Wine and Alcohol On-the-Go: How to Avoid Spending a Fortune on Booze This Summer

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Gut Check recommends actually drinking the Pocket Shots on a hot summer's day.

​It's unfortunate that Missouri summers are notoriously hot and humid, especially when there are so many concerts, sporting events and other outdoor activities to partake in. It's even more unfortunate that you'll either have to shell out $9 for a beer at most outdoor concerts and Cards games or pack a flask.

Wines and liquor in small, eco-friendly cartons might be the solution to avoiding spending a ton of cash on booze or chancing it with a flask this summer. Packaged in boxes and pocket-sized pouches, they're discrete and not clunky like glass bottles. If you like to play it on the safe side, you can bring them to a park that allows alcohol for a picnic. But Gut Check likes to take a walk on the wild side every once in a while. We tested individual wine cartons and packets of alcohol to determine which were best for summer activities when you don't want to splurge on purchasing alcohol.

Scenario No. 1: Sporting Events
Nobody likes a rowdy drunk sitting behind them at a baseball game, so less is more in this situation. Pack a Pocket Shot, a small pouch full of rum, tequila, vodka, whisky or brandy, and slip it into your soda. Each pouch is 50 milliliters of 80-proof alcohol, so it'll give you a buzz that will make the bleacher seats more bearable. And at $1.69 apiece, they're a cheap alternative to pricey ballpark beers.

Scenario No. 2: Outdoor Concerts
Remember the alcohol-fueled karaoke nights when you belted out Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"? Ah, those were the glory days. But wait! There's good news: Journey's playing the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater later this month, so break out the booze. Bottled by California's Rebel Wine, a $3.99 carton of Bandit's pinot grigio will enhance your experience without breaking your bank. Each box equals two-thirds of a wine bottle, and it resembles a juice box, so no one will suspect a thing.

Scenario No. 3: Any Theme Park Trip, Zoo Visit or Activity Involving Overly Crowded Areas
Sometimes you need more than just a Pocket Shot or a single bottle of wine to get you through a summer day. Just imagine a hot, crowded trip to Six Flags or the Saint Louis Zoo with only 50 milliliters of booze to tide you over. For occasions such as these, we recommend the six-glass carton of chardonnay by Vendange. The wine, with hints of apple, pear and oak, is a pretty good deal at $7.99 a box, but we don't recommend riding a roller coaster or leaning over the tiger pit after you've polished it off.