Thirsty Thursday Eve - Canned Cocktails
These canned cocktails are EVERYWHERE now, but are they any good?
In my experience, yes, but not quite as good as the real thing. They are undeniably drinkable. They are even close to the flavor of the drink they're trying to imitate. I spoke a while back of the Bud Light Mixx Tail, and these are even closer. With the Mixx Tail, you can see what they were trying to get at. Most of the canned cocktails I've had, I'd say it's very clear what the drink is supposed to be and it's pretty close.
I worried at first that most of them would taste like a very synthetic form of the intended cocktail. In at least most of the versions I've tried, that isn't the case. My first exposure was the Jack Daniel's Whiskey & Cola. I feared it would taste like it was trying to be a Jack and Coke, but no, it genuinely tasted like a pretty strong pour of Jack and Coke.
Now, mind you, we have to look at the companies who make these drinks. Mixx Tail was made by Budweiser, a beer company. Jack Daniel's makes Tennessee Whiskey. Bacardi makes rum, but they also make a canned mojito. It only makes sense that companies who produce liquor would make a pretty convincing mixed drink in a can.
My first exposure to this area of the market was the Jack Daniel's drinks, but I had to have more. If they did a Jack and Coke right, what else might be available? Bacardi does really good. The Jim Beam Bourbon & Seltzer is maybe a little lower on the bar for me, but it's still not bad. Every one of these is something I would EASILY grab a can of at a cookout (or at work on Thursday when you have the beer cart available).
At an industrial level, what it reminds me of is the hard seltzers of yesteryear. The earliest player that I noticed was White Claw, and those blew up to meme levels. After that, other companies started making their own spin on the hard seltzer. Now, we're at a point where Costco makes hard seltzer under their Kirkland Signature brand. I'll pick up a case of hard seltzer along with my 12 pack of chicken breast and 3lb tin of coffee.
Still, that path from relative obscurity to market saturation happened within like 2 years. I posted about White Claw in March 2019. The Costco seltzer cropped up in October 2011, but I wrote the post a decent while before that. The entire spectrum happened so quickly, it's now old hat.
My expectation is that canned cocktails will follow a similar trajectory. We're maybe around the 9 month mark right now, so we still have some growth to come. And in that time, I hope we see tons of new options. Each week, the beer cart has quite a few canned cocktails to choose from, and they disappear almost instantly.
Similarly, maybe I don't know how to make the drink in question. I've tried making my own long island iced tea before and it was terrible. If I got a drink that was pretty close to the flavor in question, I might be willing to pay for a few cans of it. No, it isn't what I'd get at the local watering hole, but it's better than the awful concoction that I made.
Are these canned cocktails going to make it where you never again order a mixed drink at a bar? Absolutely not. They're really good and they're way more affordable than a drink at the bar, but they still aren't quite the same thing. If you offered me one or the other, I'm taking the bartender-prepared version.
However, if you're looking to cut costs or you just don't feel like going to the bar, I think most of these would suffice. Obviously, you aren't getting the same selection that you would at a bar. I can't see them making a Tom Collins (a fantastic drink I recently discovered at a company party) in a can. Many of the staples are available, though, and I'm sure plenty more are coming. There's a time and a place for canned cocktails, and I don't see them going away any time soon.
In my experience, yes, but not quite as good as the real thing. They are undeniably drinkable. They are even close to the flavor of the drink they're trying to imitate. I spoke a while back of the Bud Light Mixx Tail, and these are even closer. With the Mixx Tail, you can see what they were trying to get at. Most of the canned cocktails I've had, I'd say it's very clear what the drink is supposed to be and it's pretty close.
I worried at first that most of them would taste like a very synthetic form of the intended cocktail. In at least most of the versions I've tried, that isn't the case. My first exposure was the Jack Daniel's Whiskey & Cola. I feared it would taste like it was trying to be a Jack and Coke, but no, it genuinely tasted like a pretty strong pour of Jack and Coke.
Now, mind you, we have to look at the companies who make these drinks. Mixx Tail was made by Budweiser, a beer company. Jack Daniel's makes Tennessee Whiskey. Bacardi makes rum, but they also make a canned mojito. It only makes sense that companies who produce liquor would make a pretty convincing mixed drink in a can.
My first exposure to this area of the market was the Jack Daniel's drinks, but I had to have more. If they did a Jack and Coke right, what else might be available? Bacardi does really good. The Jim Beam Bourbon & Seltzer is maybe a little lower on the bar for me, but it's still not bad. Every one of these is something I would EASILY grab a can of at a cookout (or at work on Thursday when you have the beer cart available).
At an industrial level, what it reminds me of is the hard seltzers of yesteryear. The earliest player that I noticed was White Claw, and those blew up to meme levels. After that, other companies started making their own spin on the hard seltzer. Now, we're at a point where Costco makes hard seltzer under their Kirkland Signature brand. I'll pick up a case of hard seltzer along with my 12 pack of chicken breast and 3lb tin of coffee.
Still, that path from relative obscurity to market saturation happened within like 2 years. I posted about White Claw in March 2019. The Costco seltzer cropped up in October 2011, but I wrote the post a decent while before that. The entire spectrum happened so quickly, it's now old hat.
My expectation is that canned cocktails will follow a similar trajectory. We're maybe around the 9 month mark right now, so we still have some growth to come. And in that time, I hope we see tons of new options. Each week, the beer cart has quite a few canned cocktails to choose from, and they disappear almost instantly.
One caveat that I will admit, they're a little pricy. What I've paid is around $10-12 for a 4 pack or $2-3 per can. That's higher than a lot of the beers I regularly purchase, but I do like them quite a bit more.
To put it in perspective, imagine what you would pay for the cocktail in a bar, or the overhead involved with buying a bottle of the liquor and the other constituent ingredients. I don't really care for gin, but I occasionally like a gin cocktail. Am I going to buy a fifth of gin and sit on it until the next time I want a drink that contains it? Frankly, I'd rather just pay $12 and drink a few of the ready made cocktail when the urge hits me.
To put it in perspective, imagine what you would pay for the cocktail in a bar, or the overhead involved with buying a bottle of the liquor and the other constituent ingredients. I don't really care for gin, but I occasionally like a gin cocktail. Am I going to buy a fifth of gin and sit on it until the next time I want a drink that contains it? Frankly, I'd rather just pay $12 and drink a few of the ready made cocktail when the urge hits me.
Similarly, maybe I don't know how to make the drink in question. I've tried making my own long island iced tea before and it was terrible. If I got a drink that was pretty close to the flavor in question, I might be willing to pay for a few cans of it. No, it isn't what I'd get at the local watering hole, but it's better than the awful concoction that I made.
Are these canned cocktails going to make it where you never again order a mixed drink at a bar? Absolutely not. They're really good and they're way more affordable than a drink at the bar, but they still aren't quite the same thing. If you offered me one or the other, I'm taking the bartender-prepared version.
However, if you're looking to cut costs or you just don't feel like going to the bar, I think most of these would suffice. Obviously, you aren't getting the same selection that you would at a bar. I can't see them making a Tom Collins (a fantastic drink I recently discovered at a company party) in a can. Many of the staples are available, though, and I'm sure plenty more are coming. There's a time and a place for canned cocktails, and I don't see them going away any time soon.
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