Gone are the days when you would enter an alcohol retail store and find only shelves filled with wine and beer bottles. Now, cocktails are also taking up space on these sought-after shelves! Not just cocktail glasses, but ready-to-drink cocktails in cans! They are ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, offering consumers a taste of their favorite cocktails without the need to step into a fancy bar and spend a leg and an arm on the same cocktail. But are canned cocktails really the way to go and are they better than craft cocktails? unsobered is here to take a deep dive into the canned cocktails vs. crafted cocktails debate that’s brewing up lately!
Let’s begin with the basics and understand what canned cocktails are. They’re pre-mixed, ready-to-drink beverages that come packaged in glossy cans – similar to your can of cola and ginger ale. They can be either chilled and consumed later or had it on the spot. What constitutes canned cocktails are a mix of different types of alcohol, drink mixers, and additional flavorings and sometimes, sweeteners.
Craft cocktails are more than just your ordinary cocktails – they’re works of art! While the terms ‘craft cocktails’ and ‘cocktails’ are used interchangeably very often, they’re starkly different from each other. They require a higher level of precision, mixology knowledge, and craftsmanship. They’re also made using the finest-quality ingredients and artisanal garnishes to create a unique cocktail experience. Along with the taste and texture, elaborate presentation also plays a key role in a craft cocktail – and this might not always be the case in an ordinary cocktail.
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When we take convenience into consideration, canned cocktails definitely gain an upper hand. They require no shakers, measuring spoons, and no fancy ingredients that you’ll yourself have to fetch from a grocery store. The humble can comes with a pre-mixed, ready-to-drink cocktail. All you need is a glass and some ice and you have a fancy cocktail served in front of you in mere seconds. You can have a canned cocktail almost anywhere – because you don’t really need anything (except the can, of course). And this convenience is what is making canned cocktails more and more popular in recent times.
With craft cocktails, convenience is shown the door. They’re heavily dependent on ingredients, correct measurements, and of course the skill of the person making them. Additionally, one wrong move and you can badly ruin the entire cocktail. Also, did we mention that you can’t make a craft cocktail just about anywhere? The convenience of cracking open a chilled cocktail can is simply lacking when it comes to craft cocktails.
When a product is mass produced, it is made to be consistent. That means, that product will taste/feel the same no matter what. And this is a major advantage that canned cocktails have over craft cocktails. They are all made in batches, meaning the quantity of ingredients, alcohol level, and other constituents are the same in each can. When you open a can of canned cocktail, you know exactly what you’re getting into!
However, craft cocktails are not consistent in their taste. For example, a craft Paloma that you have in one bar might not taste the same as another you have in a different bar. They might differ in taste, textures, or even presentation. Craft cocktails are more unique and less consistent, meaning each cocktail is slightly different than the other.
Now that we’re talking about quality, it is no doubt that craft cocktails are definitely superior to canned cocktails. Craft cocktails are crafted with precision, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. They are made using the finest quality ingredients and creative garnishes, making them far more superior in quality than their canned counterparts.
Canned cocktails are, on the other hand, not as great in quality as craft cocktails. That doesn’t mean that they are produced with the worst-quality ingredients, they’re just not produced with the finest-quality ingredients. They are made for convenience and a longer shelf life than a craft-cocktail-like experience.
No matter what the future holds for them, craft cocktails will have an undeniable charm in the mixology world. After all, nothing compares to watching your bartender carefully measure, shake, stir, and garnish your drink with unmatched precision and skills. The delight that you get from immersing all your senses into watching and drinking a craft cocktail is simply unmatched.
More importantly, crafted cocktails represent creativity and storytelling. Each crafted curation tells a unique story. A good bartender doesn’t just make a cocktail, they curate a story through it. Each sip, each detail, and each texture of the cocktail has a backstory that is thoughtfully executed in a glass. So, even though they might not be convenient, craft cocktails are works of art – and art never dies.
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Despite the artistry of craft cocktails, canned cocktails are becoming more and more popular among the masses. And a massive contributor to their growing popularity is their convenience and consistency. The global RTD market is expanding with each passing day, with legacy brands like Absolut and Jack Daniel’s launching RTD products globally.
The convenience, consistency, and affordability that comes with canned cocktails is making the Gen Z and millennial consumer base more attracted towards canned cocktails than craft cocktails. They’re opting for canned cocktails because not only can you have them almost anywhere, you do not need to have any particular occasion or reason to do so either. This makes canned cocktails great for solo sipping as well as casual, social drinking. And with streamlined mass production and global appeal, it looks like canned cocktails are definitely here in the long run.
If we’re talking about pure numbers and trend charts, canned cocktails definitely win the popularity contest. They are more accessible, affordable, and portable – making them unbeatable in scale. But when it comes to quality, precision, and taste – craft cocktails definitely have an upper hand. So, the next time you’re choosing between the two, decide what you want from your drink.
If you want it to be accessible, portable, and portable, go for a canned cocktail.
And if you want it to be high in quality and crafted with meticulous attention to detail, you must go for a craft cocktail.
