What We Learned from Testing 40 Canned Cocktails

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Wirecutter Show

Episode: What We Learned from Testing 40 Canned Cocktails

Date: June 5, 2026
Hosts: Christine Cyr Clisset & Caira Blackwell
Guest: Antara Sinha, Associate Staff Writer, Wirecutter Kitchen Team

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the rapidly evolving world of canned cocktails—ready-to-drink, bar-quality beverages available in a can. The hosts welcome Antara Sinha, who led rigorous testing of 40 canned cocktails for Wirecutter, to discuss major trends, standout picks, tasting tips, and guidance for selecting the right drink to fit your mood or event. The team also conducts a lively on-air tasting of favorites from the guide, offering candid impressions and practical insights for listeners just in time for summer gatherings.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of Canned Cocktails

• Shift from Seltzers to Sophisticated Drinks
  • Canned cocktails have “leveled up” from basic seltzers like White Claw to an array of sophisticated, mixologist-approved drinks (margaritas, espresso martinis, old fashioneds).
  • Antara emphasizes, “These are cocktails. Capital C... They’re not the sort of lower ABV sippable crushable drinks of 10 years prior.” (04:27)
• Pandemic-Driven Growth
  • Covid altered social habits, sparking demand for high-quality cocktails at home: “These are the kinds of drinks you would sip at board game night, a dinner party. They’re mixologist approved, touting high-end liquors..." (03:46)

Quality, Price, & Accessibility

• Affordability Compared to Bars
  • In cities like NYC where cocktails may cost $23+, canned versions offer value at $6 per can, with no need to stock a full home bar.
  • Christine jokes about lasting bottles: “I remember saving up to buy a bottle of crème de cassis… I’m gonna have this for 27 years.” (05:17)
• Ingredient Transparency
  • The best canned cocktails call out quality spirits, coffees, and even partnerships with mixologists. Shoppers should “look for the specifics that the brand is touting… there is a lot of concealment that can happen in a can.” (09:12)

Testing Methodology

• Rigorous Taste Testing
  • 40 cocktails tasted over multiple days—using “spit” technique to keep tasting notes sharp:

    “We all had our own personal spittoon in the process… you don’t have to worry about taking, you know, 23 sips at 3pm on a work day.” (06:11)

• Comparative Framework
  • Grouping by cocktail type (e.g., whiskeys together, gins together), not blind by brand but blind to avoid bias, and always considering personal preferences.

Choosing the Right Canned Cocktail

• Taste-Driven Exploration
  • Canned cocktails are a low-commitment way to experiment: “If you don’t like vodka or whiskey… now’s the chance to try it, because it’s a cheaper, lower commitment way.” (07:46)
• Read the Label
  • Detailed ingredient and brand info often signal higher quality. For instance, Tip Top’s espresso martini uses Counter Culture coffee—a point of confidence for Antara’s team. (08:19)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the New Sophistication:

  “Some of these are 40% alcohol. These are cocktails. Capital C.” – Antara Sinha (04:27)

• On Ingredient Sourcing:

  “Not everyone wants to curate a bar cart. Not all of us have the space… It’s nice to have the option... and they’re gone with your guests.” – Antara Sinha (05:29)

• On Taste Test Reality:

  “If you were to be with us during our tasting, it would be kind of gross… we all had our own personal spittoon.” – Antara Sinha (06:11)

• On Value for Money:

  “A $6 a can cocktail made with high-end ingredients… you can have a variety of cocktails at one time… They are quite cost-efficient.” – Antara Sinha (05:04)

• On Favorite Brands:

  “Tip Top was a really reliable brand… you pick it up, you’re going to probably enjoy what you’re drinking.” – Antara Sinha (14:04)

---

Live On-Air Taste Test: [11:31 - 17:29]

1. Jumo (Soju-Based, Mango Yuja Citrus Mint) [11:44]

• Described as “light, fruity, and sweet,” showcasing a refreshing soju flavor versus just generic fruit sweetness.
• “There’s like a lingering sweetness that’s very distinctly soju and not just sweetener from the fruit flavoring.” – Antara Sinha (12:31)
• Hosts praise the mint notes and crispness.

2. Tip Top Old Fashioned [13:08]

• “Really simple. Whiskey, sugar, bitters. Like a classic old fashioned.”
• At 37% ABV: “It smells like straight whiskey… It is strong.” – Caira Blackwell (13:14)
• Deemed “complex” and “high quality,” with one taster saying, “They wouldn't be disappointed if they were served this at a bar.” (14:00)
• Widely available for ~$20/four-pack.

