Booze banter: SB’s favourite RTDs to beat the heat
With further heat waves on the horizon, The Spirits Business editorial team has put together a list of our favourite ready-to-drink (RTD) options to beat the heat.
RTD cocktails and Highballs were worth more than £700 million (US$ 935m) to the UK off-trade last year, as the country went all-in on pre-mixed Mojitos and portable Piña Coladas.
And it’s not just the UK that has a clear penchant for pre-made tipples – Australia is also keen on the category.
In 2025, the RTD category generated AU$2.5 billion (US$1.76bn) in Australia’s bars, marking a 12% year-on-year increase.
Cocktails in cans are obviously great year-round, but they really come into their own in the summertime when a few tinnies in the shade can turn any trip to the park into a party. Providing you also drink lots of water, of course. Take care of yourselves out there, it’s toasty.
In addition to what we have here, you can also find a great selection of bottled cocktails at the newly opened The Spirits Business Store.
DaiquirISH
As my colleagues below will demonstrate, there are many delicious alcoholic RTD products on the market – I could list a dozen here myself. But in an era where many of us are enjoying moderation – and in a season where not overdoing the booze is incredibly important – this is a seriously delicious drink option.
I first discovered DaiquirISH, and the ISH brand, back in 2021 after a blind tasting. It was almost inconceivable that a non-alcoholic Daiquiri could take so akin to the original cocktail. Despite its lack of alcohol, it delivered all of the expected cues of the classic rum-based cocktail. It’s fresh, zesty, and bursting with tangy lime, which opens up to a little sweetness, and a warm, gentle spice note. Superbly balanced and satiating.
Melita Kiely, editor
Pimentae Spicy Mezcal Margarita
What could be better than a Margarita in this heat? I’ve long been a fan of Pimentae’s miniature Tommy’s Margarita in a can, but this spicy variant made with mezcal instead of Tequila just puts it on another level. And for anyone who knows me, I like to turn up the heat when it comes to food and cocktails.
Pimentae’s Spicy Mezcal Margarita (14.5% ABV) contains Ojo de Dios, bringing a beautiful balance of smoke, citrus and spice to the serve with a kick of jalapeño. It’s 125ml format is also perfect for popping one in your pocket for a journey (as long as it’s been in the fridge for a while) or packing a couple in a bag to share with some pals at a party or in the park.
The drink is at its best when served over ice in a rocks glass with a Tajín rim, because who can be bothered to shake up a cocktail when it’s this hot?
Nikki Carruthers, deputy editor
Marks & Spencer Extra Dry Gin & Tonic
The original gin in a tin, the M&S G&T celebrated its 40th birthday this year. There’s something brilliantly no-frills about this classic formula. It’s got a good whack of straight-down-the-line juniper-forward London Dry gin at its core and comes to you at a pleasingly punchy 8% ABV.
As the RTD category gets ever more dynamic, there are arguably more exciting options than this for a spot of journey juice. But if you get one of these when it’s nice and cold and crack it open on a Friday evening train journey, it’ll still take some beating.
Here’s to another 40 years.
Joe Rogers, acting digital editor
El Jimador Mango Sparkling Margarita
This nice little tropical number from Brown-Forman’s El Jimador Tequila serves up a juicy twist on the classic cocktail. Thankfully for all the mango fans, me included, it made its way to the UK and US markets just in time for summer.
At 6.5% ABV, Mango Margarita offers a good balance of mango, sparkles and tada-dada-dan-dan-dan, Tequila! But the golden rule of properly cooling down your RTDs applies here too: if possible, I always make mine a near-frozen cocktail during the summer heat – somewhere between ‘oh, my hands are too cold holding this can’ and a brain freeze.
Miona Madsen, content writer
Collina & Co Espresso Martini
This Espresso Martini clocks in at 22% ABV and is as about close to bar standard as it gets for the canned variety. Whitebox’s Pietro Collina delved deep into the cocktail’s mechanics to get this one right following two years of research and development.
The coffee flavour is very present, but these also don’t make you want to go and clean your teeth straight afterwards, which is an understated quality for a ready-to-drink Espresso Martini. When Whitebox first brought them out, they were packaged in 160ml cans for ‘perfect crema’ purposes (which I quite liked), but the new 100ml format means they can fit in your pocket now – always handy for an RTD. In terms of beating the heat, take them from the fridge, and you’re good to go and seize the day.
Rupert Hohwieler, senior staff writer
Related news
