The Best Bottled Cocktails

Cocktail purists will likely scoff at the idea of pre-mixed cocktails. And we can understand why. For a long time, they were pretty bad. But these days, a new generation of craft distillers are whipping up batches using top-shelf liquors and other quality ingredients. Some are even aged in oak barrels to further develop the flavors—making them even more appealing than a drink mixed on the spot. Not to mention, these bottles come in handy on lazy days and long summer weekends, when lugging around bottles or mixing up a proper cocktail can seem a bit too taxing.

Campari Negroni

Of course, it's not hard to mix up a negroni (or a variation on the classic), but the cocktail's signature bitter liqueur has made it even easier still by bottling up a batch mixed with a crisp gin and Cinzano sweet vermouth. Perfect for pouring by the pool or at a picnic, when you don't want to lug three different bottles.

$37.90 at Beechwood Wine & Liquors

Fluid Dynamics'
Barrel-Aged Cocktails

Fluid Dynamics's four bottled tipples—the Saratoga, the St. Nick, the Brandy Manhattan and the 1850—feature the California company's craft-method brandies and whiskeys. They're then mixed with liqueurs and other herbal ingredients and left to mellow in the Germain-Robin brandy cellars to deepen the flavors.

From $20 at Caddell Williams