Canned Cocktails You'll Be Sipping All Summer

First it was wine with twist-caps, then it was boxed wine, and now? Budweiser and Miller need to move over because the canned beverage industry has gotten a whole lot more interesting. What started as one or two canned wines (they're portable! they're safe around pools and on boats! they still taste good!) has exploded into an industry of every type of canned cocktail imaginable available to the masses. Gone are the days when you needed to be a bartender to whip up your favorite hard cocktails, now you can buy everything from a simple mimosa to a classic mule that's ready-to-drink from a can. 

The only tricky part? Deciding which canned cocktails to imbibe in. With the industry exploding (the 2020 Coronovirus pandemic didn't exactly slow down people's desire for an evening ... or morning ... cocktail), and new brands cropping up regularly, it can be hard to sort through the options. But rest assured, these are the canned cocktails — some crisp, some cool, some classic — that you're going to want to test drive this summer. 

If you're a fan of iced coffee, but every now and then you want a coffee with a little extra somethin'-somethin' (i.e., alcohol), the Tia Maria Iced Coffee Frappe may be just what you're looking for. The coffee features a hint of milk and a coffee liqueur and is best served cold (go ahead and pour it over ice for the best results). It also has a slightly lower alcohol by volume percentage of 4%, making it (somewhat) more appropriate for morning drinking — just do so responsibly ... and maybe not while at work. (Although, hey, everyone has those mornings, and maybe your workplace is cool like that — go ahead and do your thing!) 

One especially cool thing about this canned cocktail is that when you pop the top, its nitro technology creates a foam, so you actually get to experience drinking a foam-topped coffee straight from a can (or in an ice-filled glass).

Margaritas are another one of those classic, summertime cocktails that are practically required summer drinking when you're heading to the beach. But if you don't want to rely on restaurant or home-mixed margaritas, or you're looking for a twist on the classic cocktail, look no further than Miami Cocktail's Margarita Spritz. This wine-based canned cocktail is actually made from agave wine, organic key lime and orange juices, with a little bit of elderberry and ginger to give the cocktail an unexpectedly fresh and spicy twist. The result is a delicious take on a margarita, but in a decidedly contained package that makes it easy to keep an eye on your drinking (be honest — it's easy to suck down two to three of those oversized restaurant margarita behemoths). And at just 110 calories a can, you can still indulge your cravings without feeling like you're overdoing it. 

And, as with many of the other brands on this list, Miami Cocktail offers different flavors and options when you're looking for something different — all of which offer a summertime vibe. You can try the sangria, bellini, mimosa, and paloma spritzes as well. 

When you're looking for a canned cocktail that's ... harder; as in, features hard liquor rather than wine or beer, then check out Dulce Vida Tequila's line of ready-to-drink cocktails, Tequila & Soda. These drinks feature Austin, TX-crafted organic tequila that's pre-mixed with real fruit juices and soda — your choice of lime, grapefruit, or pineapple. 

Each can is just 65 calories and 7% alcohol by volume, regardless of flavor, but if you have to choose, go with the pineapple version (and that's only if you have to choose). This sweet and tart fruit juice balances well with the tequila while delivering that summertime palm tree, white sand, salty air vibe. Pick up a four-pack at your local liquor store and enjoy alongside fresh grilled fish, a big bowl of homemade guacamole, or chicken topped with pineapple and mango pico de gallo. The only thing missing is the frosty-cold glass with a wedge of pineapple for garnish, but you can probably figure out how to do that at home, too.

If you're a kombucha fan who wants a few more flavor options and a little more alcohol by volume, look no further than Local Roots Kombucha. Local Roots takes classic cocktails and turns them into a lighter, somewhat healthier option than other non-kombucha cocktails because they use all organic ingredients with no added sweeteners and come served with living probiotics. 

The brand offers five flavors — Purple Haze, Island Vibes, Booch Mosa, Cali Mule, and Strawberry Mojito — all of which are perfectly suited for chill, summertime drinking. But really, the Strawberry Mojito flavor has that fresh, fruity strawberry and mint flavor that's perfect for serving poolside or during a backyard barbecue. You can even order a six or 12-pack online to be delivered within two business days. Each variety has 6% alcohol by volume, which is more than the standard beer, but less than a glass of wine. So enjoy, but be aware that a couple of these bad boys could leave you with quite the buzz.

Lemonade is a classic summertime drink that harkens back to childhood lemonade stands, but when it's time to ditch the "kid stuff" and opt for an adult beverage, you don't have to ditch the lemonade, too. Simply pick up an adult version by purchasing Coppercraft's Whiskey Lemonade. A standard 12-ounce can is 10 %alcohol by volume, so basically double the alcohol you'd be drinking in a regular beer. We suggest taking this with you on a mountainside hike or packing it in a cooler as you kayak or standup paddle across placid waters. Just don't lose sight of the alcohol content — it's best to stick to one or two while out adventuring, then maybe break open another when you're telling stories around the fire at your campsite. It would pair especially well with another childhood favorite — s'mores. 

And if spiked lemonade just isn't your thing, Coppercraft also offers a canned gin and tonic, and another lemon-infused option called Pink Bubbles, which includes lemon, pomegranate, and cherry flavors. 

