Review: Austin Cocktails Mojito, Ruby Red, and Margarita

If you can guess where Austin Cocktails is based, we’ll buy you a drink next time you’re in town. You can probably also guess how the brand works: Canned cocktails, slightly fizzy, sweetened with agave and made using real spirits; two servings to an 8 oz. can. All three cocktails in the brand’s lineup are slight spins on standard recipes, enough to feel familiar but also enough to keep you on your toes. Ready to see how Austin’s version of the classics go? Let’s dive in.

Each is 12.5% abv.

Austin Cocktails Mojito – Made with cucumber, vodka, lime, and mint. Only two of those four ingredients are part of any mojito I’ve ever had, but this spa water-adjacent libation doesn’t overly disappoint — provided you’re down for some serious cucumber character. The combination of mint, lime, and cucumber all work surprisingly well here, and the vodka and sparkling seltzer are fairly innocuous, with enough agave in effect to sweeten things up just enough for happy hour. It doesn’t really taste like a mojito, but it’s close enough — and it grew on me more and more as I finished off my glass. B+

Austin Cocktails Ruby Red – Grapefruit, lime, mint, and vodka — so close to a Greyhound, but minty. Refreshing but innocuous, this is ultimately as heavy on the mint as the Mojito, with tart grapefruit taking second place. The downside comes late in the game: It’s rather sweet on the finish, the agave providing a bit of a candied note that doesn’t work perfectly with the grapefruit and lime, coating the tongue uncomfortably. B

Austin Cocktails Margarita – Tequila, triple sec, bergamot orange, and lime. The tequila’s the problem here, coming across as a bit cheap and industrial, which gives the cocktail a certain green quality. Bergamot makes for an interesting twist on a well-worn formula, but the finished product here is a bit too grassy and unripe. Lots of bitter lime peel lingering on the finish. B-

each $15 per 4-pack of 8 oz cans / austincocktails.com

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