I love Cutwater canned cocktails—and I am an admitted cocktail snob. I am very particular about my Martinis (one ounce dry vermouth, two ounces gin, three Martini olives). I regularly make riffs on pretentious cocktails like Hanky Pankys and Negronis. I have an entire tiny shelf devoted to bitters. So, trust me, an annoying cocktail enthusiast, when I say that many Cutwater cocktails are good. But are all the Cutwater flavors good? Spoiler alert: Nope.
Cutwater has come a long way from a small distillery in San Diego, CA, to a pioneer of canned cocktails, which are now available across the country. Per the Cutwater website, they make TK different canned cocktails. Well, over the course of three taste tests, we tasted pretty much all of them. After each follow-up taste test, we’ve culled the flavors that have gotten 86’ed (RIP Gin & Tonic and non-spicy Bloody Mary, we miss you both!), added new Cutwater flavors, and reorganized when necessary. Because Cutwater flavors, just like everything else in life, change for a variety of reasons. We’ll continue to update this ranking as we secure more Cutwater flavors and as Cutwater continues to release new canned cocktails.
What were we looking for as we ranked these Cutwater drinks? We wanted drinks that taste like the cocktails advertised on the cans. And, since Cutwater is a distillery, we prized the Cutwater cocktails that really showed off those spirits. And, finally, we just wanted to find the best tasting Cutwater drinks. We were selfishly looking for the best Cutwater flavors to stock up on for our own purposes. Here are 29 Cutwater flavors, ranked.
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- Cutwater Long Island Iced Tea
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Major points for Cutwater canning a Long Island Iced Tea. What a fun move. I’m a big LIIT proponent. I think, when made right, it can be a stupendous drink. If you’re looking for the ideal LIIT, just head back in time to 2006 and drop by 5 Olde Nugget Alley in Hanover, NH. Get Tom, the co-owner, to make you a LIIT—it’s free if it’s your birthday. That’s a real Long Island Iced Tea. Cutwater’s version is not. And it’s actually gotten worse. It used to taste like Nestea, which is not bad at all. However, during our most recent Cutwater flavors taste test it tasted completely off—like a mess of hard alcohol with just a hint of cola on the end. Fix it, Cutwater!
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- Cutwater Watermelon Vodka Soda
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While this canned Vodka Soda smells like fresh watermelon, it tastes a bit like cleaning fluid. The hard seltzer and canned Vodka Soda fields are crowded enough already. I just think Cutwater is better off using their skills elsewhere.
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- Cutwater Bali Hai Pina Colada
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I really wanted to like this Cutwater flavor. I love Pina Coladas. I am always craving Pina Coladas. So I was excited about the prospect of having canned Pina Coladas ready-to-drink in my fridge. But, alas, out of all the Cutwater flavors we tried, this was probably the most disappointing. It simply does not taste like a Pina Colada. In fact, it doesn’t really taste like much of anything at all. It’s very odd. I hope Cutwater tinkers with this recipe a bit; I’ll give it another chance. I love Pina Coladas!
Related: Best Rum Drinks in a Can
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- Cutwater Strawberry Margarita
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This was my least favorite of the Cutwater Margarita flavors. That said, you might like it if you don’t want your canned cocktails to taste like alcohol. Personally, I like knowing there’s booze in there. But this one tastes like a melted strawberry popsicle. There’s no lime flavor and there’s no tequila flavor.
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- Cutwater Vodka Transfusion
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A Transfusion is traditionally made with vodka, ginger ale, concord grape juice, and lime juice. But Cutwater’s take on the vodka cocktail is made with ginger beer instead, and you can tell. It has a much more pungent ginger aroma and flavor than a cocktail made with ginger ale. And I really love the spice. But the grape flavor clashes a bit with that heavy ginger and comes across a bit medicinal. It’s an odd drink, but if you’re a Transfusion fan, I think you should try it. If not, there are better Cutwater drinks out there.
Related: Best Vodka Cocktails in a Can
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- Cutwater Peach Margarita
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There’s slightly more tequila flavor in this canned Margarita, but really, it tastes more like an aguas frescas than a cocktail. It needs acidity and it needs the taste of booze!
Related: Best Canned Margaritas
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- Cutwater Lime Vodka Soda
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So, I know I just said that I like my cocktails to taste like booze, well, this one certainly checks that box. It has a lot of vodka flavor (please don’t tell me vodka doesn’t taste like anything; we all know you aren’t going to confuse a swig of Stoli with a swig of Evian). But the lime flavor is negligible. So it really just tastes like a nearly plain Vodka Soda. If that’s your drink of choice, enjoy. But it ain’t mine.
