13 Simply Spiked Canned Cocktails, Ranked

With various canned seltzer and cocktail brands out there, the options can seem fairly overwhelming. Simply Spiked came onto the market in 2022, starting with its popular hard lemonades. After the success of the lemonade cans, which come in many different flavors, Simply Spiked released its Limeade line to go along with it. Since then, more options have slowly trickled out, including a Bold line that has a higher alcohol percentage.

I've decided to put 13 Simply Spiked canned cocktails to the test, facing them off against each other for an ultimate ranking. Now, as the taste-tester, I had never tried a single Simply Spiked can prior to this test. I went in with no preconceived notions, and was truly impressed by the flavor journey that Simply Spiked sent me on.

For the taste test, I tested a small portion of each can along with two friends. The friends didn't know which flavors I was pouring, so I had them guess which was in the cup by initial smell and taste. Then, we focused on flavor accuracy, sweetness and tartness level, other tasting notes, presence of alcohol, aftertaste, and overall impression. To learn more about my methodology for this ranking, check out the end of this piece.

I generally love chowing down on both mango and pineapple in the summer, so I was excited to try this flavor. When I took a whiff of the drink as I poured myself a glass, I got an overwhelming sense memory of enjoying the mango flavor of Rita's Italian Ice after a day on the beach. At first sip, however, that memory went away. I was shocked that this can came across much fizzier than the others. Although all the cans are carbonated, many of the Simply Spiked flavors don't feel too bubbly. I would say the Mango Pineapple felt like the fizziest out of all of them.

The actual taste of the Mango Pineapple is enjoyable at first. I could get an equal sense of both mango and pineapple, both of which came through very strongly. It didn't seem super sweet initially, but then as I swallowed, I was left with some sweetness at the front of my tongue. What I didn't like about this flavor was that there was an interesting aftertaste that got stuck at the back of my throat, almost like a zingy alcohol taste that wasn't extremely pleasant. While I would still enjoy an entire can of the Mango Pineapple, I wouldn't choose to reach for it from my fridge.

Simply Spiked's Bold line contains 8% alcohol, while the normal line contains 5%. They are also served in 24-ounce cans, so when you pop one open, you're committing to getting at least slightly intoxicated. When I cracked open the Bold Signature Lemonade, I thought it smelled exactly like a Mike's Hard Lemonade. The regular Signature Lemonade (spoiler alert) smells more mild, like freshly squeezed lemonade — so the difference between the alcohol percentage is already obvious through scent.

I wasn't completely turned off by this flavor. At its core, it did have the nice and refreshing taste of actual lemons, but I could also sense the alcohol zinging straight through it. As I swallowed, it definitely burned more on the way down. It also felt a bit more citrusy than the lower alcohol version, perhaps in an effort to try to mask the alcohol notes. Overall, I understand that the point of this can is to get a higher amount of alcohol into your system, so I can forgive the downsides of that extra burn. All in all, I would choose to reach for the regular Signature Lemonade versus this can.

The Bold Cherry Limeade is another can in the Simply Spiked line that contains 8% alcohol. At first smell, I noticed that it seemed much more intense than the regular Cherry Limeade. It was almost as if the cherry flavoring was turned up a notch, maybe to cover up the extra alcohol. When tasting it, however, I didn't immediately notice the change in alcohol percentage between the two cans, like I did with the plain lemonade.

Something I did notice was that the cherry flavor packed much more of a punch. Unfortunately, it's more of a "flavoring" as opposed to a taste of pure cherries. Therefore, this can was almost reminiscent of cherry-flavored medicine, which nobody wants to drink for fun. The good thing is that the alcohol doesn't shine through as much as it did in the Bold Classic Lemonade, so if you're wanting to have a drink with a higher alcohol content, this can may be easier to handle.

Watermelon is a common flavor found in lots of candy and ice cream varieties, and it doesn't always resemble the true essence of a fresh watermelon. When I initially poured the Watermelon Lemonade can out for my friends, they couldn't quite tell what it was by smelling it. Once they tasted it, however, both instantly agreed that it tasted like a simmered-down version of a watermelon jolly rancher.