3. Southside Gin Cocktail [14:50]

• “Lightly effervescent... very bubbly and crisp, with lemon and mint.”
• Consensus highlight for its “refreshing” and “super nice” flavor; “That’s nice. Give it a sec over ice and it’ll mellow out even more.” – Christine Cyr Clisset (15:25)
• At 10% ABV; hosts agree it’s dangerously easy to drink.

4. Cutwater White Russian [15:41]

• Vodka, Kahlua, heavy cream—“feels like a dessert in a can.”
• “It tastes like a milkshake with vodka in it. It’s sweet though, which is always a little bit dangerous. Yum.” – Rosie Guerin (17:04)
• Recommended as a special treat or for holidays.

---

Practical Takeaways and Final Recommendations

• Chill and Serve Over Ice: Most canned cocktails are improved poured over ice and given a minute to mellow.
• Look for Quality Indicators: Brands calling out partnerships with top liquor/ingredient brands and specific spirits usually deliver higher flavor.
• Try a Range: Use canned cocktails as a low-stress way to sample styles you might not make at home.
• Volume and Strength Awareness: Many canned cocktails rival bar pours in strength—consume slowly!

Top Picks (per Antara Sinha) [17:40]

• Southside Gin Cocktail: Most crowd-pleasing—“so crisp and light… I can’t imagine anyone being upset with a nice crisp gin cocktail.”
• Jumo Soju Cocktail: Most exciting for adventure—“an emerging space…and so accessible to people to try.”

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Resources

• All cans tasted are available online and at major alcohol retailers (links found in the episode guide).
• Antara’s full reporting and Wirecutter’s canned cocktail guide at Wirecutter’s website.

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Appendix: Key Timestamps

• 03:02 – Evolution from hard seltzers to sophisticated cocktails
• 05:02 – Value proposition: canned vs. bar cocktails
• 06:11 – The reality of taste testing 40 cocktails
• 08:19 – How ingredient transparency signals quality
• 11:44–17:29 – Live taste test of top canned cocktails (+ discussion)
• 17:40 – “If you could only buy one...” – expert recommendations

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This summary captures the episode’s exploration of the best canned cocktails for summer—offering insight, humor, and actionable advice relevant to both the cocktail-curious and aficionados alike.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[C]

I'm Rosie Guerin and you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.

[B]

Hi, Rosie.

[C]

Hey, Kyra.

[B]

Are you excited? It's getting really hot outside.

[C]

It's getting warm. And today we're talking cool, crisp, chilled canned cocktails.

[B]

I love it. Backyard barbecues, tailgates, picnics, Nothing is better than a chilled drink in the sun for these events and beyond. That's why I'm excited to really dig into the world of these new, sophisticated canned cocktails. I'm not gonna lie. Like, not that long ago, I was drinking White Claws at these kinds of events and I don't think that's the move anymore.

[C]

It's a judgment free zone. But I can understand if you are ready to elevate like you like a nice cocktail. So I, there's no reason, I think you should have to build out a huge bar if you want to have a nice cocktail at home. There are a ton of great options.

[B]

Yeah. Even when I go to more casual events now, there are so many of these more elevated canned cocktails that do have really nice drinks like espresso martinis, whiskey sours, negronis. So you do have a lot of choices these days, and I love that.

[C]

I love it, too. And I am really excited that we're going to talk to Anthra Sinha. She's an associate staff writer on the Kitchen team here. Wirecutter. We've had her on the show before. She's absolutely delightful. And she's going to talk about testing these canned cocktails, what she learned, what we can expect, and hopefully how to pick the right one to match your vibe.

[B]

Plus, we're going to do a little taste test live on the show. Antara, welcome to the show.

[D]

Thanks so much for having me.

[C]

Welcome back.

[D]

Thanks. Yeah.

[B]

So today we are talking about canned cocktails. I think a lot of people still might associate them with a hard seltzer or a drink that you bring to a tailgate or backyard barbecue. And it's something that you're just throwing back and kind of getting drunk. When I was reading your guide, I didn't recognize any of the brands that you recommend. And they look more elevated and sophisticated. So it seems like something's changed. And you have nine picks in your guide. They range from anything from espresso martinis to margaritas to old fashioned. So what is the difference between these canned cocktails in your guide and other alcoholic beverages that you can get in a can?