If you've ever had a Long Island iced tea, you know they can be dangerous — they really do taste like tea, but they're pretty much straight liquor. So when it comes to summer sippin', when the heat of the sun can cause you to drink a little more than you intended, your best bet is to ditch the mixed cocktail and to grab a pack of LIIT. These hard tea seltzers are made with real tea, light carbonation, and naturally infused flavors to deliver the cooling essence of iced tea with the buzz akin to a beer (each can is 5%alcohol by volume). 

The label offers four different LIIT flavors, all of which are worth test-driving, but the Mango Green Tea is particularly appropriate for the summer, delivering that tropical-fruit-meets-cut-grass flavor with just a hint of sweetness. But if you're not a green tea fan (not everyone is), the summer runner-up is definitely the Raspberry Lime Hibiscus hard tea, which offers more of an herbal tea tang. 

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic put a halt to most summer travel plans, and the return of confidence in international air travel may take years to recover. So if you've been looking for a way to experience international affairs a little closer to home, consider stocking up on Novo Fogo, a canned take on Brazil's national cocktail, the caipirinha. These cocktails are traditionally made with cachaca (a type of liquor), sugar, and lime, which when served over ice, is the perfect beverage to drink oceanside or in a jungle getaway. But if you're stuck in landlocked Ohio (or, you know, somewhere like that) the Novo Fogo canned cocktails offer a pre-mixed version that includes chacaca, lime, and either sugar or flavored syrup in passion fruit or mango. 

If you want to go classic, obviously you should pick up the lime version of the cocktail, but if you're looking for a fun summer twist, we vote for trying the passion fruit version. The chacaca is organic, a single can has 8.2% alcohol by volume (thanks to the sparkling water that's included), and the drink was given a gold medal by Chicago's Beverage Tasting Institute.

When you're looking for hard iced teas to consume and serve during afternoon lawn parties, look no further than Owl's Brew, which offers Boozy Tea to the canned cocktail-sipping masses. The label offers six different tea options, including darjeeling tea with hibiscus flowers, English breakfast tea with lemon and lime, white tea with raspberry and watermelon, and matcha tea with pineapple and chamomile, each of which makes a nice summer afternoon drink.

So pick your favorite based on personal preference, or just go with the matcha version. The all-white can looks elegant, so you don't even need to think about providing glasses to your guests (unless you want to, of course). And there's no denying how popular matcha drinks are these days, so you're guaranteed to be right on-trend. Plus, a 12-ounce can has 4.8% alcohol by volume, putting it right in range for the average beer, so it's unlikely to make you too tipsy, too quickly. Plus, the matcha green tea delivers caffeine, too, so you don't have to worry about an afternoon slump after having a little alcohol. 

Hard seltzers have been around for years, but most are filled with cheap sugars and artificial flavors, making them less appealing to a discerning drinker. Enter, Tolago — a hard seltzer focused on sourcing their juices, purees, and botanicals in an ethical way from California and Oregon, as well as using fair trade-certified organic agave nectar from Mexico. What results is a cleaner, better-tasting hard seltzer that has 5% alcohol by volume and 100 calories per serving. 

What really stands out about the brand (aside from the label's ethical mindset) is the flavors they've created. Options include Ginger Pear, Guava Mango, Cherry Rose, and Agave Lime, all seeming to tip their hats to the Latin origins of the agave contained inside. While you should definitely try all of the options, the ginger pear is especially refreshing on a hot summer night. Bonus points if you can channel the can's imagery and enjoy it while attending a rodeo or visiting a dude ranch.

Kyla is another hard kombucha brand serving up canned cocktails with live cultures, natural ingredients, and clever and unique flavor combinations. Take the Pom Pom Collins, for instance. This twist on the classic Tom Collins features a combination of pomegranate and pomelo juices (hence, the name Pom Pom) to offer a sweet, tangy, and citrusy kombucha in a 12-ounce can. Plus, like most canned cocktails (and all kombuchas), Kyla's offers a fresh fizz that comes from the fermentation process, rather than added carbonation. 

It's worth noting as well that Kyla's has one of the most extensive lines of flavors for hard kombuchas, so if pomegranate and pomelo isn't your thing, there are lots of options to choose from. The Riviera Series (which includes Pom Pom) also features Lemon Verbena Drop, Bergamot Blood Orange Fizz, and Shiso Mint Mojito. And the label's other two series, Sunbreak and Classic, also include six and four flavors, respectively. Essentially, you're bound to find a flavor you like when trying out Kyla's options. 

If you made a bucket list of summer cocktails you wanted to drink this year, it wouldn't be complete without a daiquiri. The Cuban-born drink features rum, citrus juices, and sugars, and is often served frozen or with other fruit purees mixed in to cater to almost any flavor palate (banana, pineapple, strawberry, and raspberry are all frequent favorites). 

But when you don't want to take the time to mix a daiquiri at home, Post Meridiem's canned cocktails come in handy. The label's Daiquiri contains white rums, marachino liqueur, real lime juice, and cane sugar syrup, ultimately giving it a fresh, cherry lime flavor that's like a hard alcohol version of another summer classic beverage — the cherry limeade. Most notably, these cans are real cocktails, which means the alcohol by volume clocks in high at a whopping 27% (hence, the small size of the can itself). 

And of course, you don't want to overlook Post Meridiem's other canned classics, as well. Your best buy when trying to please a crowd with different, fully-loaded cocktails is the brand's sampler pack, which includes three margaritas, three vodka gimlets, two old fashioneds, two mai tais, and two daiquiris, all in single-serving cans.