7 On The Rocks Cocktails, Ranked

Few things equal the simple celebration of a smooth cocktail after a long workday. However, following many hours of labor, the last thing I want to do is go to the effort of concocting a killer cocktail. Luckily, we're fortunate enough to live in the 21st century, when modern problems require modern solutions, and companies are stepping up to relieve us from simple inconveniences. One of these enterprises is On The Rocks, a manufacturer of bottled, premade cocktails that are meant to be simply poured and enjoyed.

Naturally, I jumped at the chance to try and rank seven bottled cocktails from On The Rocks. I had predispositions toward certain cocktails coming into this tasting, though my enjoyment of some On The Rocks products surprised me. I generally enjoy shaken drinks, so given that these beverages are meant for sipping "on the rocks" — as the company's name indicates — I immediately adjusted my expectations. I also tend to enjoy vodka-based cocktails, and I'm not the biggest fan of drinks that are particularly sweet or aromatic. Some of my favorite cocktails include espresso martinis, Moscow mules, and whiskey sours, so I was delighted to find a couple of these included in the collection. I tried and ranked each cocktail based on how true it held to other versions that I've tried, the balance of flavors, and whether I found myself wanting more after the first sip. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I have to start my ranking by saying that, overall, I would drink any of these cocktails again — I truly wouldn't call any of them bad. However, I absolutely preferred some On The Rocks cocktails over others, and unfortunately, I liked The Strawberry Daiquiri the least. I was biased against this drink upon the first pour. It smelled sickeningly sweet, so my expectations weren't strong. When I took a sip, I found my hunch to be partially correct. The daiquiri was indeed fairly sweet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would. 

This cocktail is definitely made for summertime sipping by the pool, and I can imagine myself drinking it again in that context. The strawberry flavor tastes a bit artificial, which is somewhat disappointing, but the rum came through beautifully, and I found myself enjoying its flavor, even though I'm not necessarily a rum fan. I was tempted to add a splash of coconut cream to the daiquiri and throw it in the shaker, and I would absolutely use it as a base for a frozen strawberry daiquiri recipe. It tasted fine on its own, but the next time I have it I'll be dressing it up a little to make it more palatable to my personal taste. 

Though I don't opt for tequila-based drinks much anymore, in the past I've been a tequila fan, especially in the form of tequila sunrises and margaritas. I've had many a margarita from varying lounges, dive bars, family recipes, and bottle mixes, and by now I know what I like in a margarita. My ideal margarita is almost tart with lime, boasts a salted rim, and has enough tequila to make your hair curl. 

I was excited to sip on The Margarita from On The Rocks, as it smelled wonderful when I poured it into a glass. Unfortunately, I was slightly let down when I tasted it. It struck me as being a bit bland, and it lacked the kick of lime that I look for in a margarita. On the plus side, it tasted very clean, went down smoothly, and was easily drinkable, which I appreciated. I thought the tequila and triple sec balanced each other out well, though I wish there had been more flavor in the drink as a whole. Next time I try this I'll be sorely tempted to use it in a margarita ice cream float. I think this margarita would be extraordinarily palatable to those who prefer their cocktails sophisticated and demure, but if you like enjoying your margaritas fresh out of a blender at a poolside bar, you may be disappointed. 

While the standard On The Rocks margarita lacks depth of flavor, its jalapeño-pineapple margarita more than makes up for this. Despite not personally being the biggest fan of jalapeños, I actually enjoyed sipping this cocktail. The color was instantly appealing, especially given that I'm a huge fan of pineapple, and the jalapeño scent was palpable from the moment I poured a glassful. 

The flavors of this margarita layer together very well; while the jalapeño hits the taste buds at the beginning of a sip, the pineapple comes through at the end and lingers. Though prominent, the jalapeño taste didn't make the drink spicy, which I highly appreciated. The alcohol was also super subtle in this drink, more so than probably any other drink on this list. I didn't find that to be a bad thing, but I was surprised that the triple sec and tequila didn't come through more. While this wasn't my favorite drink on the list, I didn't think it needed any additions or modifications, and if I have it again, I'd simply have it on the rocks. 

The almost forgotten, flowery aviation cocktail is one I've never tried before, and I didn't expect to like it given that I'm not the biggest fan of gin. Similarly to The Margarita, The Aviation by On The Rocks is subtle, and doesn't pack punches of flavor, but I found that worked in favor of this cocktail. My biggest complaint about this drink was that the bottle I received didn't have the pleasant light purple hue of the bottle featured on the company's website. 