[D]

Yeah, I think you really hit the nail on the head with how much the space has changed. I think that a lot of people's introduction to canned alcoholic beverages is kind of of the tailgate, white claw, high noon variety. And we've seen this huge boom in we can kind of say elevated, quote unquote, canned cocktails, especially during lockdown. And Covid the way that people have socialized really changed. And it still hasn't quite gone back to everyone being quite as out and about as they were before.

[C]

Yeah, I wondered whether it around the pandemic because that's when I started doing a little more searching and researching like good canned cocktails. So I wanted a, you know, like the kind that you would otherwise maybe get if you went to a cocktail bar.

[D]

Totally. And that's exactly the need that the industry kind of met the moment. These are the kind of drinks that you would sip at board game night, a dinner party. They're mixologist approved. They are touting high end liquors. They're really carefully curated and packaged. And it's very different than a college tailgate experience.

[B]

Even just thinking about white claws. Like, yeah, I used to love a white claw at a cookout, but that was only probably like 5% alcohol. It was akin to drinking a beer. And it seems like these canned cocktails are more heavy hitters.

[D]

Totally.

[B]

That may be a big difference too. Like you shouldn't expect to be throwing these back the way you would a white claw.

[D]

Yeah. You're not crushing seven of these over the span of an entire football game. Some of these are 40% alcohol. These are cocktails. Capital C. They're not the sort of lower ABV sippable crushable drinks of 10 years prior.

[C]

My feeling is that at the price point, I know that they vary in price, but at the price point, a good one is a good deal. If you're not in a place to go out and have a drink.

[D]

That's exactly it. You know, we're based in New York City where a cocktail can cost sometimes egregiously as high as $23, depending on where you're going.

[B]

Oh yeah, easily.

[D]

Absolutely.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

So you know, a $6 a can cockt made with high end ingredients. And you don't have to stock up on liquor and ingredients the same way you can have a variety of cocktails at one time. They are quite cost efficient.

[C]

I remember saving up to buy a bottle of creme de cassis. You know, there's only one size and the size is big.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like, I'm gonna have this for 27 years.

[D]

Not everyone wants to curate a bar cart. Not all of us have the space to. I don't want to keep a bottle of vodka in the freezer anymore. It's nice to have the option of put them out for your guests and they're gone with your guests. And this is it's met the moment. We also found that a lot of these brands, they really emphasize quality of ingredients in a way that, you know, maybe you wouldn't expect if the last time you had a canned cocktail was five, seven, ten years ago. So they can get pretty close in quality to what you would get at a restaurant or a bar.

[C]

So you ended up tasting 40 cocktails over multiple days for this guide, which sounds like a party at work. Yep. What did the actual testing?

[D]

Yeah, it wasn't quite a party. If you were to be with us during our tasting, it would be kind of gross because we all had our own personal spittoon in the process.

[C]

A spittoon.

[D]

You sip it and you spit it out. Because sip and spit, you can kind of get the feel, get the taste, and then you don't have to worry about taking, you know, 23 sips of a cocktail at 3pm on a work day.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

What a drag.

[D]

It would be fun, but I feel like we would get less precise tasting notes as the evening went on.

[C]

The notes get a little squiggly.

[D]

Exactly. And we also kind of made an effort to group similar liquors, similar flavor profiles. It's really difficult in a cocktail to compare them one to one. Like we can with a butter taste test or a yogurt taste test. So this wasn't quite as brand concealed as some of our other taste tests may have been. You do want to know you're drinking a Negroni before you sip on a Negroni. If you're expecting a margarita, you're not going to have a favorable opinion of your Negroni.

[B]

But you guys, like, covered the label. But you just know like the category of drink you're trying to.

[D]

Yes. So we made an effort to compare like to like. And we also took into account that everyone has Very different preferences of their favorite drink. And we narrowed it down to something where there's a list where we hope no matter what your preference is, you can find a cocktail for you on the guide.

[C]

What is your guidance for how to pick the right canned cocktail for you? I mean beyond if you don't like vodka, don't pick a vodka cocktail or if you don't like something. I've noticed a lot of them are effervescent. Sometimes I don't like or want that. But beyond that, how do you suggest people think about it?

[D]

Actually, to your point, I think that what you said, if you don't like vodka or if you don't like whiskey, I think that canned cocktails are the best time to try drinks that you may not normally go for just because it is a cheaper, lower commitment way to test out. Like, you know, do you like an espresso martini, but do you want to keep the necessary ingredients at home? Now's the chance to try it. But to look for a good canned cocktail, we found that we had the best luck with that were really specific with their ingredients and it's something that they were touting or bragging about intentionally.

