The Best Canned Cocktails to Sip Right Now

Although the ready-to-drink cocktail segment was once limited to a slew of sub-par seltzers like Mike’s Hard and White Claw, over time, it’s expanded into something completely unto its own. After all, throughout the past year, drinkers have been forced to go without their favorite bars, trading their cocktails for craft beers or trying to make the most out of what ingredients they’ve had at home. Granted, it’s not hard to throw together a highball or mix yourself a margarita. However, if your tastes skew towards the sophisticated rather than the simple, a canned cocktail can be a godsend. For, in addition to saving you the hassle of having to stock your bar cart with ingredients, they also eliminate the extra time required to actually whip up your drink of choice.

And besides, with summer just around the corner, canned cocktails make for one of the most convenient ways to enjoy a crisp spritz or a refreshing fizz without requiring a bit of impromptu bartending. Throw some in a cooler to bring to the beach or crack one open for a kickback on the porch — either way, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how delicious these ready-made drinks can be. Below, we’ve rounded up the best canned cocktails on the market in order to get you ready for the warmer months ahead. Whether you’re after a brown liquor basic such as Tip Top’s Old Fashioned or an exotic island essential like Pusser’s Rum’s Painkiller, there’s bound to be something for you. So stop whatever drink you’re mixing and read on to see what we’ve picked for the best canned cocktails.

Canned Cocktails Vs. Hard Seltzers

While two sides of the same coin, canned cocktails and hard seltzers colloquially refer to different things. A canned cocktail is a type of RTD (“ready-to-drink,” which refers to either canned or non-canned cocktails), except it’s intended for single servings — essentially to replicate the experience of getting a mixed drink from a bartender. These beverages are largely made from gin, whiskey, vodka, or other hard alcohol bases.

Hard seltzers, on the other hand, typically have a malt or sugar base, although not always. At their core, hard seltzers are carbonated (hence the name), supplanting the place of sodas, and will usually be much lower in alcohol content.

Cutwater Spirits Lime Margarita

Best Margarita: A true pioneer in the canned cocktail segment, San Diego-based Cutwater Spirits is a name that needs no introduction. Over the years, they’ve built out quite the range of ready-made drinks, with each one boasting a quality to which few others can compare. In the case of this margarita, you’ll find that distillery’s blue agave tequila pairs wonderfully with the added lime, cane sugar, and orange, delivering a decidedly floral take on a true cocktail classic.

Hitachino Highball

Best Canned Highball: Given the exorbitant prices Japanese whisky is fetching these days, you might want to think twice about using that prized Yamazaki for a humble weeknight highball. Thankfully, this Hitachino canned cocktail makes for an ideal alternative and it’s much more than the next best thing. A product of Japan’s Kiuchi brewery, it features a whisky that was aged for 3 years in Spanish sherry and Japanese wine barrels, as well as some smooth Hitachino water to balance out the brown spirit’s bold flavors.

Golden Rule Espresso Martini

Best Canned Coffee Cocktail: If your morning wakeup call needs a bit of a boozy boost and an Irish coffee seems too on the nose, you can’t go wrong with this pick from Golden Rule Spirits. The company’s take on a hard coffee, this concoction combines quality roasted brew from Equator Coffee with premium vodka, vanilla liqueur, cinnamon, and chicory root. And if you’re wondering why the cans are so small, it’s because the 48-proof beverage is intended to mimic the size and strength of a cocktail you’d get at a bar.

Tip Top Old Fashioned

Best Old Fashioned: Inside each of Tip Top’s tiny little cans is a cocktail that’s as convenient to carry as it is delicious to drink. Thanks to the efforts of Mile Macquarrie, their Old Fashioned recipe is every bit as good as the original, welcoming you with rich bourbon flavors and following up with some citrus and a finish of spicy bitters. Although you’re more than welcome to drink it as is, we think it’s best enjoyed in a whiskey glass with a slice of orange.

The Finnish Long Drink Traditional

Most Refreshing: Originally developed as a quick cocktail for tourist service during the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics, the “Long Drink” has since become one of the top-selling alcohol categories in Finland. Up until recently, it wasn’t really available outside of the peninsula, but that all changed when The Finnish started selling stateside in 2018. If you’ve had your fill of hard seltzers and you’re sick to death with vodka sodas, this crisp gin-based spirit is one option that’s well worth a look.

