11 Canned Cocktails That Deserve A Spot At Your Next Party

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When it comes to stocking up for a party, it is worlds easier to load up a cooler with cans than to lay out bottles of spirits and mixers on your kitchen counter. That said, beer and wine coolers are not everyone's thing — and building your own home bar, batching cocktails, or serving as your party's bartender for the night are also not always appealing (or cost-effective) tasks.

Luckily, there is a simple and cost-effective middle ground: canned cocktails, which come in a rainbow of colors, sizes, shapes, and flavors. Whether you are looking for some crushable cans for a summer pool party or hoping to impress at a dinnertime soirée, there is no shortage of canned cocktails available.

That said, with such a saturated market, it can be hard to know which cans are truly the best. Luckily, as a national and local food and beverage writer with celiac disease who avoids cans of beer at all costs, I have tried my fair share of canned cocktails — and I am excited to share some of the very best of them with you.

For a canned drink that tastes straight like it came from a fancy cocktail bar, look no further than YOJU, a brand that pays homage to the Korean beverage of creamy, drinkable yogurt mixed with bright and fruity soju. The result is a line of sips that have a sweet, smooth finish while remaining light and balanced. 

You can't go wrong when picking your flavor. One of my favorites is YOJU Lychee — the flavor is floral with a slight tang — and the YOJU White Peach has a deeply fruity flavor not dissimilar to a cup of fresh peach yogurt. For those who love the taste of pure soju, the Original flavor has some of the clean, citrusy notes that are characteristic of the spirit. 

The brand is also slowly but consistently rolling out new flavor additions and limited-time offerings. Highlights include the Hard Strawberry Matcha Latte and the Hard Vietnamese Coffee.

There is one major aspect that differentiates Toucan canned cocktails from its competitors: the fact that one Toucan is actually two cans. The larger of the two contains the cocktail mix, while the small can on top contains a generous portion of the spirit. When mixing the two together (throw in some ice to chill the cocktail before it even hits the glass!), the stacked cans turn into a disposable cocktail shaker that, when emptied, yields two full-sized cocktails. 

Although this might not be the right canned cocktail choice for those who don't want to do a bit of bartending during their party, it certainly shaves plenty of time off of mixing drinks for your event. Plus, you can even skip the step of pre-pouring the shaken cocktails into glasses, and instead give the sealed Toucans to guests to mix up themselves and sip the finished drink directly from the can. 

If you ask me, the martini drinks are where this brand shines brightest. The Toucan Espresso martini, an homage to the '80s coffee cocktail that is making a most triumphant comeback, has a hint of sweetness and plenty of rich, bold coffee flavor, while other martini offerings include the Lemon Drop and Cosmo.

If you're like me, Suntory's On The Rocks Ready to Drink bottled cocktails have left much to be desired. They often lean cloyingly sweet, and I have found that they can taste almost stale (read: it is extremely obvious that they were not mixed recently). But to my surprise, the On the Rocks canned cocktails are a delight. 

While the brand's Cosmopolitan in a bottle is bright pink and almost syrupy, a four-pack of On the Rocks Sparkling Peach Cosmopolitan cans are perfectly party-ready, with just the right amount of sweetness and a lightness that makes them crushable. For an even more reliable party option, pick up a four-pack of On the Rocks Sparkling Lime margarita cans, which are more akin to a flavorful hard seltzer than to the classic cocktail. Regardless of the choice you make, expect plenty of effervescence, as well as tropical flavors that are perfect for a warm day.

If you have stepped inside a liquor store in the past 5-or-so years, you have likely seen Tip Top canned cocktails sitting at the cash register. I am happy to report that they are not only accessible, but they are also worth the buy.

Do not be deterred by the small size of Tip Top's cocktails. They pack a punch of spirit strength that is certainly unexpected. For a summertime party, grab a four-pack of Tip Top margaritas, which have a bold tequila flavor and are ideal for a stiff sip on a hot day. If you're looking for an espresso martini, the brand has you covered there too, as it came in the top spot on our ranking of canned coffee cocktails.

"At first blush, I marveled at the rich coffee flavor and booze-forward taste. It was smooth enough to go down quickly, but I wanted to savor every last drop, so I resisted," Chowhound's Emily Alexander says. "With each sip, I got tons of rich coffee with just the right amount of bitterness. A touch of vanilla also shone through at the end, so it was a smidge sweet but not sugary."

Cayman Jack's line of canned margaritas is another that you can't miss for your next party. While they are definitely one of the sweeter drinks on this list, they also all feature malt, which lends thickness and a bit of body, preventing the canned cocktails from being simply a one-note, sugary sip. 

A pack of Cayman Jack margaritas is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next party. These cocktails might not be the most spirit-forward, but there's no need for complexity at a summer bash — especially when margaritas are involved. My favorite flavor is, without a doubt, mango, which surprisingly boasts plenty of authentic-tasting tropical fruit flavor, as opposed to the artificial stand-ins you typically find. For those looking for a twist on the classic margarita, the brand also carries a line of Sweet Heat canned margaritas, with a flavor range including smoky orange, spicy lime, and grilled pineapple, for an extra dimension and some kick.

