I tried 40 tinned drinks: here are my favourite canned cocktails, wines and seltzers for sunny days

There is so much to love about a drink in a tin. Cans can be quickly and easily chilled, with their contents staying fresh; they’re widely recyclable, compact, lightweight and portable; there’s no fear of cans smashing into smithereens; you don’t require any gadgets to open them – and they vastly improve any journey or gathering.

If you’re heading to the park for alfresco socialising, no longer are your beverage options limited to just a four-pack of lager or a can of Diet Coke. From craft beers and wine to G&Ts, cocktails and an array of soft drinks, choice isn’t an issue.

The problem is sorting the wheat from the chaff. Whether it’s overpriced craft beers or the plethora of sub-par passionfruit martinis, fridges are holding their fair share of poor-quality tinnies. So, to save you from drinking sad cans in the park, I’ve rounded up a selection of the best. When the sun comes out, all you need to do is pack some cans and go.

To compile this list, I tested about 40 different drinks in tins, spanning achingly sweet ready-to-drink cocktails, too-funky kombuchas, super-healthy waters and dangerously drinkable seltzers. This list is far from exhaustive, but for now, there should be something for everyone to enjoy.

The best tinned cocktails, wines and pre-mixed drinks

Best hard seltzer:
Stefanoff black cherry hard seltzer

_{£1.09 for 330ml at Aldi (in-store only)}

You can’t move for hard seltzers these days. The clean, crisp carbonated waters spiked with vodka and fruity flavours have struck gold with gen Z and millennials looking for a lighter option. Compared with beer, wine and many premixed cocktails, hard seltzers are low-calorie, low-sugar and often lower in alcohol, while also being naturally gluten-free. I rate this Aldi black cherry version, which is cheaper than the market leader, White Claw, and is just 106 calories per can. Bursting with flavour for bargain summer fun.

Best white wine:
Villa Maria sauvignon blanc

_{£3.60 for 200ml at Sainsbury’s
£3.75 200ml at Morrisons}

After-work picky bits in the park call for a reliable favourite to quaff alongside your hummus, olives and posh crisps – and you can’t get much more reliable than a Marlborough sauvignon blanc. Happily, Villa Maria – NZ’s most award-winning brand of wine – has begun canning its tropical-tasting white just in time for the warmer weather. This crowd-pleasing grassy sauvignon blanc with powerful notes of passionfruit and lime zest is an excellent accompaniment to the sun.

Best kombucha:
Hip Pop strawberry and pineapple kombucha

_{£17.99 for 12 x 330ml at Hip Pop}

Long summer days are better when they’re less hazy, so keep a clear head with this Great Taste Award-winning kombucha, which brings all the positives of fermented fizz – live cultures, real fruit, low calorie – but none of the nasties. So, no unpleasant funk here, or an overt tea character, just lightly sparkling jammy strawberry and pineapple juices with a healthy dose of gut-friendly Bacillus coagulans and some natural cane sugar for sweetness. It’s tasty, so you won’t feel like you’re missing out if you’re skipping alcohol, and the can looks pretty cool.

Best nectar:
Gosnells raspberry hibiscus nectar

_{£32.50 for 12 x 330ml at Gosnells}

Is it a beer? Is it a cider? No, it’s mead – the ancient alcohol made using fermented honey, which Peckham-based B Corp brewery Gosnells has rebranded as “nectar” to bring it bang up to date. This nectar tastes kind of like a tart berry fruit cider but fresher and purer because of the lack of artificial ingredients, while the signature Hazy Nectar is more in the orchard fruit cider sphere. It’s gluten-free, 110 calories a can, with a 4% volume of alcohol, and each sale benefits the Bumblebee Conservation Trust – a nice touch to thank the bees for the honey.