Fishers Island Lemonade

Best Spiked Lemonade: While your average spiked lemonade can hardly be considered a cocktail, Fishers Island is one option that proves an exception to the rule. That’s because it’s based on a recipe taken from CEO Bronya Shillo’s family bar located in Fishers Island, New York. Utilizing both vodka and whiskey as well as natural lemon and honey flavors, it clocks in at a boozy 9%. In other words, watch yourself with this one — it can be quite the dangerous drink when you consider just how great it tastes.

Cocktail Squad Bourbon Smash Blackberry

Best Whiskey Cocktail: Admittedly, Boulder-based Cocktail Squad has any number of great canned drinks, but we feel that the brand’s whiskey cocktails are what really set it apart. For instance, with this take on a classic whiskey smash, they’ve given it loads of fruit-forward flavors, adding Rocky Mountain blackberries as a complement to the drink’s existing mix of lemon and spearmint. It’s worth noting that a can comes with two cocktail servings — a suggestion you’ll likely want to take heed of given that each one contains 10% ABV.

LiveWire Honeydew Collins

Best Top-Shelf Cocktail: Before founding LiveWire in 2020, Aaron Polsky spent a decade as a career bartender in some of New York City’s most renowned cocktail spots, so it goes without saying that he knows his way around a drink. A somewhat atypical operation, each cocktail is made in collaboration with a different bartender (much like a record label), allowing their expertise to be translated into a convenient canned format. In the case of the Honeydew Collins, you get gin, honeydew, coconut, lime, and elderflower — a potent mix that makes for one hell of a summery sipper.

Social Hour Pacific Spritz

Best Spritz: Another one of NYC’s finest, Social Hour was born out of the combined efforts of Clover Club founder July Reiner and mixed drink devotee Tom Macy. While the brand’s Whiskey Mule canned cocktail is the one that often gets most of the attention, that’s not to say that you should pass on their Pacific Spritz. Rather, with its blend of bittersweet Aperitivo and rosé wine, it offers a drinking experience that’s dry, bubbly, and packed full of refreshing flavor. Garnish it with some berries or go for citrus fruit — it’ll be delicious no matter what you choose.

Slow & Low Rock & Rye Whiskey

Best Rye Cocktail: If the thought of mixing yourself an Old Fashioned seems a bit too, well, old fashioned, Hochstadter’s Slow & Low is a canned cocktail that should do just the ticket. Made with rye, melted rock candy, oranges, honey, and bitters, it first offers you heaps of vanilla and spice on the nose before following it up with honey, candied orange, and just a bit of woody spice. Drink it straight from the can or pour it over ice — just make sure that it’s nice and cold before you opt to imbibe.

Pusser’s Rum Painkiller

Best Tiki Drink: Whether you’re in dire need of some island time or just looking to add a bit of a tropical flavor to your drinks, this canned Painkiller from Pusser’s Rum is one to-go cocktail that’s sure to give you your fix. If you’re not familiar with the Painkiller’s history, it was invented at the legendary Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands (the bar was named after the lack of roads leading to it, thus requiring patrons to swim there from their boats). The drink was originally made with Pusser’s, who owns a trademark on the name, thus making this RTD the definitive version of the famous tiki drink.

Empirical Spirits Can 02

Best Artisan Cocktail: While there’s no denying that Empirical’s canned cocktails are a bit pricey at $36 per four-pack, you’ll have a hard time finding anything that comes close to them in terms of quality. After all, the company was founded by two fermentation specialists, so you better believe their stuff is good. With Can 02 you’re getting a base of beet molasses and Belgian saison yeast, a combination that offers a diverse array of flavors such as sour cherry, black currant buds, and walnut wood.

The Best Coolers

While there’s no denying the convenience of popping open a canned cocktail, they’re obviously a drink that’s best enjoyed ice-cold. As such, be sure to check out our guide to the best coolers for a selection of superior storage solutions that comes just in time for summer.