Frosty Jack’s is misunderstood and deserves a better reputation

It may be associated with 14 -year-old park bench chavs and the homeless, but if you’re a student you have no excuse for turning your nose up at a refreshing three-and-a-half litre bottle of Frosty Jack’s white cider.

Every time I go to predrinks with one of the jumbo bottles of the good stuff under one arm and squash in the other, the familiar cry “how can you drink that stuff?” is made by someone sipping budget vodka mixed with off-brand coke.

But the real question is: why aren’t you?

Frosty Jack’s may be undignified, but it’s enjoyable in its own grubby way – like that one-night stand you kicked out before your flatmates wake up. Even during financially better times, Frosty will always have a special place in my heart, and if you give it a genuine try, you’ll find a reason to love it to.

It’s potent stuff, and you can finish predrinks satisfied with downing just one or two pints of the golden liquid when everyone else is bloated from can after can of lager half the strength of the 7.5 per cent Frosty’s.

You may claim your Carlsberg tastes better, but let’s be honest: when you’re on your sixth or seventh double whiskey and coke in Yokos you aren’t drinking it because of the delicate oakish flavours and aromatic infusion. You’re doing it to get more pissed.

The thing is, Frosty’s doesn’t even taste that bad if you know what you’re doing. Mix it with some blackcurrent juice and the infamous foul taste fades into a pleasant fruity flavour.

Plus, the notorious bitterness only makes everything else you drink that night taste even more gorgeous, like hiring a ten pound prostitute before returning home to find a supermodel in lingerie waiting for you.

The whole aim of predrinks is to get smashed. Frosty drinkers just skip the part where we pretend taste is that important. We all know you’re only going to end up chowing down on some Lip Lickin’ at  four in the morning anyway.

You might also say that you want to bring a tasty drink along to share with everyone.

But, honestly, the only time students begrudgingly share their drinks is during a game of Ring of Fire. We’re a bunch of selfish bastards.

But Frosty Jack’s is cheap enough to go splits with your broke friend. At £4.50 for three litres and 22.5 units, it’s a one way ticket to “Oh shit, what the hell happened last night?”.

You don’t have to down the entire bottle in one go – you can always save some for the morning after when you need to cure your dry mouth and the kitchen is just too far away.

So next time someone you know cracks open a bottle of this White-Lightning wannabe, save your judgement please, and don’t whine too much when a splash of it ends up in the ring of fire glass. Your Echo Falls or Strongbow isn’t any nicer anyway – even if it is the limited edition summer berries flavour with little flowers on the label.

Forsty’s cheap, perfectly drinkable and strong enough to do the job. Have a glass or two, and let all your prejudices dissolve in an overly-sweetened haze.

After all, we’re all trying to get drunk. I’m just doing it for way less than you.