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Canned cocktails either hew to the classic, your Old Fashioned, Martini or Margarita but newer destined to be classic cocktails have been under represented, but Tip Top in the teeny tiny cans is changing that.
Yes, they have an Old Fashioned but they have teamed with bartender and Attaboy Cocktail bar founder Sam Ross to re-create two of his famous drinks, the Paper Plane and the Penicillin.
Your fancier purveyors like Hi-Lo and Altadena Beverage might get them or you can order online.
Time to check out a new to me, bartender focused canned cocktail brand, LiveWire.
I started with Golden God who looks like a Doctor Who villain and has apricot, green tea and elderflower on top of Rye Whiskey and Brandy. GG pours white with a hint of taupe to it. Sweetened green tea hits the nose first. Both sweet and tart in flavor. Apricot reigns supreme here which leads me to believe that the brandy is a bigger player than rye. The brandy does show up after the apricot plays out. Not bad if a touch too sweet.
Tropipop is big, big on that candied coconut flavor. The pineapple comes in behind but is a clear second fiddle to the coconut. Coming in third is the rum. Which makes sense when you find out that Casa Magdelena from Guatemala is a blanco / light rum. I might have added a third flavor to tone down the coconut.
The winner is Golden God but both were a little too light on the abv and too sweet overall.
When I think of Alaskan Brewery, I do not envision lush tropics or gin but the brewery does have a Rainforest Gin & Tonic and in my experience, to date, G&Ts are the most consistent RTDs out there.
File this under, “Maybe you do not need to sign everything your manager gives you.” Both Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively, who are not drinkers now have RTD’s. Lopez with Delola and Lively with Betty Booze.
Why they couldn’t just do N/A cocktails is better left to the philosophers I guess cause I sure don’t understand. Celebrity beer, spirits or RTD’s might be super good but you have to get behind the curtain of why it is being made and then if the celebrity won’t even drink it, then that is another hurdle to jump.
Talk about niche inside a niche. Take absinthe and then make it a canned seltzer? Oldknow Bev Co. has taken that leap with…
They also have a vodka and gin “spirited” seltzers as well.
I have passed by the RTD’s from On The Rocks at both Whole Foods and Vons, thinking, next time. Well, I finally got to next time and here is my review of their Old Fashioned made with Knob Creek whiskey.
This is strong. Take the over ice suggestion seriously. The alcohol is hot here. There is a nice citrus undertone here as well as a nod to sweetness at the top but this is basically a shot of whiskey. A little rounding off of the edges would do wonders.
If you like a up in your face Old Fashioned this will work for you but if you are looking for more depth, you may need to add extra to it.
Now here is where seltzer finally comes in handy! Zaddy’s has a new range of gin drinks that have a foot in both the canned cocktail realm and the world of seltzer. Meaning, low alcohol (4.5%) and low in the calories too.
They kindly sent me samples and here are my thoughts…
Gin Sonic – Neither the gin or the tonic shone through in the Zaddy’s take on the G&T. I get mint on the nose and a nice mojito-esque taste. This is quite refreshing but less mint and more tonic would have improved this for me.
Gin(ger) Fizz – Lovely ginger aroma to this one. A little balance of lemon to a big hit of ginger flavor is here. Again, this is a tasty drink but the gin is absent to me. I wish it would peek out a bit.
Corpse Reviver – This is my favorite of the trio. The aroma is heavenly. A smoothed fennel greets the nose. That spice with seltzer really works well. Also working in its favor is that I have never had this particular cocktail before so this is a new experience to me.
Those capsule reviews may seem harsh but that is only if you look at them as their cocktail analogues. On their own, without previous exposure to the drinks, these are solidly tasty. I would take these over a hard seltzer every day of the week.