Many of the canned cocktail picks on this list are teeming with fun and adventurous flavors, and although Cardinal Spirits creates canned cocktails that are no exception, my favorite flavors from the brand are its simplest ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure four-packs of Cardinal Spirits Songbird Spiked Cold Brew and Bourbon Cream Soda would do wonders at your next shindig. That said, I would urge you to give the brand's selection of Double Vodka Soda flavors a try. These canned cocktails taste like the best version of the classic dive bar drink with splashes of not-too-sweet fruit juices, such as cranberry with lime, pineapple with key lime, and mango with habanero. 

The universal flavors of these canned cocktails are especially handy when you are entertaining a group of guests with diverse palates. Sure, you can muddle in your own ingredients for vodka soda cocktails, but why bother when Cardinal Spirits has done it so expertly for you?

Behold: another case of the tiny canned cocktails that are deceptively strong and perfectly balanced. I have had my fair share of Straightaway cans, especially the brand's more spirit-forward options, and I am here to let you know that they are a worthy addition to your next party. 

If I was planning your get-together, I would pick up a pack of the Straightaway Nitro Espresso Martini, which offers a welcome bitterness and is perfect for the coffee cocktail lover, as well as a pack of the Straightaway Negroni Duo, which comes with both the delightfully herbal classic Negroni and the more delicate Gold Negroni. These drinks will be an especially big hit with those who love a bold and strong cocktail, but even those who typically gravitate toward something more floral and fruity are sure to be swayed. 

While most canned cocktail connoisseurs will be familiar with Topo Chico's line of hard seltzers, the margaritas are the brand's true unsung heroes. The line's flavor range might be small, but it is full of winners, including Signature lime, Prickly Pear, and Strawberry Hibiscus. My favorite, though, is the Topo Chico Tropical Pineapple Margarita, which surprisingly tastes like fresh pineapple juice.

Like many of Topo Chico's products, these margaritas are incredibly drinkable. Make sure to stock up before your party, because your guests are going to love them and crush through them. That said, unlike many of the martinis and spirit-forward cocktails on this list, these cans are on the lower ABV side, making them the perfect fit for a low-key hangout or a small gathering among friends. While stocking your party with store-bought margarita mixes might be tempting, the freshness of these canned beverages edges them out without contest.

For another excellent espresso martini option, check out Post Meridem, a brand whose small cans are once again deceptive in their strength. The Post Meridem Espresso Martini has an intensely strong coffee flavor that might not be for everyone, but those with an affinity for the espresso bean will certainly be talking about this canned cocktail all night long. 

For something a little milder, but still with plenty of delicious coffee flavor, I am a big fan of the Post Meridem White Russian, which truly is saying something, as I am not one to gravitate toward creamy cocktails (especially creamy cocktails that come in a can). I'm not alone in my love of it; in fact, the very same Chowhound article that ranked the Tip Top Espresso Martini as the best canned coffee cocktail ranked Post Meridem's White Russian as the second-best. 

"I got a delicious coffee flavor at the forefront, followed by some sweetness. Still, the bold coffee flavor balanced out the saccharine taste in expert fashion," says the reviewer, Emily Alexander. "It also tasted like a premium product. It isn't just passable; it excels in the world of white Russians."

Crafthouse Cocktails, which come in both bottles and cans, are one of the most reliable picks on this list, because its flavor roster is packed with universal favorites. These are classic cocktails done right, featuring well-balanced sips without any of the unconventional bells and whistles that might intimidate (or repel) some of your guests.

If you have to pick up a four-pack of only one of the canned cocktails from this brand, I would go for the Crafthouse Cocktails Paloma, which is the platonic ideal of this cocktail (which is considerably different from the margarita): citrusy and slightly bitter from grapefruit and lime, strong from clean-tasting blanco tequila, and refreshingly sparkling. 

Crafthouse Cocktails might not have the most inventive options on this list, but it has some of the best canned cocktails you can get your hands on. If you are looking for something a bit more outside-the-box, I have yet to try the Smoky Margarita, but it is sure to dazzle with smoked agave and real lime juice.

Salt Point is another great place to look if you are hoping to stock up your party with light and mild, but still well-crafted, canned cocktails. While it is easy to be enamored by the charming sketches on the cans, the packaging is far from being the drinks' only virtue (but they will make the photos from your party look all the more fun). 

For easy poolside sipping or complements to a spread of dishes at the perfect end-of-summer cookout, pick up some four-packs of the Salt Point Greyhound, made with vodka, grapefruit, and lime, and the Salt Point Long Drink, featuring gin, cucumber, and melon. Whatever you do, do not mistake the drinks' subtlety for a lack of spirit strengths. Each of these cans serves two and packs a whopping 10% alcohol by volume, so make sure that you and your guests are ready for an exceptionally stiff canned cocktail, even in spite of its delicate flavor profile. 

To assemble this list of the best canned cocktails that are perfect for your party, I drew from my own vast experience. I have tried every single drink on this list, whether at a bar, industry event, or a party of my own. Not only am I gluten free and therefore can't drink beer, but I'm also far too lazy to always mix my own drinks, therefore I have become extremely familiar with canned cocktails through the years. There are some that have stood out to me and are now my go-tos, and there are others I would never order again.

In addition to being one of the best canned cocktails based on flavor, balance, and sippability, I ensured they are available for purchase in multi-packs. After all, you can't quench partygoers' thirst with individual cans!