You don’t have to go to a bar to get the best whiskey cocktails. You don’t even have to buy whiskey to get the best whiskey cocktails. You just have to find a grocery store or liquor store near you. Because, these days, canned whiskey cocktails and bottled whiskey cocktails are way better than they have any right to be. Honestly, if I was a bartender, I’d be shaking in my twisty waxed mustache.
From Jack and Coke in a can to Whiskey Sour in a can to premade Old Fashioned in a bottle, there are a lot of ready-to-drink options out there for whiskey cocktail drinkers. Of course, they’re not all good. We tasted 16 different canned whiskey cocktails in search of the best whiskey cocktails to buy. We tried to find a big variety—there’s something for the Manhattan drinker and something for the Whiskey Seltzer drinker and even something for the drinker who really just wants some whiskey in a can. Otherwise, we just wanted something that tasted good. If it tastes like a cocktail, terrific, but if it tastes like a straight-up soda with a hint of whiskey, that’s fine, too—as long as it tastes good. Here are the best tasting whiskey cocktails in cans and bottles that you can buy at the grocery store, liquor store, or online.
- Crown Royal Lemonade
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First of all, let’s talk about the can. It’s gorgeous. It’s like an Amalfi Coast vacation on a can. And yet, that can contains a classic American drink: whiskey lemonade. This is definitely the best canned whiskey cocktail to buy if you don’t really want to taste a lot of whiskey in your whiskey drink. It’s sweet and tangy and quite good—but it baaarely tastes like whiskey. You only get a hint of Crown Royal at the end. It tastes like a delicious lemon soda with a splash of whiskey. It’s an easy-sipping porch drink.
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- Cutwater Whiskey Mule
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We ranked Cutwater ginger beer as one of the best ginger beers, so it only makes sense that it would be great mixed with whiskey. My favorite thing about the Cutwater Whiskey Mule is the high spice level of the ginger beer. It is really spicy! And the whiskey is light and sweet and honeyed—a little like Irish whiskey. It all balances out to create a sweet and spicy canned Whiskey Mule that demands to be sipped, not chugged. This is one of the best Cutwater canned cocktails, period.
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- On the Rocks Old Fashioned Knob Creek
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Do you prefer your Old Fashioneds muddled with orange slices and cherries? Then meet the best whiskey cocktail in a bottle for you. This premade Old Fashioned is very orangey. It’s fruity and sweet and very drinkable. Each bottle contains 375 ml of premade Old Fashioned—that’s about four drinks, so go slow.
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- High West Manhattan Barrel-Finished Cocktail
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This premade Manhattan is like a slice of pecan pie in a glass. It’s sweet and rich and nutty and then spicy on the end, thanks to the rye. It leaves your lips tingling, so you keep coming back for more. It’s definitely a vermouth-heavy Manhattan; you taste the dark, fruity red vermouth in the mix. I’m a big fan of good vermouth. I’m happy to drink it straight, so this is actually my pick for best bottled Manhattan. I’ll be keeping a bottle in my freezer at all times from now on.
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- On the Rocks Manhattan with Basil Hayden Dark Rye
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Basil Hayden Dark Rye is one of the best ryes out there. If you haven’t tried it straight, you absolutely need to. It will change the way you think about rye whiskey. And it makes a great Manhattan! This premade Manhattan got the edge over the High West version because it’s much more whiskey-forward and this is a list of the best whiskey cocktails to buy. It also goes heavy on the bitters, which add spice, making it a perfect premade Manhattan for the holiday season.
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- High West Old Fashioned Barrel Finished
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This is a rich, wintery premade Old Fashioned that leaves a burn in your chest and a flush in your cheeks. It tastes like so much more than just whiskey and bitters and sugar. It tastes like there’s a really good Luxardo cherry in there somewhere. I think the barrel finish really smooths out the edges and adds some incredible complexity. Bring this premade Old Fashioned to a friend’s house instead of a bottle of wine. You’ll be very popular.
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- Hotchstadter’s Slow & Low Rock and Rye
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We’ve talked about Slow & Low Rock and Rye before—we ranked it one of the best canned cocktails over all. But I’m happy to sing its praises again. Rock and Rye is a historic panacea made simply with rye whiskey and sugar and maybe some fruit. Slow & Low Rock and Rye is made with (good) rye, rock candy, honey, navel oranges, and Angostura bitters. It’s kind of like a slightly more complicated Old Fashioned. You can buy it by the bottle, but I prefer to get my whiskey in a can. It comes in adorable 100 ml cans that are just right for cracking open as a nightcap.
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- Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour
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It’s hard to make a good Whiskey Sour in a can, because it’s hard to can the flavor of fresh citrus juice. But the Social Hour managed to do it with aplomb. This seasonal whiskey drink is bright and vibrant and it really tastes like they used actual fresh apple cider—not apple juice, apple cider. If you poured this apple-y, lemony, spiced cocktail into a glass over good ice, you would absolutely fool anyone into believing a grade A mixologist whipped it up.
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- Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey Mixed with Coca-Cola
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If you want a Jack and Coke in a can then you need to go to the sources: Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola. It tastes exactly like a great Jack and Coke from a dive bar, only you can enjoy this canned Jack and Coke somewhere that you aren’t afraid to use the bathroom. The whiskey is hot, the Coke is sweet. We tried other Jack Daniels canned drinks, but this one remains the only one we truly (and heartily) recommend. (Skip the Coke Zero version, it just doesn’t work.)
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- Jim Beam Classic Highball
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Looking for a Whiskey Seltzer? This is as close as you’ll get. We did not expect to be wowed by this simple looking canned whiskey cocktail, but it’s so very refreshing and it goes just heavy enough on the bourbon. It’s a little sweet. It has a hint of citrus. It honestly tastes like bourbon-flavored soda. If you like hard seltzer—or, at least, the idea of hard seltzer—but prefer whiskey to vodka or tequila, then this is the best canned whiskey cocktail for you. If you drink Whiskey Highballs, this is the best canned whiskey cocktail for you. If you simply like whiskey and also you like carbonation, then this is the best canned whiskey cocktail for you. I guess what I’m saying is, as long as you like whiskey, give it a try.
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Best Whiskey Lemonade
Best Whiskey Mule
Best Fruity Old Fashioned
Second Best Manhattan
Best Manhattan
Best Old Fashioned
Best Nightcap
Best Whiskey Sour
Best Jack and Coke
Best of the Best
Other canned whiskey cocktails we tried: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Lemonade, Jim Beam Ginger Highball, Beagans 1806 Old Fashioned, Jack Daniels and Coke Zero, Wandering Barman Swipe Right, Social Hour George Dickel Bourbon Smash
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!