Trader Joe's Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Brew Beverage

Here's a fun-looking little holiday-ish beverage, seasonally appropriate from now until New Year's or so. It's somewhat similar to Trader Joe's Sparkling Cranberry & Ginger Beverage from a few years back, but there are a few noticeable differences.

I think there's less ginger flavor in this one. The last cran-ginger drink had a little more of that throat tickling property that ginger lovers crave. This one's got like a hint of ginger but not much more than that. The cranberry is slightly tart but I wanted quite a bit more sweetness. There are only 9g of added sugar in each serving, so you wouldn't expect it to be soda sweet or anything like that but it almost tastes sugar free. It's not a terrible beverage, but it's also not particularly memorable or festive by my estimation. Sonia likes the lack of sweetness just fine and enjoys the beverage okay, but even she admits it needs more punch from the ginger.

Trader Joe's Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Brew Beverage comes in a four pack for five bucks. We purchased just two individual cans for a buck and a quarter each. Each can is 8.45 fl oz. It makes a decent mixer with vodka and lime juice for a festive holiday mule type libation.

While it’s convenient to grab a couple of individual cans if your local store sells them loose, we’d suggest trying just one before committing to a full four-pack—especially if you're expecting that classic fiery ginger kick or a sweeter, dessert-like holiday sip. But if you do want to track down a pack for your next festive cocktail mix, here’s a tip from Google Gemini for finding it on the shelves:

Because seasonal holiday beverages are limited-run, stock can fluctuate locally by region. If you don't see it in the beverage or end cap displays right away, check with a Crew Member using item SKU #181782 to see when their next truck shipment is scheduled.

$1.25 per can or $4.99 for the four pack. Kosher. Probably wouldn't buy again. We gave the old cranberry ginger beverage seven and a half stars. We'll go a bit lower on this one. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Brew Beverage seven out of ten stars. I'll go with five and a half out of ten.

Sonia's score: 7 out of 10.

Nathan's score: 5.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs

Following in the footsteps of other tasty products like Trader Joe's Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs and Trader Joe's Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs, here we have Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs. They're fully cooked and gluten free like their predecessors. They heat up the same way, and they're the same shape, size, and price: $4.29.

Texture-wise, they come out of the air fryer nice and juicy, soft, and meaty. It's an extremely similar mouthfeel to the other flavors if you're familiar with those. Flavor-wise, there's only a subtle sweet-tart tang from the cranberry and an even subtler spicy flavor from the jalapeño pepper pieces. Both the fruit and pepper bits are very small and unintrusive.

I wish they were a good bit more prevalent in the flavor profile. I don't necessarily want beaten over the head with super sour cranberry and flaming hot jalapeño, but as it is, these are pretty much on par with a typical chicken sausage—good quality chicken meat with just a hint of tang and spice.

There's a pleasant sweetness to the meatballs, too, as the dried cranberries used in the ingredients are made with cane sugar. There's also some maple sugar in the less than 2% section. Still, I think I prefer the other two flavors of chicken meatballs just slightly more than this variety.

I looked up ways to serve these and found a bunch of ideas. I opted for a makeshift Thanksgiving theme. I read they went well with any kind of cranberry glaze or cranberry sauce, so that's what I paired them with. I went out on a limb and guessed they'd do fine with good old mashed potatoes, as well. All three mixed together made a very tasty forkful. I suppose I could have gone the whole nine yards and added stuffing and gravy to the mix for a full on Thanksgiving style chicken meatball dinner, but I was pretty pleased with the simpler three item spread.

For an easy party appetizer, toss them in a slow cooker with a splash of cranberry juice or apple cider and a extra dollop of hot honey to keep them glazed and warm. If you’re pulling together a quick weeknight dinner, they’re fantastic served over a bed of buttery, fluffy rice or rich polenta, letting the sweet and spicy pan juices double as a sauce. You can also skewer them with charred bell peppers and red onion for fun festive kebabs, or slice them up to toss into a cozy autumn salad with roasted sweet potatoes, kale, and goat cheese.

$4.29 for about 24 meatballs. Gluten free. Antibiotic free. Precooked. Would buy again. Like I said, I like these just a shade less than the other two flavors. If they amped up the jalapeño a lot and the cranberry just a bit, these might have been my favorite. Eight out of ten stars from Sonia for Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs. Seven and a half stars from me.

Bottom line: 7.75 out of 10.