This can was enjoyable, but it wasn't anything spectacular. I would say that it didn't have a completely "fresh" watermelon taste; instead, it teetered more towards a candy-like profile. One thing that I enjoyed about it was that it wasn't overly sweet, so drinking a whole can would still be enjoyable. If I had just tasted this flavor alone, I would have been very pleased with it — but in comparison to the other flavors, it just doesn't quite live up to its potential. If this was the only can left in my fridge, I'd gladly drink it, but I wouldn't go searching for it immediately.

Blackberry isn't usually a flavor that I reach for, so I was curious to see how this Blackberry Limeade would taste. It gave off a strong citrusy scent, and not necessarily a berry smell. Once tasting it, I would say that it was hard to decipher strong blackberry notes, and I noticed the limeade base more. I would rate this about a 4 out of 10 on the sweet scale, and I noticed that there was a tartness to the drink that shined through. Because of this, I would say that the drink was one of the more refreshing ones that I tasted.

The one thing that my friends and I noticed with the Blackberry Limeade was that you could taste the alcohol much more clearly here than in the other cans. Now, I wouldn't say that was a complete turn off, but it did leave a slightly strong aftertaste in the mouth. So, while I did enjoy the fresh, almost mild flavors of the drink, the aftertaste brought it down in this ranking.

The Classic Limeade is simply a lime flavored cocktail. When I smelled it, it almost smelled like nothing. However, by taste, my friends immediately knew it was the classic lime flavor. It was nice and simple, and incredibly refreshing. On the sweetness scale, this can landed perfectly in the middle. It was just sweet enough to make it easy to drink, but not so much that it starts to make you feel a little sick.

When not compared to other flavors, the Classic Limeade is a truly great drink. Unfortunately, I didn't rank it higher on the list because the other cans impressed me a bit more. However, if you're looking for something simple and enjoyable, this can is perfect. There is no strong aftertaste; it goes down easy and gets the job done well.

The Signature Lemonade truly tasted like what you would get from a lemonade stand run by your neighbor's children. It's nostalgic, fresh, and doesn't have any sort of extraneous flavors that take away from the pure lemon and sugar mixture. Similar to the Classic Limeade, it had the perfect balance of sweetness — just enough to make the drink smooth and enjoyable, but not too much, either. It wasn't watered down in any way, and truly could hold its own against your favorite freshly squeezed lemonade recipe.

While I did find the Signature Lemonade enjoyable, I just didn't think that it stood a chance against many of the other flavors that Simply Spiked offers. If I had a variety pack of the lemonades in my fridge, I would probably leave the classic lemonade as one of my last options. It's not because I don't enjoy the flavor — it's simply not as exciting and interesting as some others.

I wasn't entirely sure that the cherry and lime flavors would mesh together well in this drink, but Simply Spiked proved me wrong. The Cherry Limeade smelled exactly like any other cherry-flavored food or drink that you may have had. Although this drink contains cherry juice from concentrate, it had more of a cherry-flavored taste as opposed to the pure taste that you'd get when biting into a cherry. With that noted, I'm not saying that's a negative thing. The taste was extremely reminiscent of cherry Italian ice, which is a nostalgic and enjoyable flavor.

This cocktail is one of the less sweet options in the variety pack, as the tartness from the cherry definitely cuts through the cane sugar. I still consider it a sweet drink, but it's not as sweet as some others on this list. As for the aftertaste, there was a slight tartness left on the tongue, which enticed me to take more sips of the drink. The lime notes weren't entirely noticeable when drinking this can, as cherry was definitely more prominent.

Although a raspberry isn't a super sweet fruit, the drink itself smelled like a sweet piece of candy. Don't be fooled, though — by first sip I realized that this drink is just as tart as the true fruit tends to be. I actually enjoyed the tartness in this flavor, however, because it was extremely true to the berry itself, and was almost reminiscent of chewing on your favorite sour candy.

