5 Ready to Drink Cocktails To Share With Your Bestie

Sharing is caring so they say and indeed that's what the best friendships are made of! And what better to share than the tasty concoction of a ready-to-go cocktail? Thankfully, the ready to drink cocktail market has been developing rapidly which makes it so much easier to have lovely cocktails for two at apéro hour, whether they come from a can or a small bottle. These types of cocktails also make pre-drinking easier without the hassle of getting together unusual recipe ingredients! Here is a selection of fabulous cocktails and mocktails for you to share with your friends!

Tom Savano - Passionfruit Martini

A very smooth, well blended but also tangy Passionfruit Martini, this is a bar quality cocktail and isn’t overly syrupy. You can always add that shot of prosecco on the side for that well known fruity Martini cocktail combination! This is a very drinkable cocktail blending the passionfruit with vodka, Madagascan vanilla and lime. As it is served in a bottle with a stopper, the cocktail can be savoured throughout the night and the next day (if you’re up to it that is).

Size: 500ml
ABV: 20%
Find here: £22 (price reduction online)

Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin and Tonic

This is the classic go-to G&T combination where the fruity sweetness of Gordon’s London pink dry gin smoothly blends with the bitterness from the Schweppes tonic in perfect harmony. The botanical base is bright and lively, perfect to bring a little sun to your day. A handy size to bring to picnics, it’s also ideal for drinking before a night out, or whilst you practice those TikTok dance moves with your bestie.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £1.80

Something & Nothing French Rosé  + Hibiscus and Rose Spritz

Made with French rosé wine and hibiscus and rose seltzer, this is a lighter drink that’s ideal for chilled occasions - think BBQs, picnics or just destressing after work. The rosé adds floral and fruity notes to the spritz and being such a food-friendly profile, it would also work a treat with small bites. It’s vegan friendly too!

Size: 330ml 
ABV: 4%
Find here: £3.79

ISH Spirits Non-Alcoholic Mojito

A delicious blend which has been awarded the IWSC Bronze prize, it is hard to believe that this is a mocktail! It smells and tastes just like a Mojito thanks to the well-balanced botanicals in the non-alcoholic ISH Caribbean Spiced Spirit - you really get a taste of that rum twist. It’s the perfect treat to take on a road trip with your bestie!

Size: 250 ml
ABV: 0.5%
Find here: £2.59

The Drinks Bureau - Shirley Temple

Another classic mocktail on the list, the Shirley Temple takes its name from the famous actress who appeared in films such as Heidi! This is a cherry flavoured drink containing warm ginger, a sweetness that is offset with a great tangy flavour and bitters that give it a real depth. It’s a perfect drink to sip on with your friends whilst enjoying a movie!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £12 for 4 cans

There you have it - these ready to drink cocktails are full of flavour and great for sharing, so get out those cocktail glasses or drink them from the can wherever and whenever, who needs an excuse! To see more tasty cocktail suggestions, click here.

By Latoya Austin

The Best Ready to Drink Cocktails

Ready-to-sip cocktails are more popular than ever, and also better quality than ever. But there are still shockers to put you off them forever, so we've gone through the best of them! Whether it’s on the train, at a picnic or at a garden BBQ, these delicious, canned cocktails take all the hassle out of making them yourself without sacrificing taste.

Manchester Gin Raspberry Infuse/Franklin & Sons Sicilian Lemon Tonic

This vibrant twist on a G&T is both refreshing, but also has a touch of sweetness at the same time. Both the raspberry and lemon flavours are natural and fresh, and the fantastic Franklin & Sons lemon twist gives the drink a zing keeping the palate refreshing.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5.5%
Find here: £2.35 (3 for £5.75) Coop

LuvJus Mixed Pack

We’ve sung the praises of LuvJus before and for good reason. Not only do part of the profits go towards supporting LGBTQ+ charities, but the drinks inside are so elegant too – a complete win win. A far cry from low-quality, over-sweet sharp cocktail cans you may have been scarred by before, their three flavours are natural, low calorie and delicious. The Pineapple, mint, Korean ginseng, jasmine and vodka in particular has scooped awards for great balance and fragrance.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 4.6-4.8%
Find here: 6 for £14.95 (watch out for the £5 off pop up too!)

Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin & Tonic

We’re big fans of Mirabeau, and this gin is based on their top quality rosé, inspired by the flavours of the botanicals from the French Riviera. With a Mediterranean tonic, it is savoury, herbal, and floral with citrus notes. There are touches of red fruit giving a great balanced flavour. Sip and dream like you’re on the Riviera!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5.5%
Find here: £3.55

Portabello Road Gin and Franklin & Sons Natural Indian Tonic Water

Here we have a classic G&T and pretty much the best version of it in a can. Natural flavours of quinine and cinchona bark extract add some depth but ultimately, it’s a straight down-the-line delicious, refreshing, and balanced G&T – in a beautiful can too!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5.5%
Find here: 6 for £20.50

Soho Street Cocktails Strawberry Daiquiri

Before being offput by the price, note that you get 1.5L for your money and it’s certainly not quantity over quality either. This ready to drink Strawberry Daiquiri is plush with warming Caribbean rum, fresh strawberries, and zippy lime – nothing like the slush puppy style Daiquri you can get. The pouch comes with a handy tap providing ten 150ml servings, perfect for parties.

