The 15 Best Canned Cocktails That You'll Want to Drink All Year Round
Just pop the top of these canned drinks and sip!
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Who doesn’t love a well-made drink but sometimes you just want to crack open a cold one ASAP, y’know? While convenience is definitely a factor, the best canned cocktails will taste fresh without that telltale tinniness. Flavor is, in fact, reason numero uno why ready-to-drink cocktails (also known as RTD cocktails) have become the quick-fix replacement for at-home bartending. This booming beverage category offers an ambitious array of options (yuzu caraway spritz, anyone?) and portability for those looking for some totable journey juice.
With so many choices, which canned cocktails are good? To find the top-tasting contenders, we sampled more than 200 canned cocktails and narrowed down our favorites to the 15 listed below.
Our top picks:
Drizly, the largest online marketplace for alcohol in North America, confirms that sales of canned cocktails are on the rise. The numbers have even surpassed those of the previous darling of canned libations, hard seltzer, whose sales are on the decline. According to Liz Paquette, Head of Consumer Insights, RTDs held 3.0% share overall and 6.5% share within the spirits category from January to June 2023; for the same time period in 2022, the numbers were 2.4% and 5.2% respectively. “While RTDs have seemingly followed the same blueprint as hard seltzer’s explosive trajectory over the past few years,” Paquette says consumers could be starting to see canned cocktails as a year-round staple and not just a warm weather go-to.
What’s behind this swigging shift? The answer is on the stacked shelves of your local liquor store: From espresso martinis to sparkling guava Hawaiian rum cocktails, the availability of high-quality and innovative canned cocktails allow all types of drinkers to pick their poison (even low-calorie beer lovers and canned wine aficionados). “This range lends itself to different types of occasions throughout the year,” according to Paquette, “whether it's poolside sipping, or holiday parties and tailgating.”
In our list of top-tasting canned cocktails, we only included drinks that have identifiable spirits — that's why hard seltzers, which are categorized as a flavored malt beverage according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau, did not make the cut. You’ll find options for every major spirit, from vodka to bourbon, including lower-alcohol tipples as well as higher-octane nursers. Each one will get you through any occasion, whether it's a casual stoop hang or full-on house party. And guess what? You didn’t have to simmer any syrups, buy that one obscure liqueur that will live on your bar cart forever or mix a single thing. The only finger you need to lift is to pop that top. So let's drink to the easiest, tastiest portable potables!
This 12-ounce can from Cardinal Spirits tastes like a drink you might fix yourself: a vodka soda with a splash of cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime. The ratios are just right — not too much juice with a good hit of fresh citrus. With 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), it's still less potent than a vodka soda you'd order at a bar but if you prefer to slow your roll, serve it over ice.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 8.5% | Alcohol: Vodka
Long drink, a pre-mixed gin and grapefruit soda concoction, is iconic in Finland. This easy-drinking version tastes like a grown-up Fresca: refreshing and slightly herbaceous with a mouthwatering tang.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 5% | Alcohol: Gin
Mojitos are a nightmare to make (muddling masses of mint!) but you're able to pop open this Cutwater drink can without all the hassle and booze. At just 5.9% ABV, it's a slightly sparkling, easy drinking porch pounder.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 5.9% | Alcohol: White Rum
This marg in a sleek aluminum bottle splits the base with mezcal and tequila blanco. The result? A cocktail that's balanced, interesting and just smoky enough. It clocks in at a hefty 13.9% ABV so definitely serve it over ice —you're gonna want that extra bit of dilution.
