Review: Lil Yachty’s New Canned Tequila Cocktail Is His Best Yet

(Photo: Yacht Water)

Celebrity alcohol ventures are, by and large, not good. No shade to anyone who loves George Clooney’s Casamigos or any one of Snoop Dogg’s five different booze products, but A-list involvement usually portends a brand that prioritizes shlocky marketing over quality. Whether it’s vodka, whiskey, rosé or tequila, celebrities always manage to worm their way into trends of the day, working with x, y or z investment firm to slap their name on a label and rev up the mass production line. Queue the cardboard cutout at your local liquor store.

Ready-to-drink cocktails — the latest craze sweeping the alcohol industry — have proved an exception to this rule. Of the hundred or so canned drinks we’ve tried over the past few years, many have only been made possible thanks to a celebrity co-sign. Boxer Canelo Alvarez’s VMC tastes like a tequila-spiked Jarritos in the best way imaginable, while Blake Lively’s Betty Booze has put inventive twists on the concept with out-there flavors like Oak Smoked Lemonade and Lime Shiso. Though we may not be a fan of Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila, her sister Kylie’s Sprinter Vodka Seltzer is a more than servicable replacement for High Noon if you’re shopping in a pinch.

None has surprised us quite like Yacht Water. Brought to market last year by rapper, podcaster and frozen pizza entrepreneur Lil Yachty, the brand originally marketed itself as a twist on the Texas-favorite Ranch Water — a cocktail that you can find countless versions of at convenience stores across the country. Thankfully, Yacht Water took a different approach. The brand swaps blanco tequila for reposado, and substitutes the mineral bite of Topo Chico for a pour of sparkling water mixed with sea salt.

We found a lot to like in the lineup. Its flagship Key Lime flavor tastes like a fresh squeeze of citrus mixed with a salted margarita rim. It’s got a bold, almost savory character that feels like it was designed by and for agave fans, paired with some pretty neat packaging to boot. Other highlights include its orange-flavored Sunrise, a riff on the 1970’s classic Tequila Sunrise cocktail, and its Jalapeño, one of the tastiest renditions of spicy pepper we’ve ever tasted in a canned format.

Though it’s impossible to say if the brand was a sales sensation, Yacht Water garnered all the right interest online. The brand was met with mostly glowing reviews, found its way onto the feeds of tequila influencers and picked up a few awards along the way. Facing off against a barrage of celebrity-backed competitors, it appeared that Yacht Water had cut through the noise.

It was only a matter of time before Lil Yachty and co. expanded the roster.

In March, we received a sample of the brand’s new Piña flavor, which reimagines the standard recipe (six-month reposado tequila, key lime juice, sparkling water and sea salt) with an extra splash of pineapple juice. It’s canned at 5.8% ABV and is now available for order online at $16 per six-pack.

Much like Yacht Water’s other offerings, you’re immediately met with a tasty, none-too-sweet whiff of its namesake flavor. This is a pineapple cocktail through and through, and a remarkably fresh one at that. Tropical fruit and bubbles play off key lime for a nicely balanced blend of vibes, tipped ever-so-slightly into savory territory by that signature addition of sea salt. Sure, it’s an odd combo, but it totally works. It’s equal parts drying and thirst-quenching, especially after it’s spent a few hours in the fridge on a hot summer day.

If you’ve grown tired of cloyingly sweet, neon-green margaritas, then Yacht Water is a perfect change of pace. Fruit, salt and bubbles are a solid and surprisingly accessible combo — kudos to the team for shaking up the largely boring RTD category once again.

Read Our Full Review of Yacht Water Pina Here