Brian Nagele
Wine coolers used to be viewed as fruity beverages reserved for those who couldn’t handle their alcohol. However, their popularity and variety have skyrocketed since those bygones days.
Many well-regarded breweries and spirit companies have branched into the pre-made cocktail game, and the advent of hard seltzers reinvented the wheel.
Now the market is flooded with light, refreshing wine coolers and spiked seltzers. These drinks offer an excellent alternative for those nights when beer seems too heavy. They have enough alcohol to give drinkers a slight buzz, but with less sugar, all while sitting lighter in your stomach.
With so many wine cooler options available, picking the best brands and varieties is tricky.
We’ve picked the 11 best wine cooler drinks on the market and distilled all the most important details into one helpful article. Read on to find the best wine cooler for you.
Bon & Viv spiked seltzer
Bon & Viv’s originated the hard seltzer craze. Originally called simply SpikedSeltzer, Nick Shields began the company in 2013.
Bon & Viv blazed every trail for the beverage, from canning the cocktails to airing the first hard seltzer Super Bowl ad.
It took six years and a sale to Anheuser-Busch for SpikedSeltzer to become the Bon &Viv the company is today.
The cocktails are all sugar-free and use only three basic ingredients: purified water, champagne yeast, and natural fruit flavors.
The seltzer is gluten-free and has only 90 calories. Each drink packs 4.5 percent alcohol by volume.
Bon & Viv’s spiked seltzer comes in a variety of flavors, sure to please every palate:
- Pear Elderflower
- Raspberry Dragonfruit
- Clementine Hibiscus
- Coconut Pineapple
- Grapefruit
- Black Cherry
- Mango
- Cranberry
Cayman Jack
Cayman Jacks makes malt liquor beverages with 5.8 percent alcohol by volume.
The brand creates its great, clean taste using all organic ingredients: Blue Agave, Mint Extract, Pure Cane Sugar, and Natural Lime Juice.
With 254 calories and 35 grams of sugar, the cocktails are refreshing and best served on the rocks (with a salted rim for the fancier drinking experience). Not entirely gluten-free, the cocktails are “crafted to remove gluten.”
Cayman Jack comes in the following flavors:
- Margarita
- Moscow Mule
- Mojito
- Paloma
Corona Refresca
Corona entered American mouths and hearts in 1979, bringing with them one of the finest summer beers.
The company consistently creates the finest beach beverages, crafting delicious, light drinks best sipped beneath a giant umbrella near the ocean.
Naturally, when Corona decided to branch into hard seltzers in March 2019, they immediately became contenders.
Corona Refresca is a light, fruity malt beverage. The not-altogether-transparent ingredients in Refresca include:
- Malt beverage
- Natural fruit flavors
- Certified Colors
Refresca’s tropical flavors include:
- Guava Lime: 187 calories, 4.5 percent abv
- Coconut Lime: 195 calories, 4.5 percent abv
- Passionfruit Lime: 184 calories, 4.5 percent abv
- Pineapple Lime: 170 calories, 4.5 percent abv
- Refresca Mas: 251 calories, 8 percent abv
Crook & Marker Spiked and Sparkling
Crook & Marker aims to surprise drinkers with their impactful flavors and unusual ingredients.
The company’s ambitious mission is to create full-flavored beverages with no sugar or artificial components.
Crook & Marker uses an “organic supergrain” alcohol as the foundation for all of their beverages.
This magic potion is made of Quinoa, Amaranth, Millet, and Cassava Root. These seltzers contain no gluten, sugar, or artificial ingredients.
The USDA Organic vegan beverages come in the following flavors:
- Classic Lime Margarita
- Classic Lemonade
- Classic Ice Tea
- Coconut Pineapple Pina Colada
- Blackberry Lime
- Grapefruit
- Coconut Pineapple
- Strawberry Lemon
- Tangerine
- Black Cherry
All of the 100-calorie flavors have 5 percent alcohol by volume.
Jack Daniels wine coolers
Jack Daniels’ distinctive black label instantly conjures Tennessee Whiskey.
Started in 1866, Jack Daniels is the United States’ first whiskey distillery, and they’ve set the bar for that hard spirit ever since.
