9 Texas Roadhouse Cocktails, Ranked Worst To Best

With whimsical offerings like Porch Rocker and Jamaican Cowboy, it's clear Texas Roadhouse has creative mixologists in tow. The popular steakhouse chain has a colorful and inventive cocktail menu and, if you choose to imbibe, you'll likely fancy a few of them. Want something sweet and refreshing to pair with your Cactus Blossom? No problem. If you'd rather enjoy an upscale drink with your New York strip, you won't be disappointed. There are quite a few unique options to choose from, meaning there's something for every drinker.

To determine if these cocktails were any good, I visited my local Texas Roadhouse and put the drinks to the test. I ordered all of its signature cocktails (with the exception of its signature margaritas) and sipped them on site. I was informed that seven drinks were menu staples, but there were two new cocktails I simply had to try.

Once sampled, I ranked the cocktails based on flavor, presentation, and price. The good news is all were colorful, tasty, and reasonably priced. That said, while all beverages were enjoyable, I found some much better than others. With the sampling complete (and designated driver on hand), I crafted this honest review of the drinks I tried. 

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I'll admit, I enjoyed sipping all nine cocktails at Texas Roadhouse, but one drink had to come in last: the Island Cooler. This beverage was certainly one of the prettiest of the bunch, but it was simply too sweet for me. The drink is a medley of coconut rum, peach schnapps, Blue Curaçao, sweet-and-sour mix, and lemonade. I enjoyed the subtle coconut flavor and appreciated that it didn't overpower the drink — but that was about all I enjoyed.

My problem with this drink was its sugary quality — which likely came from peach schnapps and Blue Curaçao. Similar to triple sec, Blue Curaçao is a citrus-scented liqueur that adds sweet, vibrant notes to cocktails. And since it's colored with blue dye, it provides the distinct hue reminiscent of Caribbean waters. It's beautifully colored, but when married with candy-like peach schnapps, the drink tasted intensely syrupy. Sadly, there wasn't enough tart lemonade or sweet-and-sour mix to cut the drink's sweetness.

My Island Cooler was $8, which I found reasonable considering its large size and number of ingredients. I might enjoy this cocktail while sitting poolside in the blazing sun, or perhaps I'd share it with a friend for dessert at Texas Roadhouse, but I won't be ordering it as stand-alone cocktail — especially because I couldn't envision what food I would pair it with. For that reason, I ranked it last.

I've enjoyed plenty of Long Island iced teas over the years, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the topic. Take note: The booze-heavy drink is not for the faint of heart. Like other cocktails of the same name, the Texas Roadhouse Long Island Iced Tea (L.I.T.) features vodka, gin, and rum, mixed with sweet-and-sour mix, triple sec, and Coca-Cola. The drink resembles iced tea, but that's where the similarities end.

In my experience, the classic Long Island iced tea is citrus-forward with a bubbly cola finish. This cocktail wasn't citrusy, and it was excessively sweet from the triple sec and cola. My first sip surprised me because instead of tart lemon, I got strong notes of orange (from the triple sec) and sugar from the cola. I realize there was just a splash of cola, but I suppose there wasn't enough sweet-and-sour mix to balance things out. My L.I.T. was $5, which I found almost shocking. All that alcohol for $5? I wish I could have ranked it higher.

I liked this drink better than the Island Cooler since it wasn't as cloyingly sweet. And I'm certain if I asked for an additional lemon wedge garnish, all flavors would have married well. I'll ask for more lemon next time, but in the meantime, I ranked this cocktail second-to-last.

I feel slightly bad ranking the old fashioned seventh in this ranking. Why? Because an old fashioned isn't meant to be guzzled like a beachy rum drink, but rather sipped and savored over time. The classic drink is spirit-forward, consisting of bourbon, bitters, sugar, and a splash of water (or, in the case of Texas Roadhouse, the drink contains bourbon, bitters, and the chain's house old fashioned mix). It seems unfair to rank this cocktail alongside bright blue, bright pink, and juicy, fruity concoctions. But it's on the cocktail menu, so I ordered it nonetheless.

