Silver, gold, hard, spiked, lemon, orange, iced – however you want it, Ames liquor stores and bars have it. The newest drinking craze to hit the United States comes in bottles. Six of them, to be exact.

The packs of so-called “malternative” drinks have opened up a new market of alcoholic cocktails and a wider selection for those age 21 and over.

“I think those drinks are mostly for the ladies,” said Corey Bisgard, senior in production and operations management. “Although when the beer runs out, I don’t mind throwing back a few. Some of them are actually good.”

Introduction of spin-offs such as Skyy Blue, flavored beer (Two Dogs Orange, Apple or Lemon brew), bottled rum-and-cola combinations (Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola, Captain Morgan Gold) have all helped boost the sales of alcohol.

“The sale of the malt-lemon type of drinks this summer was huge,” said Tom Zmolek, owner of People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way, and the Keg Shop, 218 Welch Ave. “It was the thing to drink.”

The introduction of the estimated 17 new beverage choices has added to Iowa’s alcohol sale. For the seventh consecutive year, Iowa’s sales have increased with last year’s revenue totaling more than $114 million, said Lynn Walding, administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.

Walding said the drinks have had an impact on the market for two reasons: “They have a sweeter taste than beer and appeal more to the females, and . they are linked to distillers.”

For example, Smirnoff Vodka introduced Smirnoff Ice and Smirnoff Mule, both flavored malt beverages. Sales of Smirnoff Vodka have gone up 16 percent compared to last year, however the actual category of vodka was only up 3 percent.

“I like the new drinks out, but I can’t drink too many of them because they are so sweet,” said Alison Hosmer, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication. “It’s nice though to have options instead of drinking beer every time.”

Last year, Iowans consumed an averaged of 35.3 gallons of beer per person, Walding said. Even with the new choices out, beer consumption hasn’t dropped any in the last year, and those loyal to their cans are still sticking to their guns.

Besides the sale of beer, hard liquor and malternatives, liquor stores have been housing something else – gelatin shots. One type of gelatin shot with alcohol, Zippers, is being pulled from the market due a potential appeal to children.

The items were originally made for bars to be consumed on site. However, sales records were showing that most were being sold in grocery stores.

“I am glad they are gone. I’ve gotten too much flak about them being enticing to children,” said Greg Wierson, wine and spirits manager at Hy-Vee, 640 Lincoln Way.

Stores are able to sell what it has left of Zippers, but won’t be able to reorder until the company can create a new package for them, Wierson said.

Despite the growing liquor selection, some students said they prefer an old standby for their drink of choice.

“Nothing beats an ice-cold beer,” said Josh Bovy, junior in mechanical engineering.