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8 best bottled cocktails
Get the party started with these ready-made cocktails, from £6
First there were cocktails in cans, taking us from the park to the beach and back again. Now, it’s all about the ready-made, bottled cocktail.
Whether you’re hosting a drinks party or just fancy something (anything!) other than your go-to G&T come 6pm, our team of taste testers were on the case to find the best espresso martinis, margaritas and negronis to sink your teeth into.
To make it onto our line-up, these ready-made drinks needed to contain premium ingredients (no cheap and cheerful fillers here, no thank you), and require no more preparation than getting a bag of ice out of the freezer.
From salted caramel to zesty Persian lime, we think we’ve found a flavour for every palate, and with bottles starting from £6, it’s cheaper than propping up your local too.
How we test
We plied 10 willing volunteers with 17 of the most talked-about bottled cocktails. They were on the hunt for the best version of all our favourite serves — and these were the ones deemed good enough to replace your local bartender.
Kocktail Espresso Martini 50cl, 20% ABV
Kocktail Espresso Martini 50cl, 20% ABV
Vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso — for something so simple, this serve can be tricky to get right. Thankfully Kocktail has perfected it using quality ingredients and just the right dash of sweetness for our delicate palates. Just don’t blame us if you don’t get any beauty sleep!
Liberation Cocktails Espresso Martini 75cl, 10% ABV
Liberation Cocktails Espresso Martini 75cl, 10% ABV
What can we say, we bloody love an espresso martini, so we won’t make any apologies for having two versions on this list. What sets this one apart is the wine bottle size, making it great for groups. Honestly, try making seven serves in a cocktail shaker and thank us later.
Harvey Nichols Mai Tai Cocktail 125ml, 15% ABV
Harvey Nichols Mai Tai Cocktail 125ml, 15% ABV
For those of you who still haven’t come to terms with this year’s total lack of summer, allow us to introduce the most tropical cocktail we ever did taste. With rum, pineapple, orange and almond, it’s the next best thing to being on a desert island (minus the covid tests). This is the most luxe tinny we’ve come across and we’re here for it.
Black Cow Vodka Negroni 50cl, 24% ABV
Black Cow Vodka Negroni 50cl, 24% ABV
Negroni, but not as you know it. This one uses creamy Black Cow vodka as a base (which is made from real milk — yes, really!), instead of the traditional gin. It’s just as bitter as its gin counterpart though, with juicy blood orange and zesty grapefruit too. The ultimate lazy-hun pre-dinner serve.
Mr Lyan's Diamond Rickey 50cl, 21.8% ABV
Mr Lyan's Diamond Rickey 50cl, 21.8% ABV
Step away from that boring G&T. Mr Lyan (aka, the world's best barman) has come up with a sweet and sour sherbet lemon-flavoured cocktail that can be drunk over ice, with tonic or prosecco — fancy!
1826 The Old Fashioned 50cl, 28% ABV
1826 The Old Fashioned 50cl, 28% ABV
We do love an old fashioned — but jeez, all that stirring takes its toll. Made with dreamy caramel-sweet Maker’s Mark bourbon, this does away with all that — just shake, serve over ice and add orange peel if you’re up to it.
World of Zing Persian Lime & Nori Margarita 50cl, 24%
World of Zing Persian Lime & Nori Margarita 50cl, 24%
Simplify taco night with a ready-to-pour zesty margarita. Heavy on the salt and citrus, it’s a step up from anything we’ve managed to rustle up from scratch, and involves squeezing considerably fewer limes.
Two Birds After Dinner Mint Vodka 70cl, 29% ABV
Two Birds After Dinner Mint Vodka 70cl, 29% ABV
We’d do away with dessert altogether if a glass of this chocolate mint vodka was on offer. Tasting exactly like an After Eight, we have been known to add a splash (ok, a whopping great glug) to hot chocolate and we’ve got no regrets.
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