The Cookout Can: A Fourth of July Field Guide

The Fourth is tomorrow. Somebody has already claimed the grill tongs, the cooler is doing structural overtime, and you've got exactly one pocket of real estate for a can. Choose it well. A cookout is a specific environment — hot, loud, long — and not every pouch is built for it.

What survives a cookout

Citrus. The category MVP in heat. Pablo Exclusive Lemonade is the best-tasting lemonade in the store and also 30 mg, which is a lot of Fourth of July for anyone who isn't already an experienced Pablo user. The version of that flavor most people should actually carry: ZYN Citrus at 6 or 11.

Watermelon. Seasonal typecasting that happens to be correct. ZYN Cool Watermelon for the easy afternoon, VELO Wintery Watermelon at 14 when you want the same idea with more behind it.

Sour. Iceberg Sour Berries cuts through grill smoke and sunscreen air better than anything sweet does. The full warm-weather rankings are in the hot-weather piece.

What doesn't

Dessert cans fight the food. A bratwurst and a Strawberry Cheesecake should not meet in the same hour. Heavy menthol mid-meal is the toothpaste-at-dinner problem — save the big mints for after the plates are cleared. And the novelty shelf — the colas and energy flavors we toured in the Drinks Menu — plays best in the lawn-chair hour, not during the meal.

Cookout logistics

• Shade the can. Pocket, not picnic table. We covered what heat does to a can two days ago; the short version is nothing good.
• Used pouches go in the lid. The catch compartment is the entire reason the can has two parts. Nobody wants to find one on a paper plate. Nobody.
• Eat first, pouch after. A pouch during dinner wastes the pouch and the dinner.
• Keep it 21+. Big family gathering means the can stays in your pocket, not out on the table. It's for the adults who already use it, and that's the whole list.

The pick

Mine is the ZYN Citrus 6 for the long haul and an Iceberg Sour Berries for the fireworks. Every can's $9.99, the fruit collection has the whole seasonal roster, and orders ship with an adult signature at the door like always. Happy Fourth.

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.