Lovers of JD’s signature beverage may be surprised by the brand’s line of Country Cocktails, fruity, refreshing drinks based on classic mixed drinks.
At 170 calories, the malt beverages mix fruity flavors with whiskey to delicious effect. The drink comes in the following flavors:
- Lynchburg Lemonade
- Black Jack Cola
- Southern Peach
- Watermelon Punch
- Downhome Punch
- Southern Citrus
- Cherry Limeade
- Berry Punch
Each flavor has between 25 and 45 grams of sugar and 5 percent alcohol by volume.
Mike’s Hard
Mike’s Hard ushered in the era of Hard Lemonades and teas. Mike’s began crafting hard lemonade in Canada in 1996 and took over the United States in 1999.
Mike’s beverages are not gluten-free but are crafted to remove gluten. The company uses malt liquor bases mixed with natural flavors and corn syrup to create their cocktails.
Mike’s is caffeine-free and doesn’t contain any allergens.
The 5 percent alcohol by volume beverages come in the following flavors:
- Hard Red Freeze
- Hard Blue Freeze
- Hard Lemonade
- Hard Black Cherry Lemonade
- Hard Strawberry Lemonade
- Hard Mango
- Hard Pineapple Strawberry
- Hard Cranberry Lemonade
- Hard Peach Lemonade
- Hard Raspberry Lemonade
- Blood Orange
- Pineapple Passion Fruit
- Hard Pink Freeze
- Hard White Freeze
Mike’s expanded their brand beyond lemonade. The company also makes hard seltzers that come in these flavors:
- Lemon
- Mango
- Strawberry
- Pineapple
Each 11.5-ounce can contain 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar, and 5 percent alcohol by volume.
Finally, if you’re hoping for a cocktail with a stronger kick, Mike’s carries a line called Mike’s Harder. The Mike’s Harder flavors include:
- Mango
- Strawberry
- Lemonade
- Half and Half
- Cranberry
- Strawberry Pineapple
- Black Cherry
- Pineapple Mandarin
- Blood Orange
- Green Apple
Each flavor packs in 8 percent alcohol by volume.
Seagram’s wine coolers
Seagram’s began life in 1857 as a Canadian whiskey distillery.
The company followed a long strange path from its origins to creating some of the most beloved wine coolers on the market.
Seagram’s uses malt liquor as the base for their wine coolers, called Escapes.
The vegan cocktails are crafted to remove gluten, not gluten-free. However, the beverages are caffeine free.
The 3.2 percent alcohol by volume beverage comes in a wide array of flavors:
- Jamaican Me Happy
- Strawberry Daiquiri
- Calypso Colada
- Peach Bellini
- Wild Berries
- Bahama Mama
- Classic Lime Margarita
- Black Cherry Fizz
- Michigan Cherry Fizz
- Blue Raspberry Italian Ice
- Cherry Italian Ice
- Lemon Italian Ice
- Mango Italian Ice
- Watermelon Italian Ice
- Hawaiian Pog
- Island Berry
- Strawberry Guava
- Passionfruit Mango
- Watermelon Pineapple
- Strawberry Kiwi
- Blueberry Acai Lemonade
Seagram’s also offers a stronger Escape, called Spiked. Spiked flavors include:
- Spiked Jamaican Me Happy
- Spiked Blue Razberry
- Spiked Crisp Green Apple
- Spiked Passionfruit Lime & Salt
- Spiked Mango Ginger & Lime
- Spiked Strawberry Blast
Each cocktail contains 8 percent alcohol by volume.
Smirnoff ice
Smirnoff is what we think about when we think about vodka.
The brand has had a fascinating journey, crossing generations and continents and making history with a beloved cocktail.
Smirnoff began in Russia but migrated to the United States once Russia went sober. Once in America, Smirnoff co-created the Moscow Mule.
Created in Russia, now owned by a British company, and produced in America, Smirnoff is a varied and fascinating brand.