The highlight of this cocktail is its Larios gin flavored with juniper and citrus, and the company added just enough other flavors — including cherry, lemon, and violet — to balance everything out, making each sip extraordinarily light and refreshing. I found this drink went down easily as well, and it left me with a pleasant floral aftertaste that I was surprised to find wasn't too perfume-y. This is another drink that I wouldn't want to modify in the slightest, and though it wasn't my personal favorite, I'd definitely drink it with nothing but ice. 

At last, we've arrived at one of my favorite cocktails to get at any bar, any time of day: the espresso martini. I have a very particular shaken recipe that I use for making espresso martinis at home, and they end up creamy, thick, and delicious. It was obvious to me that the consistency of this drink wasn't going to be what I was used to, so I was a bit wary of it at first — however, I loved the flavor of The Espresso Martini by On The Rocks so much that I was able to look past any textural complaints. 

My first impression upon sipping the espresso martini was that it's delightfully strong. This cocktail doesn't lack coffee flavor at all, and its vodka flavor came through beautifully as well. Its flavor was absolutely in line with most other espresso martinis I've tried, and I'd be glad to enjoy another bottle — though next time, you can bet I'll be throwing it in a shaker with a generous splash of heavy whipping cream. After all, I always need the perfect creamy foam on top of an espresso martini. 

My oh my, did The Blue Hawaiian limited-release cocktail from On The Rocks take me by surprise. Though I was in love with the concoction's azure color from the moment I saw the bottle, my expectations weren't high — I was anticipating an overly tropical, super-sweet cocktail reminiscent of something I'd have happily consumed during spring break in college. What I got instead was a drink that managed to be both punchy and light, which went down smoothly while also leaving no doubt that too many sips would have me tripping around the room.

Though I'm not big on rum, the sugar-based spirit came through beautifully in this cocktail, and I was surprised by how strong the coconut flavor was without tasting or smelling like sunscreen. I wish the pineapple was more potent, but that's my only negative note on this beverage. Drinking it made me feel like I was at a resort, and you can bet I'll be drinking it again when I need a moment of stress relief. You could try making a blue Hawaiian cocktail recipe on your own — however, I'd advise you simply go with the delicious bottled version by On The Rocks.

At last we've arrived at my number-one pick. This drink absolutely floored me — I happened to taste it last, and I knew instantly that it was my favorite of the bunch. As mentioned previously, whiskey sours are among my favorite drinks, and as with the espresso martini, I had high expectations for The Spiced Pear Whiskey Sour limited-release offering from On The Rocks. My expectations were not only met, they were exceeded, and I'd gladly pay hard-earned money to invest in a few more bottles of this delightful drink.

I love the simplest of whiskey sours, and the pear and cinnamon present in this bottle really elevated it to new heights, making it a perfect fall drink. I also thought that I tasted hints of apple; the beverage was somewhat similar to a whiskey-infused apple cider. The whiskey wasn't too strong, either, which could be a dangerous thing — I felt that I could easily drink a whole bottle in one sitting if I wasn't being careful. You can infuse a simple syrup to elevate your whiskey sour, and that may be your best bet at creating a convincing dupe of this spiced whiskey sour. But until someone gives me a tried-and-true recipe, I'll be sticking with this On The Rocks version.

Alcoholic beverages are extremely subjective to the tastes of each individual. While I was as objective as possible when ranking these cocktails, personal preference had to come into play for many of them. Fortunately, I'd tried versions of most of these cocktails before, so I had a baseline to compare them to. I set aside my personal taste when I could to consider the overall well-roundedness of each drink, asking questions such as: Does the alcohol overpower the other flavors? Do the flavors taste natural or fake? 

I also thought that it was important to consider whether each drink was really meant to be enjoyed on the rocks. In the case of the espresso martini, the texture just wasn't there, and I've never before had an espresso martini that wasn't at least a bit creamy. Other drinks, like the strawberry daiquiri, felt like they were simply meant to be the base for something blended or shaken. It makes me wish that On The Rocks leaned into this potential more, rather than simply suggesting that you enjoy each drink over ice — though I do understand that's the point of its bottled, ready-to-drink cocktails.