Size: 1.5L
ABV: 9.5%
Find here: £28.99

Pimentae Tommy's Spicy Margarita

Pre-bottled cocktails don’t get much better than this. Behind that beautiful label is a liquid to back it up. Agave, chilli and lime run wild in this sweet and spicy take on the world’s favourite cocktail and it works so well.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 15%
Find here: £31.39

Whitebox Pocket Negroni Cocktail

Never has a Negroni been so cute. Porter’s Gin, Sweet Vermouth and Bitter Aperitif combine in this harmonious blend of herbal fruity notes. Perfect for picnics or BBQs, but it’s so small that you can just keep it on you for whenever you fancy – ideal.

Size: 100ml
ABV: 21.8%
Find here: £3.95

MOTH Aperitivo Spritz Cocktail

MOTH’s canned cocktails always deliver, and this summery number is no different. The sunny orange is bold with sweetness and underlined with bitterness, the herbs pay homage to its Italian roots and the botanicals of Tarquin’s Cornish gin add fantastic depth. Summer in a can!

Size: 200ml
ABV: 10%
Find here: £3.99

VACAY 

This brand has a small but classic range of cocktails that everyone knows and loves including a margarita, mojito, and paloma. Vacay’s aim is to create cocktails with all natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners using only the best quality spirits. The drinks are beautiful and smooth without the overly sweet aftertaste so common in canned sips these days. These canned cocktails are also great to use as a base for more complex drinks. We loved adding some chili garnish to the margarita to add some spice. The cans are 330mL and packaged with bright colours, perfect for your social media snaps by the pool!

Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%-6%
Find Here: From £3.99

Marks and Spencer’s New Canned Cocktail range

We all know and love the classic M&S canned cocktail range. The range of typical cocktails even blew up on TikTok during the summer of 2022 due to their smooth taste, higher alcohol content, and low price. This year M&S have decided to up their game and come out with 4 new limited edition flavours: Rose Negroni Spritz, Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, Smoked Pineapple Daiquiri, and Pink Grapefruit Paloma. Each can is a standard cocktail known and loved by all - but with a new and innovative twist. These tins are definitely a must-have for all your upcoming summer picnics in the park!

Size: 150ml
ABV: From 14%
Find Here: From£3.50 (in-store only at the moment)

If you’re looking for some No-Lo drinks to sip in the sun instead, check out these varied beauties.

Thursday Club with Talk Radio: A Pride Special... with Aidy!

Today’s Thursday Club is a little bit different and a little bit special because both Aidy and I are on with Mike Graham and we are celebrating Pride month with a few drinks!

We’ve chosen these companies today because they are all created by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and all of them give back in some way, so are well worth our support. We hope you like them as much as we do. 

Gays Who Wine

Gays Who Wine is a friendly community where the founders run a popup, gay wine bar offering wine tastings and great food pairings in welcoming, judgement-free venues around London, Brighton and Cardiff. While live events are on hold due to you know what, they have been creating some wonderful, at-home experiences. It’s more than a shop, it’s a whole community. Today, we’re test driving one of their monthly, ‘at home’ hampers, which comes with a couple of bottles of wine, cheese bread and snacks. Today’s wine is a South African, Pinotage (that’s the grape) rosé. It’s packed with ripe strawberry and melon fruit with a beautiful, biltong-esque bite.

10% of the profits go back to LGBTQ+ charities. Find their hampers, beers, wine cases and a whole new community at www.gayswhowine.com

LuvJus (4.8% ABV)

The hard seltzers in super smart cans are all-natural, low sugar low alcoholic craft-pop drinks. They currently come in two flavours: The yellow one, which is Pineapple, Mint, Korean Ginseng, Jasmine & Vodka and the red one, which is Blood Orange, Pomegranate, Korean Ginseng & Vodka. It all started back in 2016, when housemates George and Owen set off for their first international Pride experience and discovered a true celebration of a huge, new community. The wanted a way to bottle the experience having had the time of their lives, but not finding anything they wanted to drink amidst the sugary, expensive, unhealthy options and corporate brands jumping on the Pride bandwagon, so they spent the day discussing their ‘perfect' drink and came up with this. In keeping with the supportive nature of everything they encountered during that first Pride, a proportion of the LuvJus profits support LGBTQ+ charities and initiatives. It has also become a social platform for the community.

Find it at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Amazon and their website £19.95 for 6 cans.

Ciroc Vodka

Celebrate Pride month with this exclusive hunapologetic Philip Normal x INKD CÎROC design. For the month of June, INKD will donating £5 from every bottle sold to the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity working to tackle homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. Each bottle sold in June will also get an exclusive free Philip Normal tote bag featuring the text “It’s vodka hun”!

Philip Normal is famous for his bold, characterful statements which he integrates into colourful designs. Inspired by the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, this bold bottle is a true celebration of self-acceptance.  Choose from a variety of CÎROC flavor's and add your own message to make this exclusive Philip Normal bottle your own.

Get it here for £45

Chambord Liqueur

Yep, it’s the world’s favourite raspberry liqueur and with their brand new PRIDE edition they’re giving back to the community! A portion of proceeds from ever sale will go straight back to the Stonewall charity.

The sumptuous spirit starts its life as an infusion of juices from blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. They intertwine with a variety of fine French spirits over six weeks before being gently pressed.

Finally, this berry infusion is blended with all-natural black raspberries flavours as well as with a combination of exquisite XO Cognac, Madagascan vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel and delicate honey. Et voila!

The normal edition is available on Amazon and in Tesco for £23.99 for 70cl and the Pride edition is out in July!

Want to discover more LGBTQ+ led drinks brands? Check out this article.