I found this cocktail was too heavy on the botanical bitters. There's a fine line when making an old fashioned; without enough bitters, the drink falls flat, but if you use too much, it's overly bitter. There's a delicate balance of ingredients, and I wished my drink had fewer bitter and woodsy notes. I did enjoy the robust orange wedge since it complemented the intensity of the bitters. I was also enamored by the size of the cherry. It was dark, meaty, perfectly sweet, and married well with the caramel and oak qualities of the bourbon.

My old fashioned was $10, which I found fair, considering the drink was made with premium-quality Maker's Mark. Perhaps if the drink had one or two fewer drops of the bitters, it would have ranked higher. 

When I read the ingredient list for the Texas Peach Fuzz, I instantly thought, "This drink is going to be hella sweet." It's made with vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and orange juice, so I expected it to be sweet peach-forward and extra sugary from the cranberry juice. Much to my surprise, it was not.

I found this drink deliciously refreshing. I'm a big fan of the Madras cocktail, which consists of vodka, orange juice, and a splash of cranberry juice. This drink was reminiscent of the Madras, with a hint of peach thrown in. I'm not certain why this drink wasn't cloyingly sweet, but I'll assume it's because the bartender wasn't heavy-handed with the sweet elements. 

My Texas Peach Fuzz was $8, which I found fair, but surprising when compared to the $5 L.I.T. I preferred the Texas Peach Fuzz over the previous drinks because it was thirst-quenching and invigorating. I imagine this drink pairs nicely with most Texas Roadhouse menu items, which makes it a versatile option as well. I would have ranked it higher if I hadn't found the five other options tastier.

When I took my first sip of the Texas Roadhouse Jamaican Cowboy, I thought, "This is a marriage of a margarita and a Caribbean rum drink." And I liked that unique union, which is why I ranked this cocktail higher than the previous drinks. The Jamaican Cowboy features rum, peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of the Texas Roadhouse house margarita mix. The drink comes with a sugared rim in a hefty margarita glass. It's equal parts sweet and tart, with hints of rum in every sip, and I could taste the peach and pineapple. This drink gives off vacation vibes and reminds me of something I'd drink at a pool party.

I thought this cocktail was a creative coupling of two iconic drink vibes — rum punch and margaritas — so I ranked it accordingly. It didn't rank higher for two reasons. First, my drink was $9, which I thought was high, especially when compared to other drinks in this ranking. Second, the inclusion of peach schnapps and pineapple juice made the drink a tad too sweet for it to pair with some menu items — especially when you factor in the sugared rim. I would order this cocktail again, but I would skip the sugar on the rim and ask the bartender to go easy on the peach schnapps and heavier on the margarita mix.

I didn't know what to expect with the Porch Rocker, especially because the ingredients were foreign to me. In fact, I had to ask the bartender what Deep Eddy Lemon was. It turns out Deep Eddy Lemon is a Texas-made, small-batch vodka that's infused with real lemon. The vodka is delightfully tart on its own, and when combined with blackberry syrup and club soda (as it is in this Texas Roadhouse cocktail), it makes for a dreamy sipper. This cocktail was bright, effervescent, and wholly gratifying. The coupling of tart lemon and sweet blackberry syrup was spot-on, and the bubbly club soda kept the drink light and lively. My Porch Rocker was $6, which I thought was quite affordable for a vodka drink — especially when the vodka is higher-quality and made with great ingredients.

I'm not sure why this cocktail is called the Porch Rocker, but I'll admit that I can see myself rocking on my front porch, sipping one of them on any given Saturday afternoon. I believe this drink also works well with the entire Texas Roadhouse menu. For that reason, I ranked this cocktail in the top half of the bunch. The drinks that landed in the top three were slightly more unique and memorable, but I'll be ordering the Porch Rocker again.

The Dale Yeah! is one of the relative newcomers to the Texas Roadhouse menu, and it's quite distinctive. The drink is vodka-based, and boasts candied orange syrup, vanilla syrup, house margarita mix, and orange juice. Since it has two different syrups, I expected it to be sugary. It was not. Rather, the syrups added dimension to the drink without making it overly sweet. Thanks to the merger of candied orange and vanilla, this drink tastes like a Creamsicle — a vodka Creamsicle.