Size: 200 mL | ABV: 13.9% | Alcohol: Mezcal and tequila blanco
Each can of "skinny" hibiscus margarita has 1.5 ounces of tequila blanco and just 110 calories but the real draw is how nicely dry this cocktail is in a category that often skews cloyingly sweet. While the ABV is only 5%, the subtle fizz along with the slight rasp of tannin from black and hibiscus teas let this drink punch above its weight.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 5% | Alcohol: Tequila blanco
Mezcalistas as well as those curious about the agave spirit will appreciate this approachable can from the artisanal producer, Madre Mezcal. With just three ingredients (mezcal espadin, sparkling water and a twist of citrus essence), Desert Water is a Oaxacan take on ranch water. It's dry and refreshing with a subtle smokiness.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 5% | Alcohol: Mezcal
Lemonade, that cool, refreshing drink...comes spiked with whiskey and vodka in a striped can, giving all the beach vibes. Delicious and totally crushable, FIL is a classic for a reason.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 9% | Alcohol: Vodka and whiskey
If you've ever had cream soda and thought, "This could use a shot of whiskey," then come sit with us. The 90-proof bourbon that's high in rye keeps the sweetness in check while the Madagascar vanilla beans add aromatic depth. It drinks so smooth and lush, you can almost see the creamy head in the can.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 8.5% | Alcohol: Bourbon
The original Gold Rush was a honey-sweetened riff on a whiskey sour from the legendary (sadly, now closed) Milk & Honey bar in New York City. This adaptation from Crafthouse Cocktails adds extra complexity with aromatic bitters. The slender twist-off can packs a punch with 14.9% ABV so be sure to have this stiff drink on the rocks.
Size: 200 mL | ABV: 14.9% | Alcohol: Bourbon
The "Rock" in the name refers to rock candy and the "Rye" is for the type of whiskey. The two ingredients are rounded out by raw honey, Angostura bitters and orange peel, yet never veers overly sweet. At a whopping 42% ABV in a diminutive 100-mL can, this baby calls for slow sipping.
Size: 100 mL | ABV: 42% | Alcohol: Rye
The Lemon Tea Fizz from Sagamore Spirits is your modern-day Arnold Palmer, made with green tea instead of black. The amount of rye is spot on as is the tartness from Meyer lemon juice and yuzu.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 8% | Alcohol: Rye
Come for the charming old-timey tiny can and stay for the exceptionally well-balanced daiquiri inside. A blend of silver, Jamaican and aged rums is perked up with tart lime and hints of fragrant vanilla. At 24% ABV, this Tip Top canned cocktail wants to be enjoyed slowly.
Size: 100 mL | ABV: 24% | Alcohol: Rum
Sometimes you want a fruity tiki drink at a moment's notice and you'll be hard-pressed to do better than a can of Juneshine's mai tai. It boasts two shots of rum (white and Malahat spiced) and no sugar added in the 12-ounce can; the rest is just real juice and sparkling water. Drink it poolside — cocktail umbrella optional.
Size: 12 ounces | ABV: 10% | Alcohol: White rum and spiced rum
Founded by Julie Reiner and Tom Macy of Clover Club in Brooklyn, New York, Social Hour canned cocktails come with serious mixologist cred. Their Pacific Spritz in particular is a standout. There's delightful fizz from sparkling rosé, tanginess from passionfruit and a one-two punch of pleasant bitterness from grapefruit and aperitivo.
Size: 250 mL | ABV: 8% | Alcohol: Aperitivo and sparkling rosé
If you find an Aperol spritz too sweet but a Negroni too bracing, the Sprezza Rosso Spritz is your Goldilocks middle ground. Each can combines aromatized wine from Piedmont, bitters and mineral water with a bit of fizz. It's a pleasantly dry aperitivo with an herbal, almost cola-like profile.
Size: 250 mL | ABV: 5% | Alcohol: Red vermouth and white wine
Why are canned cocktails so popular?
According to Liz Paquette, Head of Consumer Insights at Drizly, "Over the past three years few categories have seen more growth than ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, driven by many factors," she explains, "including consumer’s taste trends and desire for high-quality, portable cocktails, as well as flavor innovation and a shift away from hard seltzer." In a 2023 nationwide survey on why you choose to drink canned cocktails, 64% of respondents cited that they “like the taste”; 52% said it's “easier than mixing a cocktail myself”; and 34% stated that they “like the portability.”
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Susan Choung is a recipe editor for Good Housekeeping, where she reports on all things related to drinks and cocktails. Her previous experience includes four years working at a boutique wine and spirits shop in Brooklyn, New York, where tasting and evaluating samples was a daily occurrence. During her five-year tenure as books editor at Food & Wine, she tasted, edited and coordinated testing of all beverage recipes for the cocktail book series.
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.
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