Bye-bye distasteful, cheap RTDs and Hey Hey to the latest pathway to getting shitfaced. Hey Hey is a refreshing new take on the RTD phenomenon dominating the alcohol industry, and has now introduced us to a cool, fruity cocktail twist. Reduced daylight hours and drinking in a cold flat where you can see your breath? Crack open a Hey Hey and it’ll feel like you’re poolside at a villa in the hot summer sun of Ibiza.
Upon my first tentative sips of these at Rhythm and Alps, I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised. Usually I opt for something like Speight’s when buying drinks for myself, and avoid the watery, supposedly fruit-flavoured RTDs that seem engineered to be flavourless and purely bingeable. However, unlike their close cousin Clean Collectives, the flavour of Hey Heys packs a punch (get it, like fruit punch).
My taste buds were overwhelmed with the citrusy and sweet flavour of cloudy pink grapefruit – one of the many flavour options. If you’re a lover of cocktails and defender of those cute little umbrellas that make any drink automatically cooler, this is the one for you. The gin flavour doesn’t even taste like your standard cheap house gin, nor does it come with the backwash aftertaste characteristic of other RTDs on the market. It’s giving Zanzibar: a little bit bougie, with the self-awareness of catering for a student crowd.
Hey Hey is your aunt’s drink of choice for a day at the races and would pair well with a polka-dot dress and a fascinator (the fancy clip-on hats). They’re also the drink that your Hawaiian shirt-wearing dad would say is “too girly” but you catch him demolishing a couple hours later because they’re refreshing as fuck.
After a couple of these you feel a little bit light-headed with a touch of regret entering the midst. Hey Hey had me wanting to befriend my high school Social Studies teacher on Facebook to rehash why she gave me an Achieved on that one assignment. While drinking them you do feel like a bit of a champion, like you’re in the Love Island villa and Tommy Fury is hitting on you (we stand with Molly Mae).
Despite the tropical aura of Hey Heys, I would not recommend drinking these on a hot summer’s day – they will be putting you to sleep very quickly, waking up with the dreaded sunglass tan lines and in a trance of hangxiety. Hey Hey is the perfect drink for just a couple of quiet ones with your mates but also if you want to feel cocktail drunk responding to everyone’s Instagram stories. Go try at your own risk of embarrassment and a sore tummy.
Pairs well with: Binge watching Love Island
X factor: Cocktail sunset vibes
Hangover depression level: 5/10
Taste Rating: 8/10