The Biggest Mistake Everyone Makes When Serving Canned Cocktails

If you've ever wanted to sip on a minty mojito or energizing espresso martini without having to make one yourself, canned cocktails may be a worthwhile buy. As one of the latest trendy additions to appear in the supermarket's alcohol aisle, convenient ready-made refreshments are a saving grace for last-minute gatherings and late nights. Throwing a party and want to serve fancy drinks without taking on the role of a full-time bartender? Canned alcoholic beverages are easy to elevate and come in enough flavors to fill a drink menu, so you won't have a hard time finding a pre-mixed version of your preferred bar order. But besides choosing the best options and classing them up, there's another step you should always take when serving ready-to-drink cocktails.

To help you avoid accidentally committing any canned cocktail faux pas, Chowhound spoke to Molly Horn, the chief mixologist and spirits educator for Total Wine & More, an independent retailer of fine wines, beers, and spirits. When asked for her expert opinion on pre-mixed drinks, she spoke highly of their versatility and shared an essential tip to ensure they can be enjoyed to the fullest. "My biggest piece of advice is serving them nice and chilled, even if you plan to serve them on ice, so they don't get watered down when added to a glass of ice," Horn said. Just as with certain liquors, a little time spent in the fridge or freezer goes a long way when serving canned cocktails.

Part of the appeal of pre-made cocktails is that they can be sipped straight out of the can or savored with fresh garnishes and in fancy glassware. But no matter how you prefer to serve one, Horn's advice is clear: Chilling a canned cocktail is essential to enjoying it at its best. After all, nothing's worse than a lukewarm, watered-down drink.

Fortunately, these ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages are easy to keep cold — especially considering they're generally smaller than full-sized bottles of liquor. How exactly you store them depends on your specific situation. Of course, putting canned cocktails in the refrigerator is the most standard approach for chilling them. (Beware putting any in the freezer, though, as they could explode.) However, if you're hosting a huge party and don't have enough fridge space for all your drinks, you're best off turning to a trusty cooler or two filled with ice.

If you plan to serve canned cocktails in glassware, getting creative with the ice that they're poured over is another strategy to avoid watering down pre-mixed drinks. Instead of making ice with plain water, use other ingredients to infuse refreshing beverages with familiar flavors. For instance, ice filled with fruits from berries to pineapple chunks (and fruit juice) is a great way to chill everything from canned sangria to piña coladas. Feeling extra fancy? You can even elevate your ready-made cocktails with colorful layered ice cubes or spicy ones.