by Jake Emen | March 18, 2021

Ready-to-drink beverages (or RTDs, as we like to say) have grown exponentially in recent times. Besides varying widely in quality, there are entirely different categories within this segment that it’s important to distinguish between. In this way, you’ll actually have a chance to make a decision you’ll be happy with when you’re browsing at the local store or thinking about clicking “buy” online. When it comes to RTDs, we’re interested in ready-to-drink canned cocktails.

NOT ALL RTDS ARE CREATED EQUALLY

Distiller is dedicated to spirits, after all. That’s what canned cocktails contain — actual distilled alcohol. RTD cocktails are therefore not interchangeable with something such as a canned wine spritzer. More importantly, this does not include the vast world of seltzers and hard seltzers, wherein the cheapest available sugar is fermented as efficiently as possible, dosed with flavoring and carbonated.

The problem here however, is not only do these products vaguely hint that they belong together, they’re also often stocked on the shelf right next to one another. Our suggestion is to always look at the ingredient list to see if it includes spirits or not. More power to you if the hard seltzers of the world are up your alley. We’ll stick to canned cocktails incorporating something, anything, that came off a still and actually resembles a real-world cocktail.

NOVO FOGO

If I had to choose my favorite canned cocktail line though, I wouldn’t hesitate to name Novo Fogo’s Sparkling Caipirinhas. Flavors include Original Lime, Passion Fruit and Lime and Mango and Lime. All are bright, refreshing and eminently crushable. Each is made with a base of Novo Fogo’s organic Silver Cachaça and includes all natural ingredients. They clock in at 8.2% ABV and come in 200ml cans.

BOTTLED & CANNED COCKTAILS WORTH DRINKING
Distiller | March 18, 2021