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- Cutwater Watermelon Ranch Water
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Ranch Water is basically blanco tequila, lime juice, and sparkling water (usually Topo Chico). This canned Ranch Water adds watermelon to the mix. I’ll give it props: It actually tastes like fresh watermelon. But it’s lacking the lime flavor that Ranch Water calls for.
Related: Best Canned Ranch Water
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- Cutwater Vodka Iced Tea
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This Cutwater canned cocktail is far too sweet for my tastes. But if you order your boba tea extra sweet, it might just be the best Cutwater cocktail for you. You can taste the tea (a rarity in hard tea drinks, as we’ve found). But I couldn’t possibly make it through an entire can. Maybe if you squeezed a full lemon into the can, it might be more balanced.
- Cutwater Whiskey Lemonade
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Unlike the Vodka Iced Tea, the Whiskey Lemonade is much, much drier than you might expect. It’s tart and tangy and very whiskey forward. It tastes more like a Whiskey Lemon rather than a Whiskey Lemonade. However, if you’re looking for a refreshing, restrained, tart canned whiskey drink, give this Cutwater cocktail a try. It’s not my favorite, for sure, but I wouldn’t turn it down at a hot BBQ.
Related: Best Whiskey Drinks in a Can
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- Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini
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Cutwater’s attempt at a Lemon Drop Martini is not strong enough to be a Martini of any sort. Even though it’s made with Cutwater vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice, it ends up tasting like a standard Vodka Lemonade—one made with Crystal Light, perhaps. It’s totally fine. It’s totally drinkable. And it’s a good pick if you’re looking for a non-carbonated hard lemonade. But it ain’t a Lemon Drop.
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- Cutwater Tiki Rum Punch
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This falls right in the middle of all the Cutwater cocktails. It’s totally fine. If you gave me a can, I’d crack it, I’d drink it, and I would never think once about what I was drinking. It’s a totally decent tropical punch with a hint of coconut flavor that I appreciate. But I can’t tell you to run out and buy it ASAP. There are better Cutwater drinks out there.
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- Cutwater Grapefruit Vodka Soda
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This canned Vodka Soda smells like a sour grapefruit candy—like the wedges from Haribo Fruit Salad. The flavor is much less pronounced, as it should be since this is a seltzer. But there are just better grapefruit flavored hard seltzers out there—like the second place pick from our best hard seltzer list.
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- Cutwater Lime Margarita
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The classic lime within the lineup of Cutwater Margarita flavors is indeed very limey—in a melted lime popsicle sort of way. But, once again, there’s just not enough tequila flavor. Margaritas should taste like tequila!
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- Cutwater Bloody Mary Spicy
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Cutwater makes a good Bloody Mary mix, so it makes sense that they would also make a good canned Bloody Mary. It’s seriously spicy, though, so it has a more limited audience. It’s just not gulpable—but it’s still very good. I will use this time to put out a plea to Cutwater to bring back their mild canned Bloody Mary. It was the best. Please bring it back, Cutwater!
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- Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai
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This tastes like the rum punch you get on a boat when you’re going out for a sunset “cruise” in Key West. It’s a can of vacation. It’s not for everyday drinking, but you definitely should drink it sometimes—preferably on a boat or when you wish you were on a boat.
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- Cutwater Pineapple Margarita
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This is the best of the bunch when it comes to Cutwater Margarita flavors. In fact, it even made it into our best canned cocktails round up. It has a nice pineapple smell and a roasted pineapple flavor. And, unlike many of the Cutwater Margarita flavors, it actually has some tequila flavor and packs a boozy punch.
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- Cutwater Rum Mint Mojito
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I am seriously impressed by this Cutwater flavor. The mint is much better than I thought it would be and it doesn’t taste like toothpaste. It tastes like real mint—albeit slightly bitter mint, which happens when you over muddle it. Quite a feat. It tastes like a mint-heavy Mojito. It’s good but, like many Cutwater cocktails, it could use a squeeze of lime.
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- Cutwater Lime Ranch Water
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This is my new day drink. It’s my hanging-out-in-Austin-with-cool-influencers drink. That never happens but that’s what it feels like should be happening when you drink this canned classic Ranch Water. It tastes like a good, homemade Ranch Water with a healthy slug of tequila, a squeeze of lime, and a refreshing pour of seltzer. Out of the soda water-based Cutwater flavors, this is by far the best one.
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- Cutwater White Russian
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You may not think you need a canned White Russian but you do. This is one of the best, most unexpected Cutwater flavors. It’s super creamy and not too crazy sweet—not like melted ice cream. This is as good a White Russian as I’ve ever had, perfectly balanced between creamy, sweet, and boozy.