There was a nice surprise with this can, and that was a lovely sweet aftertaste that kicks in once you swallow the drink. It actually felt smooth and soft on the tongue, and I could still taste the pure raspberry as well. So, although this was definitely the most tart out of every Simply Spiked flavor, its layers of sweetness balanced out the tart notes very well. I ended up enjoying this flavor more than I thought, and think it would be a great drink to quench your thirst with while getting a little buzz after a day of playing summer sports.

When first pouring the Blueberry Lemonade into a glass, I was surprised at the color, which was a vibrant pinkish-purple hue. The drink smelled just like a handful of fresh blueberries, and its taste was right on target as well, like a nice mixture of pure blueberry and lemon juice with lightly carbonated water. I barely noticed the alcohol in this drink, as the flavors from the lemonade and blueberry definitely overpowered it. It also had slight floral notes, which gave it an even more interesting profile.

This is one of the sweetest flavors out of every can in this Simply Spiked taste test. Although I don't normally go for a super sweet beverage, I think that this Blueberry Lemonade still had some tart citrusy qualities that shined through, pairing with the cane sugar nicely. On that note, I enjoyed that each can had varying levels of sweetness, so the variety pack offers more than just pure flavor variety.

As soon as I cracked open this can, wafts of pure pineapple aroma flew up to my nose. Unlike some of the other flavors, this pineapple scent was almost identical to the actual smell of the fruit. When I took a sip, I was surprised that the drink wasn't as strong as the smell was, but I found this to be a positive — the pineapple didn't punch me in the face, but instead just sailed by.

While the flavor of the Signature Pineapple was subdued, yet tasty, I appreciated how smooth it was. It was still carbonated, but it came across a lot less fizzy. Instead, it tasted like a bright and refreshing juice with a small amount of carbonation. Another thing that made this can so enjoyable was its aftertaste, which had just a subtle pineapple flavor that made you want more. This is the perfect drink to have outside on a hot summer day.

This Strawberry Lemonade is hands-down one of my favorite canned cocktails that I've ever had, even beyond the Simply Spiked brand. It smelled just like strawberries, and its taste was instantly delightful. The lemonade meshed perfectly with the strawberry flavor, creating a refreshing yet exciting taste. Out of all of the lemonades, the strawberry can was definitely the strongest, with very clear and bold tasting notes.

One surprising quality that I noticed in this drink was its slightly creamy aftertaste, almost like a strawberry shortcake. It wasn't very strong — but it was soft, had a specific mouthfeel, and made me feel like I just had a bite of a dessert. I wouldn't consider it a super sweet flavor, but it had a nice touch that neutralized the acidity from the fruit.

When smelling the Passion Fruit Limeade, I was immediately drawn in. It smelled like a bag of gummy candy, which definitely threw off my friends. However, at first sip, it was incredibly obvious that the drink was passion fruit flavored. This drink, especially when compared to every other Simply Spiked flavor, tasted the most like straight juice with a tad of carbonation. If I didn't know what I was drinking, I would have zero idea that the drink contained alcohol.

This Passion Fruit Limeade had an incredibly tropical taste to it, with a nice level of sweetness that wasn't overpowering. It felt very bold, with clear citrus notes; however, an almost honey-like taste shined through as well, while flavors reminiscent of pineapple and even coconut were slightly present. Myself and my two friends all agreed that this was the best flavor out of everything that we had tasted. We could easily drink multiple cans of these at a gathering. Be warned, though, it does truly taste like juice — so don't overdo it!

When ranking the Simply Spiked flavors, I focused on a few key aspects. I noted whether the flavor was accurate to the product description, whether it tasted like the actual fresh juice versus a flavored version of it, and if the flavor was balanced. Then, I took note of how sweet each can was, and ranked cans with a better balance of sweetness and tartness higher than those that weren't as balanced. Lastly, I noted the carbonation levels as well as the presence of a pure alcohol taste. Cans that had too much carbonation or too much of an alcohol burn ranked lower. Ultimately, I did enjoy each can, and would definitely drink any that was handed to me. However, a few flavors stood out above the rest, and those were ranked accordingly.