More than just the spirit, Smirnoff uses their vodka to craft signature cocktails called Ice. The Smirnoff Ice flavors include:
- Original
- Black Cherry
- Grape
- Green Apple
- Hurricane Punch
- Mango
- Margarita
- Peach Bellini
- Pink Lemonade
- Pineapple
- Raspberry
- Red, White & Berry
- Screwdriver
- Strawberry
- Triple Black
- Watermelon Mimosa
Each of these flavors has 4.5 percent alcohol by volume. If you’re looking for a stronger Smirnoff Ice, consider trying Smirnoff Ice Smash. This beverage contains 8 percent alcohol by volume and comes in:
- Blue Raspberry + Blackberry
- Lemon + Lime
- Peach + Mango
- Pineapple + Coconut
- Screwdriver
- Strawberry + Lemon
Truly hard seltzer
Truly Hard Seltzer is a perfect summertime drink. The cocktails are light and fruity, mildly sweet, and highly refreshing.
Indulge without any guilt; each can contains a mere 100 calories and only 1 gram of sugar.
Truly keeps its beverages simple, using only gluten-free ingredients and cane sugar alcohol.
Each flavor contains 5 percent alcohol by volume, a perfect, not-too-weak, not-too-strong choice.
Truly’s flavors include:
- Wild Berry
- Black Cherry
- Blueberry & Acai
- Raspberry Lime
- Lime
- Grapefruit
- Citrus Squeeze
- Lemon
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Passion Fruit
- Watermelon Kiwi
- Berry Blast
- Pineapple Orange
- Original Lemonade
- Mango Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Watermelon Lemonade
- Lemon Tea
- Peach Teac
- Raspberry Tea
- Strawberry Tea
- Berry Punch
- Citrus Punch
- Fruit Punch
- Tropical Punch
- Classic Lime Margarita
- Mango Chili Margarita
- Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita
- Watermelon Cucumber Margarita
- Kiwi Mojito
- Orange Peach Fizz
- Pina Colada
- Strawberry Melon Fizz
With such a staggering number of flavors, Truly has a seltzer for every taste.
Upslope Snowmelt
Upslope brewery crafts its beverages with a strong environmental conscience.
The Colorado company works hard to ensure its products are created sustainably.
Starting in 2008, the brand focused on beer but has branched into hard seltzers. Snowmelt contains 100 calories and 5 percent alcohol by volume.
Snowmelt is gluten-free and made from all organic ingredients. Upslope infused some of their Snowmelt seltzer with electrolytes, making it the rare alcohol that fights hangovers while you’re drinking it.
Snowmelt flavors include:
- Juniper & Lime
- Tangerine & Hops
- Pomegranate & Acai
- Passionfruit & Mango
- Grapefruit & Hops
- Peach Lemonade
Each delicious flavor contains only 2 grams of sugar so you can indulge without guilt.
White Claw
White Claw dominates the heart of social media. The brand started in 2016 and skyrocketed to the top of the hard seltzer food chain.
White Claw uses a simple, straightforward recipe for its cocktails: seltzer water, gluten-free alcohol, and fruit flavoring.
The resulting beverage is fizzy, light, and refreshing-as well suited for a night out as a day at the beach.
A can of White Claw is a remorse-free indulgence at only 100 calories and 1 gram of sugar.
White Claw has a flavor for everyone:
- Citrus Yuzu Smash
- Tropical Pomelo Smash
- Watermelon Lime Smash
- Wildberry Acai Smash
- Limon with a Hint of Calamansi
- Blood Orange with a Hint of Raspberry
- Blackberry with a Hint of Red Cherry
- Strawberry with a Hint of Kiwi
- Iced Tea Lemon
- Iced Tea Peach
- Iced Tea Mango
- Iced Tea Strawberry
- Black Cherry
- Mango
- Watermelon
- Natural Lime
- Ruby Grapefruit
- Raspberry
- Lemon
- Tangerine
- Strawberry
- Blackberry
- Pineapple
- Passion Fruit
- Blood Orange
- Cranberry
Each crisp flavor contains 5 percent alcohol by volume.
The wine cooler market is crowded, making selecting your drink of choice challenging.
Hard seltzer and pre-made cocktails offer a lighter, refreshing drink option for nights out or days on the beach. Now that you know the 11 best options choose well and drink responsibly!
Why is this titled as a “Wine Cooler” article when none of the beverages being shilled have wine in them and most of them are malt liquor based, making them closer to beer?