8 Best Canned Tequila and Mezcal Cocktails To Drink in 2026

Tequila and mezcal ready-to-drink cocktails (otherwise known as RTDs) are taking over liquor store shelves one brightly colored can at a time. Over the past few years, it feels as if hundreds of margaritas and palomas have hit the market in every shade of green and pink, passing a point of total exhaustion that makes it all the more difficult to find decent options.

Tasting our way through the good, the bad and the ugly, we discovered eight canned cocktails that more than meet the moment. If you asked us to give up all but eight agave RTDs for the rest of our lives, these would be our choices, no ifs, ands or buts.

1. NightOwl Tequila Espresso Martini

ABV: 12.5%

Born out of two years of painstaking R&D, NightOwl set out to solve one of hospitality’s most beloved headaches: The espresso martini. Its twist on the concept is about as simple as it gets — a double shot of espresso, a single shot of either gluten-free vodka or blanco tequila and a whisper of vanilla. NightOwl’s tequila expression, dubbed “The Original,” is our favorite of the two, positioning the brand at the intersection of the espresso martini craze and America’s insatiable appetite for all things agave. Coffee (distinctly espresso) comes through loud and clear, alongside a thoroughly subdued hint of vanilla that tastes far from artificial. Amidst a sea of Frappuccino-esque coffee RTDs, NightOwl stands out with great flavors befitting your local coffee shop.

2. Topo Chico Spirited

ABV: 5.9%

When Molson Coors partnered with Coca-Cola to launch Topo Chico Spirited in 2023, it was less of a leap and more of an inevitability. The core lineup includes Tequila & Lime (a Ranch Water), Tequila & Grapefruit (a Paloma) and Vodka & Lemon (a riff on the Texas-favorite Chilton). Each is made with real spirits, real juice and the cult-favorite sparkling mineral water found on convenience store shelves across the country. If you’re sold on the concept of a cocktail that actually tastes like Topo Chico and actually tastes like spirits, then these will be a slam dunk. At 5.9% ABV and 130 to 150 calories per can, these are sessionable, honest drinks with next to no frills, perfect for a hot summer day spent tubing down the river.

3. Freshie Tequila Seltzer

ABV: 4.7%

Speaking of no frills, allow us to introduce Freshie. Launched by husband-and-wife Paige and Ryne Iseminger in 2021, the brand touts itself as the world’s first USDA-certified organic tequila seltzer. Its recipe is refreshingly basic, combining organic blanco tequila, natural mineral water and agave nectar canned at a slim 99 calories. The lineup includes its flagship Lime, a Grapefruit-Guava and the spicy Blood Orange-Habanero, none of which are flavor bombs, per se, but rather relaxed sippers on par with a La Croix. It’s clean, it’s easygoing, and its minimalist packaging screams health-conscious — in other words, Freshie has all the makings of the next breakout hit.

4. Cultor

ABV: 12.5%

Founder Juan Felipe Alviz met award-winning Miami mixologist Shauna O’Neil at the legendary cocktail bar Sweet Liberty, and the two bonded over a shared obsession with the flavors of Mexico. Together, they built one of the best rosters of tequila RTDs we’ve ever tried. The lineup — Passion, Flora, Soul and Coco — spans the flavor spectrum from tropical to floral, each offering a unique and punchy twist on the bar-ready cocktail concept. Our personal favorites include the Flora, which balances a cooling salve of hibiscus, cucumber and grapefruit, and the Coco, which might just be the best pre-batched rendition of coconut we’ve ever tried (think organic coconut water mixed with silky smooth evaporated milk).

5. VMC

ABV: 5.5%

VMC stands for “Viva Mexico Cabrones” — boxer Canelo Alvarez’s post-fight rallying cry — and the brand wears its national pride as prominently as a championship belt. Launched in Mexico in 2022 before crossing into the U.S. in 2023 thanks to Spirit of Gallo (the very same behind High Noon), VMC has built its reputation around authentically Mexicans flavors often overlooked north of the border. A standout from the original trio of flavors is its agua fresca-inspired Jamaica, which delivers a toothsome, almost pomegranate-like blast of hibiscus flavor. The collection was recently expanded with the zingy Tamarindo, a wildly underrated cocktail ingredient if there ever was one. Fully flavored and thoroughly carbonated, VMC proves that celebrity-backed cocktails still have plenty of juice left in the tank.

6. Togronis

ABV: 25%

Togronis — a simple amalgamation of “Negronis” and “To Go” — is produced by Common Pour out of San Diego in partnership with Seattle’s Scrappy’s Bitters. In addition to its flagship Negroni and a bourbon-based Boulevardier, the brand sells an excellent Mezcal Negroni made with with agave spirits, Italian sweet vermouth, and an in-house red bitter (licensing, as any Negroni nerd knows, makes Campari a non-starter). Sharp flavors of vermouth and bitters dominate the palate, followed by a subdued swash of none-too-smoky mezcal. It’s one of the best canned mezcal cocktails that money can buy, made all the better by its bite-sized 100-milliliter cans, a perfectly portable choice for nights on the town.

7. Yacht Water

ABV: 5.8%

Rapper and podcaster Lil Yachty, famously not a drinker, surprised fans with an alcohol brand in early 2024. The RTD — created by Peter Kiley of Monday Night Brewing alongside Quality Control Music’s Coach K and the Atlanta-based Sneaky Spirits — is a Ranch Water riff built on additive-free reposado tequila, key lime juice, sparkling water and sea salt. On paper, it had all the makings of a cash grab. Surprisingly, though, Yacht Water is anything but. The Key Lime delivers exactly what a good Ranch Water should — a crisp, citrusy and surprisingly salty drink that never veers into candy sweetness. The Sunrise expands upon the concept with a squeeze of orange, while the Jalapeño offers a heat-laced alternative. We haven’t had a chance to try the brand’s recently unveiled Pina flavor yet, though we’ve heard good things.

8. Epic Western

ABV: 5.9% – 8%

If Lil Yachty’s twist on Ranch Water tastes like a salted margarita rim, then Epic Western’s tastes like mineral water tapped straight from an aquifer. Founded by a group of San Antonio friends in 2019, the brand offers myriad twists on the classic, including a spicy jalapeño Brush Fire, a low-calorie Chispa Rita and a tropical Cowboy Colada. All but one are canned at 8% ABV, well above average for a recipe that more often than not leans into mildly boozy tequila seltzer territory. Though we can’t pick a favorite canned Ranch Water from the many, many options available on the market, Epic Western’s La Paloma is certainly up there with the all-time greats.