reset, and focus on self-care. So now you can wind down with Mind Garden and do so around kids where you need to maintain your focus and clarity of mind.

The hemp, which is a key ingredient, is CBD and THC-free, and has been fermented and blended with fruit juice to deliver a naturally sweet drink with a foundation of subtle, earthy herbaceousness and 0g added sugar. So you can also stick to your Summer beauty goals while you relax.

OMG! Pretzels

Pretzels can be a relatively healthy snack option, especially when compared to other salty snacks like flavored potato chips. But we can all agree that the taste of commercial brands of pretzels are often limited or bland. Not anymore with OMG! Pretzels. These women-crafted, crunchy, seasoned sourdough pretzel nuggets pack a flavorful punch, and as the tagline says, they are “Seriously Scrumptious.”

Created by a U.S. mother-daughter team in 2014, these indulgent bites are based on family recipes and include gourmet flavors such as Lemon Pepper, Garlic, Buffalo, Chesapeake, Cheddar Jalapeno, Sweet Chili, Sweet & Salty, and Salty Butterscotch. These are unique, award-winning pretzels made with premium ingredients and it’s little wonder they deliver bold flavors that work on their own or can be paired with dips, charcuterie, cheese, and even used in recipes.

Try this delicious summer-inspired dip below:

Crab ‘Nachos’ with Chesapeake OMG! Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 bag of Chesapeake OMG! Pretzels
8 oz lump crab meat (or other shellfish)
2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

For the Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ tbsp ketchup
½ tbsp pickle relish
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp hot sauce

Optional Toppings:

Diced tomatoes
Diced bell peppers
Diced celery

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
Gently fold the seafood into half of the dressing.
Spread the pretzel nuggets onto a large plate in a single layer.
Spoon the seafood mixture on top of the pretzel nuggets
Sprinkle on the fresh herbs and any additional toppings you like. Drizzle over some of the leftover dressing.
Enjoy!