[C]

So what would be an example of that?

[D]

Yeah, so tip top. One of our picks, for example, we loved their espresso martini and it was actually one of the few coffee based cocktails that we really enjoyed from the many that we tried. And we found that they specifically mentioned, for example, that they were using counterculture coffee, which is a brand that we also have chat about on our coffee guides on the site. So just that specificity, you know what to expect and you also know that they're not cutting corners and putting, you know, cheaper booths or cheaper ingredients because there is a lot of concealment that can happen in a can. And so you really want to look for the specifics that the brand is touting. Usually a lot of cocktails aren't too many ingredients, so you really taste each one, which is why that specificity is so important. Like an old fashioned is just whiskey, sugar and bitter. So you want it to be a good quality whiskey. Some brands also even mention partnerships with certain mixologists and maybe you like a certain liquor specifically and you see that it's touting a certain brand. You know, you're more likely likely to enjoy those than something that's like we're malt liquor at certain percentage and we have cherry natural flavoring. So there's an audience for that. But read the ingredients.

[B]

Okay, Antara, we're going to talk about a few of your favorites from the guide and do a little taste test. Yes, on a weekday at noon, but before that we're going to take a quick break. Be right back.

[C]

Foreign

[A]

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[D]

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[B]

Welcome back. Today we're talking about canned cocktails perfect for your summer gatherings with Wirecutter's Anthra Sinha.

[C]

Anthra, we know you brought some cocktails for us to taste. Let's, I think, take them one by one and we'll sip on them and you can tell us a little bit about what's going on, why you like them, how they ended up in the guide.

[D]

Yeah, okay, so we have kind of an assortment of some trendy ish drinks, some classic drinks, and some that may be newer to an American drinking culture. So let's start with the Jumo. That's one that I'm most excited about. The primary base in Jumo is soju and this particular one is mango yuja and citrus mint flavored. So we know what mango is. Love a mango drink. This has Yuja and citrus mint, which is a variety of mint that has citrus notes. So it's light, fruity, and sweet. So if that's your kind of drink, this is the one to reach for.

[C]

Let's try it. Cheers.

[B]

Cheers.

[D]

Cheers.

[B]

Mm. That's refreshing.

[D]

Yeah. This was one of our favorites just because of how crisp and light it is.

[C]

Yeah, that's really nice.

[D]

There's like a lingering sweetness that's very distinctly soju and not just sweetener from the fruit flavoring.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And we thought that's a good introduction to canned soju on the market, which is relatively new.

[C]

The mint really comes through, I think.

[B]

Yes. And the soju.

[C]

The soju. Yeah.

[B]

Is pretty forward, but I like it.

[D]

And this is lower abv, so I wouldn't recommend crushing them. But this is a nice, you know, sipper and out juice. It does.

[C]

Sometimes I do need a cocktail to taste like a cocktail.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

You take it slow.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Which is probably a good segue into this next one. This is the tip top.

[D]

Yeah, this is a tip top old fashioned.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

Really simple. Whiskey, sugar, bitters. Like a classical fashioned.

[B]

It smells like straight whiskey.

[D]

And this is 37% ABV, so tread lightly. Heck, yeah. Ooh.

[B]

Strong.

[D]

It is.

[B]

But this is Rosie's drink. She loves her, like, a dark liquor.

[C]

I do.

[B]

This is not mine, but I can appreciate it.

[D]

Yeah. It's definitely one of the higher quality old fashioned styled drinks that we had. Would you like a top off?

[C]

Even for me, I'm good. I don't know if it's because it's noon or. Or what, but this is hitting.

[B]

Yeah, it definitely feels strong.

[D]

It is strong. We really, like. There was like a lingering spiciness that we enjoyed.

[C]

It is. The flavor's really deep and nice and it feels. Tastes complex.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

It doesn't taste like a cheap whiskey.

[D]

One of our tasters said that they wouldn't be disappointed if they were served this at a bar.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I think just broadly across the board, Tip Top was a really reliable brand. And it's also one that you can find at a lot of liquor stores.

[B]

And it's pretty good, price wise.

[D]

Yes. It's usually like 20ish dollars for a pack of four.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Which, you know, is still cheaper than all the ingredients of, like, a high quality whiskey and the necessary tools that you would need to make one. Yeah.