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- Cutwater Spiced Apple Mule
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Cutwater’s seasonal Spiced Apple Mule is primarily available as part of their Fireside Variety Pack (though I have seen individual cans for sale at some stores). Made with voda, ginger beer, and “natural flavors” it tastes a bit like you’re drinking a Moscow Mule in a Michael’s. But it works! It has a strong apple flavor with heavy, dry baking spices. And it really tastes like you’re drinking in a crisp fall day (inside a craft store).
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- Cutwater Tiki Rum Hurricane
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While this Cutwater cocktail doesn’t necessarily taste like a true Hurricane (which is ultra strong and clearly passion fruit flavored), it does taste good. Right now, it’s probably the Cutwater flavor I drink the most, actually. Made with Cutwater white rum, Cutwater barrel aged rum, passion fruit juice, and other natural flavors, it’s missing that passion fruit tang, but it does taste like a balanced, tropical rum drink. It’s like not-too-sweet fruit punch, mixed with rum.
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- Cutwater Whiskey Sour
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One of the newer Cutwater flavors, the Whiskey Sour is zesty, bright, whiskey-forward, and just a touch fizzy. It doesn’t taste like a fancy craft Whiskey Sour, nor does it taste like a dive bar Whiskey Sour made with sour mix. It’s its own kind of canned whiskey cocktail. And it’s a new Cutwater cocktail flavor worth trying.
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- Cutwater Espresso Martini
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Cutwater’s canned Espresso Martini is sweet and very, very chocolatey. It’s more chocolatey than it is coffee flavored. But there’s no denying it’s an Espresso Martini. It’s not super rich or creamy—Espresso Martinis shouldn’t be, they’re not White Russians—but it’s still decadent enough that you’re probably only going to have one. And, at 13% ABV, that’s enough. Grab a can for dessert or enjoy during an at-home brunch.
Related: Best Canned Espresso Martinis
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- Cutwater Vodka Mule
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Cutwater makes one of the best ginger beers for making cocktails, so I had high hopes for this canned Vodka Mule. It is very, very gingery—that’s good. If you like your Mules spicy, this is one of the best Cutwater flavors for you. It really captured the heart of my colleague Ariana, who kept coming back for sips. It could use some lime, but that spicy ginger will clear your nasal passages.
Related: Best Canned Moscow Mules
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- Cutwater Mango Margarita
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After our most recent Cutwater flavors taste test, we have a new best Cutwater Margarita flavor to recommend. The Mango Margarita tastes like rich, slightly overripe mango—but it’s not too sweet. It’s much more nuanced and complex than some of the other Cutwater Margarita flavors. Make sure it’s ice cold and enjoy with some spicy guac and queso.
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- Cutwater Whiskey Mule
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Most of us preferred the Whiskey Mule to the Vodka Mule. You get the same spicy ginger beer along with a heavy dose of whiskey flavor—think: Johnny Walker Black Label. If you like Whiskey Ginger, you will absolutely love this. ”It’s really sophisticated tasting,” my colleague Gwynedd Stuart said. Pinkies up, everyone.
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- Cutwater Gin Collins
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It’s not my dearly departed Cutwater Gin and Tonic, but this new Cutwater flavor is still one of the best Cutwater flavors on the market. It’s very lemony, very zesty, andvery fizzy. And it’s just a little bit sweet. It’s a bit like a less sweet canned Tom Collins. I could happily drink this canned Cutwater cocktail at the beach or with some takeout sushi. Until Cutwater offers a Gin and Tonic again, I’ll be purchasing this flavor regularly.
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- Cutwater Tequila Paloma
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“It’s practically perfect in every way,” said Gwynedd. It is, for sure, the most guzzleable of the Cutwater canned cocktails. It’s like a really good grapefruit soda with a good slug of tequila—which is what a Paloma is, so, good job, Cutwater, for understanding the assignment. If you poured this into a highball glass with ice and garnished it with a strip of grapefruit zest, you could easily convince someone you knew what you were doing behind a bar. It’s the best Cutwater cocktail of all the Cutwater flavors, so stock up.
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Long Island Iced Tea
Watermelon Vodka Soda
Bali Hai Pina Colada
Strawberry Margarita
Vodka Transfusion
Peach Margarita
Lime Vodka Soda
Watermelon Ranch Water
Vodka Iced Tea
Whiskey Lemonade
Lemon Drop Martini
Tiki Rum Punch
Grapefruit Vodka Soda
Lime Margarita
Bloody Mary Spicy
Tiki Rum Mai Tai
Pineapple Margarita
Rum Mint Mojito
Lime Ranch Water
White Russian
Spiced Apple Mule
Tiki Rum Hurricane
Whiskey Sour
Espresso Martini
Vodka Mule
Mango Margarita
Whiskey Mule
Gin Collins
Tequila Paloma
