AS we raise a glass to see in the New Year, what will be your pick of the sips to start 2023?
Premixed cocktails are the perfect tipple for thirsty partygoers, giving a bartender experience to be enjoyed at home with no faffing around.
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And they’ll definitely help get the party started as the next year approaches.
Laura Stott tasted an off-the-shelf mixologist selection and gave her rating out for five for taste and value.
Shake Baby Shake Passion Fruit Martini, 75cl, £4.50: 2/5
Sainsbury’s stores
A WINE bottle-sized ready-mixed cocktail made with 3% concentrated passion fruit juice, sugar syrup, natural flavours and vodka.
The bright colour in the glass was rather alarming, and the passion fruit taste was artificial and not very intense, but there’s a nice fruity flavour and it’s not too boozy at 4%, so you won’t peak too early.
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More like a slightly alcoholic glass of squash than a martini, but it’s sweet and bearable to drink.
A great price so you could afford to stock up on a few bottles to pass round at your party.
Top up with prosecco and it goes even further.
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Extra Special Strawberry Daiquiri, 70cl, £8: 5/5
asda.com
CLOSE your eyes and you really could be seeing in the New Year on a Caribbean beach with this delicious daiquiri.
Made with good quality rum, strawberry puree and tangy lime, it is perfectly balanced with 10% booze, extremely moreish and slips down perfectly.
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There’s also a hint of chilli on glugging, which I loved – ideal to stop the sweet berry fruit from being overpowering and becoming too sickly.
You could serve this as it comes, over ice or dilute with lemonade and add some fruit to make a pitcher of delicious party punch.
It is good value for what’s in the bottle.
Tails Rum Daiquiri, 500ml, £15: 3/5
tesco.com
SLIGHTLY more expensive for a smaller bottle, but this pre-mixed tipple did well on delivering the just-made taste you would get in a cocktail bar.
Created with only two ingredients – Bacardi rum and lime juice from concentrate – the minimal mix means you get a clean, sharp, refreshing and rather potent daiquiri with 14.9% alcohol.
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It’s ready to go simply slugged over a glass of ice and garnished with a twist of fresh lime.
It’s so easy to serve up to friends, and you could easily fool them it was freshly made.
It is not the cheapest so it might be better saved for gatherings with a smaller number of people.
Funkin’ Cocktails Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, 700ml, £7.49: 3/5
morrisons.com
THE classic rev-you-up espresso martini – cold espresso, coffee liqueur and vodka – is elevated even further in this pre-mixed offering with the addition of salted caramel flavours and a touch of chilli.
I love an espresso martini, but I was concerned that the salted caramel would make this a less grown up and sugary version – but I needn’t have worried as it delivered a well-balanced coffee flavour with a lick of salty sugar and a nice warmth.
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Top quality taste and a lovely aroma that just makes you want to dive in and drink.
And it gives a decent kick at 10%.
Batch and Bottle Reyka Rhubarb Cosmopolitan, 50cl, £22: 4/5
tesco.com
INITIALLY I wasn’t sure about the addition of rhubarb to a classic 1990s favourite vodka Cosmo, but this sophisticated pre-made tipple proved me wrong.
Top quality and really delicious, it was made with Icelandic vodka, a smudge of tangy rhubarb, sharp fruity blood orange and zingy fresh lime.
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You could have been served this in your favourite speakeasy. Pricier than some, so better for an intimate New Year night in, sharing with a couple of friends.
It’s worth splashing out on as a treat.
Chill for two hours before serving or, even better, decant from the freezer over crushed ice with a squeeze of fresh lime.
It’s 25% ABV so glug carefully!
The Marksologist Clementine Gin Martini, 50cl, £15: 3/5
M&S stores
A CITRUSY, ready-made classic Martini cocktail with a twist, from Marks & Spencer that would be a perfect party crowd- pleaser.
With 17.5% London dry gin, fruity clementines, spices and vibrant blood orange, I liked the additional lovely hints of ginger and vanilla when you sip.
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It was sweeter than I anticipated, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment on drinking.
I’d be delighted to see in the New Year with a cocktail glass of this, served neat with a wedge of orange.
You could elevate it even further by serving in flutes and adding some fizz.
It comes in lovely packaging too.
Extra Special Passion Fruit Martini, 70cl, £8: 3/5
asda.com
ALMOST double the price of Sainsbury’s rival pre-made passion fruit martini, but this offering from Asda edges it in terms of a more authentic cocktail bar look and taste.
Made with smooth triple distilled vodka and passion fruit juice, it was very fruity without being overly saccharine, and had enjoyable hints of vanilla and chilli to top up the flavours.
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Boozier at 10% ABV and very gluggable, you could dilute this with soda or lemonade to make it go further if you’ve got a big party planned, or serve with a shot of prosecco on the side to transform it into a Porn Star Martini.
Aldi Infusionist Blood Orange Negroni, 50cl, £9.99: 4/5
Aldi stores
THIS is quite a pricey pre-mixer from the usually low-cost Aldi, at £9.99 for just 50cl, so I was anticipating a quality cocktail-bar standard tipple – and it definitely delivered.
A classic bittersweet negroni is usually crafted from gin, vermouth and Campari.
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This one has added blood orange flavour, but the taste and colour are very authentic.
A lovely cherry red colour in the glass, nicely tart and well balanced between sweet and sharp.
Very grown-up and potent at 20% ABV – just a few sips made me heady, so it may be best to stick to drinking this as an aperitif!
Stir well and serve with ice and an orange slice or spiral of peel.
