You might not realize it because all everyone seems to want to talk about is hard seltzer, but we’re in the midst of a canned cocktail boom. For fans of hard alcohol-based beverages that don’t taste like fizzy, fruity water, this is a pretty good thing. Brands are popping up with craft canned, ready-to-drink margaritas, gin and tonics, old fashioneds, and whiskey sours from coast to coast.
And while canned cocktails have historically been bad, this boom has also brought with it innovation. Drinks that truly match ease, flavor, portability, and cost.
While there are now countless brands on the market, not all are well-suited for spring drinking. So today we decided to highlight eight of the freshest, most thirst-quenching, seasonally appropriate canned cocktails out there for your first post-vaccine parties and kickbacks.
Check them all out below. Then crack one open and enjoy the sunshine.
Can Bee Bee’s Knees
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $14.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
When it comes to CanBee Bee’s Knees, simplicity is the name of the game. A sweeter take on the classic gin and tonic, this 8% ABV canned cocktail is made with lemon, honey, and floral gin.
On top of being a delicious, seasonally appropriate cocktail, a portion of the product’s sales go to bee conservancies throughout the globe as well as locally.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, there’s a distinct aroma of clover honey, bright citrus, and floral, fragrant juniper. Take a sip and you’ll be treated to flavors that match the aroma. It’s filled with honey sweetness, fresh lemon flavor, and a nice hit of gin. It all ends with a pleasantly sweet, fruity, citrus finish.
Bottom Line:
One of the coolest things about this canned cocktail is the fact that it was actually founded by beekeepers. After taking a sip, it’s safe to say they know just as much about cocktails as they do about bees.
Two Brothers Meyer Lemon Vodka Soda
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $9.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
Illinois’ Two Brothers is well-known for its beer. But, on top of brewing, it also distills spirits. Recently it joined in on the canned cocktail bonanza by releasing the vodka-based Aloha Punch, rum-centric Mojito, vodka-based Moscow Mule, and Meyer Lemon Vodka Soda (among others). The latter is highly crushable (at a sessionable 5% ABV) and is made with 100% handcrafted vodka along with soda water and Meyer lemons.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to nose this cocktail and you’ll immediately be struck by the pronounced lemon aroma. This is definitely a summer sipper for fans of citrus as the flavor is all lemon zest, lime, and nice, effervescent, crisp bubbles. All in all, a very refreshing, light way to enjoy a vodka soda without mixing one up yourself.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a hard seltzer fan and you want to get into canned cocktails, light, refreshing drinks like Two Brothers Meyer Lemon Vodka Soda are the way to go. Use this as a bridge to work your way up to bolder, more ABV-heavy drinks.
88 East Dia De La Paloma
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $10.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
This gluten-free canned cocktail is created and canned in Jalisco, Mexico. If you know anything about alcohol, you know this is the center of the tequila world. This 8% pre-mixed cocktail contains premium tequila, grapefruit, and lime. It’s zesty, tart, and refreshing.
Tasting Notes:
On top of simply featuring really cool can art, this cocktail is fragrant with the scents of tart grapefruit, roasted agave, and bright lime being at the forefront. The flavor is classic paloma, with ripe, tangy grapefruit taking center stage along with subtle vegetal sweetness, and other citrus flavors swirling throughout.
Bottom Line:
While preparing a homemade paloma isn’t rocket science, cracking one open is even easier. That’s why we prefer this authentic, highly drinkable offering when we’re on the go.
Cutwater Gin & Tonic
ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $12.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
If you’ve followed the canned cocktail explosion, you’d definitely heard about Cutwater. Though some of their offerings veer sugary, this gin & tonic is incredibly solid. Cutwater’s g & t begins with its own award-winning, piney, and juniper-filled gin. It’s blended with a grapefruit cucumber tonic to create a supremely refreshing spring (and summer) drink.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, this drink is loaded with scents of fresh cucumber, citrus peels, pine trees, and fragrant juniper. The palate is a ramped-up gin and tonic with flavors of a floral gin, cucumber, and bright lime. It ends with a nice, crisp, highly drinkable finish.
Bottom Line:
If you ever thought about buying a canned cocktail from Cutwater, make it its Gin & Tonic. It’s flavorful but light enough to not be overpowering.
Dogfish Head Cherry Bergamot Whiskey Sour
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $10.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
Dogfish Head is a craft beer pioneer. In recent years, the Delaware-based brand decided to branch out into spirits and more recently into canned cocktails. Its Cherry Bergamot Whiskey Sour is its fancier, sweet, “off-centered” take on the classic cocktail. Made distilling its malt whiskey with sour cherries, and Bergamot oranges before blending it all with its in-house sour mix.
Tasting Notes:
Before sipping, breathe in the aromas of this complex canned cocktail. You’ll be met with notes of charred oak, caramelized sugar, dried cherries, and bright citrus. Sipping this drink reveals notes of vanilla beans, sour cherries, lemon zest, and ripe oranges. It all ends with a nice mixture of caramel sweetness, cherries, and citrus.
Bottom Line:
A poorly made whiskey sour can be overly tangy, falsely sour, and cloyingly sweet. This premixed drink is subtly sweet, filled with fresh citrus flavor, and perfectly tart.
Kiuchi Hitachino Highball
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $7.75 for a 12-ounce can
The Story:
When it comes to fresh, spring cocktails, it’s hard to beat the classic whisky highball. And if anyone knows a thing or two about this iconic drink, it’s the Japanese. That’s why the best example of a canned version comes from Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. Its Hitachino Highball is made simply using carbonated water from Hitachino and its own matured whisky that’s aged for 3 years in a combination of sherry butts and Japanese wine barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to the Hitachino Highball. On the nose, you’ll find slight sherry, wood char, and vanilla. Sipping this drink reveals flavors of caramelized sugar, vanilla beans, subtle sherry sweetness, and crisp, carbonated water. The finish is refreshing, light, and highly drinkable.
Bottom Line:
If you only drink one canned cocktail from this list, make it Hitachino Highball. It’s simple, fresh, and perfect for spring drinking.
The Copper Can Moscow Mule
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $12.99 for a 4-pack
The Story:
It’s difficult to find a bolder spicier, more spring-appropriate drink than the iconic Moscow mule. Made with vodka that was distilled 6 times, organic lime juice, and house-made ginger beer, this 10% ABV canned cocktail takes all the planning out of enjoying a Moscow Mule.
Simply crack one open and pour it over ice. Preferably in a copper mug.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, the spicy ginger is at the forefront. This is followed by fresh lime zest. The palate is swirling with fresh, juice lime, spicy ginger root, and pleasing, warming vodka. It all ends with a nice combination of spice, sweetness, and tart flavors.
Bottom Line:
The is the epitome of plug and play. Fill a cooler with these bad boys and crack a few open as you play a few yard games on a warm, spring day.
Fishers Island Lemonade
ABV: 9%
Average Price: $16.99 for a 4-pack
Bottom Line:
The only thing better than regular lemonade is boozy, alcohol-filled lemonade. This award-winning, spiked lemonade was created using a recipe from the Pequot Inn on Fishers Island, New York. It’s made with lemonade kicked up with a mix of vodka and whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find heavy notes of ripe, tart lemons, caramel sweetness, and slight fruitiness. The flavor is littered with citrus zest, vanilla beans, ripe lemons, and subtle malts. It all ends in a nice combination of sweet and tangy citrus.
Bottom Line:
Who needs regular lemonade this spring when you can drink spiked lemonade instead? Plus, a combination of whiskey and vodka? We’re definitely on board with this.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.