Following the rise of interest in rosé—which got a boost when men decided it wasn’t girly, ushering in the brosé phenomenon—the frozen rosé (frosé) craze took off at bars. Now Stacie Weisman, a bar-industry vet who spent parts of her childhood in Woodcliff Lake, has created a bottled mix that makes frosés (in various colors) easy to whip up at home. Made in Edison, her Bloomers Frosé + More is a fruity syrup to be mixed in a blender with ice and any wine, beer or spirit for a revved-up slushy.
“The piña colada, the daquiri, each has its own [liquor],” Weisman says. “With ours, you can mix it with anything except driving. This turns anyone into a mixologist.”
Similar products on the market contain pear-and strawberry-juice concentrates, lots of sugar (for taste and for proper texture after freezing) and chemical preservatives. Bloomers appears to be the only company to make a low-cal version, which Weisman says contains half the sugar and calories of the original.
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Weisman launched Bloomers in January. It now sells in 31 states and online at bloomersfrose.com, and in New Jersey at stores such as Royal Spirits in Red Bank, Hops and Grapes in Glassboro, and chains such as Total Wine.
Lee Sanchez, a consultant for Atlantic City’s new Rhythm and Spirits cocktail and music hall, says store-bought mixers have a place in high-volume bars like those in the casinos.
I was glad to have two sample bottles of Bloomers for a party I was rushing to get ready for. The frosés tasted great, and I’d use them again in a pinch. But at $14.99–$17.99 per liter bottle, I’d be more inclined to just buy cherry-flavored water ice at about $4 for roughly the same amount. That happens to be the product that gave Weisman the idea for Bloomers when she lived in Philadelphia.