Meet Hoste Cocktails, the World’s Best RTD Brand

This article is a part of Canned Cocktail Week, a week of content celebrating ready to drink (RTD) cocktails, from seltzers to premium ready-to-serve cocktails and beyond. Click here to check out the rest of our Canned Cocktail Week content.

From left to right, the Hoste Perfect Manhtaan, Martini, Gold Fashioned and Mezcal Negroni. (Photos: Hoste Cocktails)

The ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail market has exploded in recent years, but few brands have redefined what the category can be quite like Hoste Cocktails. Known for its obsessive attention to ingredients, collaborations with top bartenders and uncompromising focus on craftsmanship, Hoste has quickly established itself as the standard-setter for premium bottled cocktails.

Founded by bartender-turned-entrepreneur Robby Haynes, Hoste evolved out of his earlier project, Apologue Liqueurs, and the pandemic-era push into pre-mixed cocktails. Originally launched under the name Sunday’s Finest, the brand reintroduced itself as Hoste after refining its identity and lineup. Today, Hoste stands apart with a portfolio of four full-size, 750-milliliter bottled cocktails designed for sharing — each intended to rival the experience of sitting at the bar of a world-class cocktail lounge.

From Bartending Roots to Bottled Excellence

Haynes spent more than a decade behind the bar before turning to product development. His perspective: When it comes to cocktails, quality shouldn’t be sacrificed for convenience.

“In 2020, when the pandemic hit and bars and restaurants shut down, we got excited about the rapidly growing RTD space,” Haynes told us in an interview. “Similar to Apologue, we decided that by going deeper on quality, we could create a truly differentiated experience.”

The first release under the Sunday’s Finest label, the Gold Fashioned, quickly became a cult hit. A couple of years later, the business rebranded as Hoste, drawing on some “very talented friends” in the design and branding fields to concoct a lasting identity for the brand.

Exploring the Hoste Cocktails Lineup

As a spirits critic and drinks write, I’ve tasted many a ready-to-drink cocktail — and Hoste is the best I’ve encountered. So, let’s dive into the lineup.

The Gold Standard: Hoste’s Flagship

If one bottle defines Hoste and its ethos, it’s the Gold Fashioned. This luxury Old Fashioned is made with thoughtfully selected ingredients and packaged in a sleek bottle complete with a glass cork, like the rest of Hoste’s offerings — setting the tone for the brand’s philosophy.

The 2024 edition features a blend of 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished in oloroso sherry casks; 6- and 10-year-old rye whiskies from Indiana; Hoste’s own saffron bitters made with hand-harvested Afghan saffron and Ecuadorian cacao; and Malawian demerara. As with all of Hoste’s cocktails, it comes with an atomizer used to spritz atop each cocktail you pour. The Gold Fashioned’s atomizer is orange zest. At 42.2% ABV and retailing for $150, it’s a cocktail that doesn’t cut corners.

In tasting, the Gold Fashioned is nutty, viscous, and exquisitely balanced. The whiskey leads with notes of praline, vanilla custard, honey and barrel char, rounded by the sweetness of demerara and a bright hit of orange zest. The finish leans sweet, with lingering flavors of vanilla, coffee and oak.

It’s a near-perfect Old Fashioned, and Haynes believes the citrus atomizer is the “icing on the cake” that engages all the senses.

Click here to read our full review of the Hoste Gold Fashioned.

A Perfectly Balanced Mezcal Cocktail

The Mezcal Negroni ($80 per 750-milliliter bottle) is a collaboration with bartender Pablo Jiménez, featuring Paquera’s Artisanal Ensamble Mezcal, mole bitters, Little City sweet vermouth and Hoste’s custom tamarind liqueur. With mezcal distilled from Barril and Espadin agaves, the cocktail is smoky, earthy and layered with spice.

The tasting experience is unmistakable: smoky mezcal dominates the nose, balanced on the palate by sweet vermouth, mole spice, and citrus-driven brightness. The finish is long, warming and complex — a bottled cocktail that’s simultaneously bold and refined.

Click here to read our full review of the Hoste Mezcal Negroni.

A Perfect Manhattan with Nordic Roots

The Perfect Manhattan ($80, 35% ABV) showcases a 5-year-old rye whisky from Kyrö Distillery in Finland, blended with both sweet and dry vermouths from Little City Vermouth. It’s finished with Hoste’s bespoke cherry bitters and paired with a lemon zest atomizer.

The result is a Manhattan with an herbaceous, vermouth-forward nose and a palate where spicy rye meets nutty, botanical vermouth character. The cocktail finishes long and dry, with walnut husk, cherry, and smoke. While the vermouth occasionally overshadows the rye, it remains a distinctive and delightful RTD.

Click here to read our full review of the Hoste Perfect Manhattan.

A Martini Born from Seasons in Japan

Hoste also bottles a martini, created in collaboration with bartender Julia Momosé of Chicago’s Kumiko. The cocktail is built around a custom gin base developed by Thornton Distilling Co., which is infused with botanicals evocative of Japan’s changing seasons — sakura cherry blossoms, red sansho, orange blossom, juniper, angelica and hojicha tea. The gin is mixed with Little City’s dry vermouth. The cocktail comes with a yuzu zest spritzer.

Developed through multiple small-batch iterations before being scaled up, the Martini reflects Momose’s vision for balance and seasonality. Hoste worked closely with her to ensure that both the gin and vermouth were proportioned to highlight those delicate flavors.

The Martini is the only cocktail in Hoste’s lineup I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting — but I hope to soon. It sounds pretty great.

Craft at Scale

Creating cocktails this nuanced in a bottled format requires an unusual level of precision. Haynes likens the process to “playing high stakes putt-putt” — lots of tasting, tweaking and repeating until proportions align.

Each Hoste release follows a lengthy development cycle, often with multiple iterations of base spirits and vermouth blends. The brand also emphasizes transparency in sourcing, always highlighting the detailed origins of its ingredients.

Hoste’s 750-milliliter bottles each yield roughly 10 drinks. The intention behind the large-format bottles, Haynes explains, is to position cocktails as “a conduit for connectivity.” Rather than single-serve cans, Hoste wants its drinks shared around a table, just like they would be in a bar.

The Chicago Home of Hoste

Earlier this year, Hoste Cocktails opened a space in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

Earlier this year, Hoste opened its own production and event space in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. The facility serves as both an operations plant and a venue for curated programming and private events. Guests can try Hoste’s bottled lineup alongside exclusive cocktails available only on-site.

“The reception has been fantastic,” Apologue co-founder Jordan Tepper said of the space. “For now, we’re focusing on curated programming and private events rather than daily bar hours.”

Looking Ahead

Hoste’s plans include continuing its flagship releases, such as the 2025 edition of the Gold Fashioned, which Tepper predicts will “truly wow those who get their hands on a bottle.” The brand is also exploring new formats and expanding into bars and restaurants through a partnership with EcoSpirits, which reduces packaging waste through reusable EcoTote containers.

With its balance of craft, transparency and hospitality-driven ethos, Hoste has quickly become the most ambitious and best RTD brand in the world. As the category matures, Hoste is shaping its future one meticulously bottled cocktail at a time.