There’s more in the world of hard lemonade than Mike’s Hard Lemonade. While Mike’s may have pioneered and popularized the concept of a bottled boozy lemonade, the category has grown over the years. Even Mike has expanded his offerings with a slew of Mike’s Hard Lemonade flavors. So, what is the best hard lemonade? I tasted 19 different hard lemonades to find out.
Back in the day, Mike’s Hard Lemonade was seen as a “girly” drink. But in the modern day of hard seltzer and canned cocktails and spiked SunnyD, hard lemonade is a perfectly acceptable beverage for anyone. And, after tasting nearly 20 different kinds of spiked lemonade, I think we should be drinking even more of them. They’re better than many of the “seltzers” on the market right now. The best hard lemonade is spritzy and tart and sweet and gets you feeling like you’re back in high school again—er, I mean, a 21-year-old in college, when we all definitely had our first drink. If you want to give it a go, here are the five best hard lemonade brands to try. (And a quick honorable mention to Mike’s Hard Limeade, which was bright and zesty and tart but did not count because it’s limeade not lemonade.)
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- Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade
Black cherry is a tough flavor—so often it tastes like cough syrup. And while you do get a touch of that when you smell this hard lemonade, the actual flavor is tart and rich. It tastes like a good quality brand of Maraschino cherries. My only critique is that it’s light on the lemonade. But even so, it’s definitely worth trying. I think you’ll be surprised by how nuanced and grown-up this Mike’s Hard Lemonade flavor really is.
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- Truly Strawberry Lemonade
If you shudder at the thought of tasting alcohol in your alcoholic beverage, this is the best hard lemonade for you. It doesn’t taste like a cocktail, it tastes like liquid, fizzy fruit snacks. That’s why it was the top hard lemonade for Sporked senior staff writer Jordan Myrick. They are just plain not interested in the flavor of booze and they thought this was delicious. “It’s what I want from a canned cocktail,” they said.
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- Mike’s Hard Lemonade
I was nervous about revisiting Mike’s. I remembered it being pretty decent from my college days, but a lot has changed since then about both me and the world. (For example, the iPod click wheel is obsolete and I have short hair now.) But it’s still a really easy sipper. It’s sweet, tangy, and, amazingly, it doesn’t taste like a bunch of artificial flavors. It really just tastes like a good soda. If you brought a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade to a party, I bet people would be pretty pleased.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Monaco Original Hard Lemonade
A very new addition to the hard lemonade lineup (they launched in the summer of 2022), Monaco Hard Lemonade is made with real, actual vodka. And each can is 9% ABV as opposed to the usual 5%. This hard lemonade was the most like an actual cocktail that I tasted. You taste the lemon, the honey, and the vodka. The branding doesn’t look very craft cocktail to me, but that’s what you’re getting.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Simply Spiked Signature Lemonade
I tasted this out of a Big Gulp-sized can and it was so good that I absolutely would have finished the whole thing if it was the ‘80s and it was still acceptable to get tipsy at work. We simply love Simply Lemonade at Sporked (it took the number two spot in our best lemonade ranking), so I had high expectations and they were more than met. It smells very lemonade-y and appetizing (probably because it’s made with actual juice!). It’s not too sweet at all; it’s very zesty. It’s like a homemade sparkling lemonade, but there’s booze in it. That said, I really couldn’t taste the alcohol. It is the best hard lemonade. Summer is coming. Try it.
Credit: Merc / Kroger
Best Flavored
Best Strawberry Lemoande
Best Party Drink
Best Craft Cocktail
Best of the Best
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!