I didn't really detect the nuances of the margarita mix, but I'll venture to guess that the tart elements of the mix complemented the sweeter ingredients and kept the cocktail balanced. My Dale Yeah! was $8.50, making it one of the higher priced drinks in this ranking. That said, I found that was a fair price based on the for the volume and quality of its ingredients. 

I'm thrilled Texas Roadhouse added such a fun and tasty addition to its cocktail menu; it's certainly a welcome pairing for many of the appetizers and main dishes. If you're a fan of Creamsicles and wouldn't mind trying a spiked version, this is the cocktail for you. This drink made it to the top three with ease. It was hard not to place it higher, but the top two were outstanding.

The Pink Sunset is another comparatively recent addition to the Texas Roadhouse cocktail menu, and I can state with confidence: This drink will be one of the menu's rising stars. It's a clever fusion of Long Island iced tea mix (a pre-mixed blend of rum, gin, vodka, tequila, triple sec, and natural flavors), strawberry rum, grenadine, and a splash of Sprite. Talk about an inimitable union of ingredients. I imagine the mixologists had great fun crafting this potion.

When I read the ingredient list for this drink and noticed there was rum in two places — the Long Island iced tea mix and strawberry rum — so I expected it to be rum-forward. Surprisingly, it didn't scream "rum" at all. The rum simply added another dimension, providing depth and complexity when paired with the other liquors (gin, vodka, tequila, and triple sec). The colorful, fruity grenadine (which created the sunset) came alive when partnered with the energizing Sprite. Everything about this drink just worked. It was light, multifaceted, and just $7.50, which I thought was an excellent price for a drink with so much going on.

It was easy to give the new Pink Sunset the silver in this ranking, and if you imbibe, I encourage you to try it — it pairs well with virtually all menu items. If I could have had a two-way tie for first place, I would have. But I couldn't, so read on to find out the best cocktail of the bunch.

Meet the tastiest cocktail on the Texas Roadhouse cocktail menu: the Midnight Sour. All the cocktails above had elements that were great, but this drink simply stood out. Truth be told, this was the first cocktail I was served, and it set the bar very high. I kept comparing the other drinks to this one, and none could compete. Here's another truth: I'm not a Jim Beam drinker, which makes my pick for first place even more intriguing.

The Midnight Sour consists of Jim Beam, Texas Roadhouse's signature sour mix, blackberry syrup, and fresh blackberries. When blended, the drink is like a refreshing old fashioned; it's light, fruity, and easy to drink. The bourbon was a tad oaky, with hints of caramel and vanilla. When coupled with the sour mix and blackberry syrup, the drink hit my palate from every angle. What started as woodsy bourbon transformed into sweet and tart blackberry flavor. Speaking of the blackberries, they were huge! The berries were plump, juicy, and an unrivaled garnish for this show-stopping cocktail. I would order this cocktail no matter what I was eating for my meal. 

My Midnight Sour was $8, which was in line with every other cocktail I sampled for this review. It wasn't the cheapest, and it wasn't the most expensive — but it was the best.

For this ranking, I went to my neighborhood Texas Roadhouse, sat at the bar, and requested every item on the cocktail menu. I walked into the chain with a list in mind but quickly learned that the menu offerings had recently changed. "Even better," I said, and asked for every cocktail, old and new (with the exception of the margaritas). There were two different offerings for the Long Island iced tea — the house version and one made with top-shelf liquor — so I chose the house for consistency.

I sampled each cocktail and judged it based on its flavor, presentation, and price. The prices were all reasonable, so there wasn't much to consider there. It did play a factor in a few cases (especially when I thought the price was exceptionally low), but it didn't change the ranking. Rather, flavor and presentation were the determining factors.

My top picks were cocktails that had great flavor, complexity, and those that I could see myself ordering again with a variety of menu items. Those at the bottom of the list were drinks that were overly sweet and monotonous. I preferred drinks that were innovative, interesting, and those that wowed me from the first sip.