[C]

And again, not cheaper than what you're gonna.

[B]

One cocktail at a bar.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. And like, we're split. We split this one can amongst the three of us and we feel like, we're good. So, you know, you can probably stretch those four cans if you really wanted to.

[B]

That's true.

[D]

I think for a lot of these canned cocktails, we found that they all perform better when they were poured over ice and had kind of a second to mellow out a little bit.

[C]

Should we try. What's this other one here?

[D]

This is actually called Southside Gin based. This one is lightly effervescent. It's very bubbly and crisp, and there's lemon and mint. And this is another example of, like, more of a mature sipping, like an alternative to a white claw that feels a bit more mature and balanced.

[B]

And this is like. It's a gin cocktail, so it's kind of like a gin and tonic type vibe, sort of.

[D]

Yeah. The lemon and mint is the addition in this one.

[C]

Oh, my days. That's nice. Oh, I love that.

[B]

It's very simple.

[C]

That's nice.

[B]

It's very simple.

[D]

It's very simple. But we found that there was, like, a crispness to the gin flavor that came through. You are getting little bits of juniper and.

[C]

Super nice.

[D]

It's very refreshing.

[C]

Not too sweet.

[D]

Yeah. And give it a sec over ice and it'll mellow out even more.

[B]

This one's dangerous. This is 10% alcohol.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm gonna finish this.

[D]

That's yours to keep.

[C]

I'll finish that off, Mike. The last one.

[D]

Yeah, the last one is the cut water White Russian, which everyone in the studio is making faces, but Kyra's been

[C]

disqualified from drinking this. Cause it has dairy White Russian.

[D]

It does. It has Kahlua. It has vodka and heavy cream. Cut Water was, I think, one of the first canned cocktails on the market. I think that they weren't quite as reliable across their whole portfolio. The way that Tip Top is. Tip Top is, you know, you pick it up, you're gonna probably enjoy what you're drinking. Cut water just kind of oscillated too much between quality of ingredients and even just how strong they were. Of the many that we tasted, the White Russian felt like the one that we were most excited to recommend just because it is something that feels special and not one that you want to purchase so many ingredients for and keep them on hand. Like, how often do you really have Kahlua on hand?

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And so this was our favorite from the mix.

[B]

I see.

[D]

So I will preface by saying that we are drinking this in the spring, but this is, I think, kind of like a holiday party sort of sipper. Totally. You want to split a can with someone this is a full soda can sized beverage, but it is really rich. It's in the sort of vein of a milkshake. In the vein of like a mudslide. There are people who love this.

[B]

What do we think?

[C]

Problem is this is delicious.

[D]

I love this. We found a convert.

[B]

Tell us more.

[C]

I mean, it tastes like a milkshake with vodka in it. It's sweet though, which is like always a little bit dangerous. Yum.

[D]

It is very sweet. It's very kind of vanilla. Cream forward. It is one of the outliers from our list of picks. But, you know, everyone needs their drink and for some people, this is their drink.

[B]

So, Andre, my final question to you. Out of all of the canned cocktails you recommend in your guide, which one are you buying for yourself when you're hosting, when you're going to a picnic, what's your drink of choice?

[D]

Yeah, I'm actually torn between two that we've tasted right now, the Southside and the Jumo. The Southside feels like the most sort of broadly crowd pleasing. It's so crisp and light and I can't imagine anyone being upset with a nice crisp gin cocktail.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And the Jumo was the most exciting to me just because I think in sort of American craft cocktail cultures, soju is like an emerging sort of space for a lot of people. And it was really exciting to see this in a ready to drink can that's so accessible to people to try.

[B]

Yeah, I think those are my top two. I would pick the salicide over the Jumo. It's like refreshing. It doesn't have a lot going on and I could totally down that entire can.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

By myself.

[D]

Same. Really well balanced.

[B]

Well, thank you so much for joining us today and thank you for sharing a drink with us.

[D]

Yeah, thanks for having me. It was so much fun.

[C]

Anthra says that if you want to find these canned cocktails, they're available online. We've got links and of course at major alcohol retailers nationwide. And I encourage you to check out Anthra's reporting. All of it is on our website. That's it for us. Thank you so much for listening. Peace.

[B]

The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Alicia Ba Itup, Katherine Anderson, Rowan Niemisto and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in Chief. I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[C]

And I'm Rosie Guerin.

[B]

Thanks for listening.

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[B]

Com.