Best cocktail:
Wonderland Cocktail Co watermelon margarita

_{£3.90 for 125ml at BrewDog
£3.90 for 125ml at Sainsbury’s}

Ready-to-drink tinnies have come a long way, with it now possible for you to pick up bar-quality cocktails in a can from the supermarket. Some readers may choose to avoid BrewDog for the negative associations with its co-founder; but in terms of its drinks, the brand’s spirits are now being used to make 12 top-notch canned cocktails. My favourite is the bar-strength watermelon margarita. Made using BrewDog’s Casa Rayos blanco tequila, watermelon, lime juice and salt, this 14% cocktail is canned heaven. I also like that the can is purposely oversized, leaving space to shake the cocktail before drinking for a superior serve.

Best CBD drink:
Intune elderflower and hops sparkling CBD drink

_{£6.25 for 4 x 250ml at Ocado
£18.75 for 12 x 250ml variety pack at Amazon}

Founder Hannah Glasson discovered the benefits of CBD during her breast cancer treatment, and with her background in the drinks industry, she was keen to create a health drink that challenged perceptions. Intune is the Great Taste Award-winning result, with 10mg of CBD a can. Made using natural botanicals with vibrant flavours, Intune’s CBD drinks could help ease anxiety, aid relaxation and focus, and are just great to chill in the park with. Alcohol-free, the elderflower & hops is my favourite, but all four fruity flavours are refreshingly tasty.

Best red wine:
Nice malbec

_{£2.60 for 187ml at Sainsbury’s
£28.20 for 12 x 187ml at Amazon}

As with the white wine on this list, I don’t believe a canned product is where you start to experiment or get creative. Whether it’s for the train, an after-work picnic, or to take along to an outdoor movie screening, you want a wine that does what it says on the tin. For that, you can’t beat a Nice malbec for those deep Argentinian velvety fruit flavours. This is a smooth, no-nonsense pick that can be enjoyed on its own, or with food – barbecue and cheeseboard, anyone? Plus, it’s a B Corp, so a great pick on many levels.

Best functional water:
Jamu Wild Water sparkling lemon

_{£20.99 for 12 x 250ml at Amazon
£26.18 for 12 x 250ml at Welzo}

One of the biggest health trends to emerge last year was the boom in functional drinks. From kombucha to CBD, beverages are increasingly being fortified with healthy additions, such as mushrooms, prebiotics and vitamins. This Jamu Wild Water is among the best I’ve tried; it tastes delicious and includes gut and immune health benefits. The sparkling raspberry is juicy and is just the right level of sweet, with chicory root providing 5g of prebiotic fibre, plus a decent amount of vit C and zinc per can – all for just 18 calories. The blood orange option tastes great, too. Pack it for a day at the beach, or hydration on the hop.

Best innovative can:
Guinness Draught Nitrosurge cans

_{£8.75 for 4 x 558ml at Waitrose
£29.99 for 10 x 558ml at Amazon}

Nitrosurge device

_{£30 at Amazon
£30 at Tesco}

Guinness is one of the UK’s favourite pub beers, but let’s be honest, it hits differently in a can – in a bad way. Even when poured into a glass, it lacks the sitting, the ceremony and the pump of a pub pint. Not so with Nitrosurge. This USB-charged nozzle can be affixed to a chilled can to ensure it pours a slower, smoother pint from a 45-degree angle. It’s creamier, has a more admirable swirl in the pour, and may even taste better. It could be my imagination, but I appreciate the ritual for improved pints in the park.

Best sparkling wine:
La Gioiosa Rosea fizz

_{£3.50 for 200ml at Waitrose}

La Gioiosa is among the leading and most reliable brands of prosecco, so to have one of its drinks – although notably, not prosecco – now in a convenient can is good news for party-going fans of a fizzy rose. This Italian sparkling wine is dry, fruity and floral, with plenty of prosecco-esque flavours: apples and light berries abound. It’s perfect for an aperitif or for enjoying with charcuterie, and at a fairly relaxed 10.5%, it’s very quaffable.

Joanne Gould is a food, drink and lifestyle writer with a decade of experience. As well as enthusiastically eating her way through London’s best bars and restaurants, she’s also a keen home cook and can often be found trying a new recipe or kitchen gadget, while taste-testing anything from South African wines to speciality coffee or scotch. Luckily, she also enjoys walking, running and keeping fit and healthy in her spare time – for balance