9 of the Best Hard Lemonades to Try This Summer

Nothing says summer like ice-cold lemonade — and alcohol brands know it. In the past few years, canned hard lemonades have grown increasingly popular, and major beverage companies are continuing to get in on the trend. With new SKUs regularly hitting the market from both big brands and small, there are a lot of hard lemonades out there, and we wanted to determine which are the cream of the crop.

From crisp and sessionable to juicy and boozy, here are nine of the best hard lemonades to try this summer.

Sun Cruiser Strawberry Lemonade

Launched by the Boston Beer Company in March 2024, Sun Cruiser started out as a lineup of vodka-based hard iced teas, though the brand launched a lemonade-only expansion pack in April 2025. Available in four flavors, we most preferred the Strawberry Lemonade offering, which evoked childhood memories of sipping pink-hued lemonade under the sun. Rather than delivering a sugary, artificial flavor, the fruit flavor is reminiscent of biting into a perfectly ripe strawberry, with bright citrus acidity balancing any over-the-top sweetness. Juicy and bright, the lemonade lacks carbonation, but has no shortage of refreshing flavor.

Owl’s Brew Chelsea Handler’s Vodka Lemonade – Mint

In February 2025, stand-up comedian and seven-time New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Handler teamed up with Owl’s Brew to launch Chelsea Handler’s Vodka Lemonade variety pack. Inspired by Handler’s childhood love for lemonade, the product comes in three flavors — Classic, Pink, and Mint — with the latter SKU winning over our tasting panel. Punchy and herbaceous, mint leads the charge flavor-wise rather than playing second fiddle to the lemonade itself. Canned at 5 percent ABV, the carbonation-free lemonade offers bursts of citrus and a subtle sweetness to counter the zingy mint flavor.

Surfside Lemonade + Vodka

An undeniable category leader, Surfside’s Lemonade + Vodka was released in 2022 as part of the brand’s original variety pack, which also included Iced Tea, Peach Tea, and Half & Half. But while the teas may have had more fanfare at the start, it’s the Lemonade + Vodka that’s predicted to become the brand’s No. 1-selling item by July 4. Coming in at 4.5 percent ABV, Surfside’s original lemonade is equal parts sweet and puckering, with vibrant lemon acidity keeping things bright. With weighty viscosity on the palate, it drinks like a lemonade from childhood’s past, while only containing two grams of sugar.

Surfside Raspberry Lemonade + Vodka

A year and a half after Surfside hit the shelves, the brand followed up its initial launch with two brand-new teas and three new lemonade flavors: Raspberry, Strawberry, and Black Cherry. With jammy notes reminiscent of Smucker’s fruit preserves, the Raspberry was our favorite by far. Lush red berry permeates the taste buds before zippy lemon acidity kicks in on the finish to round things out. While certainly on the sweeter side, the relatively low amount of sugar and light ABV prevent the raspberry flavor from being cloying on the palate.

Lucky One Lemonade Original

In April 2025, Spirit of Gallo announced a brand-new RTD associated with the High Noon brand family: Lucky One Lemonade. Created in partnership with Barstool Sports founder and High Noon promoter Dave Portnoy’s rescue pit bull mix, Miss Peaches, Lucky One is vodka-based and non-carbonated, in line with many of the hard lemonades currently on the market. While the brand offers four flavors, we found ourselves most drawn to the original expression, which drinks more like a boardwalk lemonade than mass market bottled versions. Lightweight and with the perfect balance between sweet and sour, you’ll want to keep this stocked in your cooler all summer long.

Fishers Island Original

When Fishers Island Lemonade launched in 2014, the ready-to-drink market was relatively nonexistent, making the beverage one of the first premium craft cocktails packaged in a can. Acquired by Spirit of Gallo in 2023, Fishers Island’s Original Lemonade was inspired by the signature cocktail served at the Pequot Inn on Fishers Island, N.Y., which has both vodka and barrel-aged whiskey. With a flavor akin to a freshly made whiskey lemonade, the spirit provides the lemony drink with subtle baking spice and vanilla notes to balance the puckering acidity. Just be sure to proceed with caution should you crack one open: Each can is 9 percent ABV.

Fishers Island Nude Peach

Nine years after Fishers Island first hit the market, the brand launched Nude Peach, a stone-fruit-flavored version of its popular flagship cocktail. Similar to the Original, Nude Peach contains both whiskey and vodka, but is only 7 percent ABV, making it slightly more sessionable. With a flavor reminiscent of diced peach cups, the lemonade is juicy and bright, managing to avoid slipping into the candied and cloying category. While sweet, the citrus element prevents any peach flavor from lingering on the taste buds, keeping things light and crisp on the finish.

Simply Spiked Original Lemonade

Coca-Cola–owned Simply Beverages is one of America’s best-selling non-alcoholic lemonade brands, so it’s no real shock that its boozy lemonades are as tasty as they are. Unlike other beverages on this list, Simply Spiked Lemonade is a fermented malt beverage rather than one based with a spirit. Bursting with puckering acidity, the lemonade is vibrant and refreshing, with a pleasant sweetness keeping everything balanced.

Simply Spiked Blueberry Lemonade

For an even juicier and bold flavor than the original, opt for Simply Spiked’s Blueberry SKU, which wowed our tasters with its fresh-fruit flavor. While blueberry flavor can often taste like artificial blue raspberry, the fruit notes here taste like biting into plump, fresh blueberries at peak ripeness. The fruit juice makes for an ideal complement to the lemon, resulting in a beverage reminiscent of lemon blueberry pound cake.

*Image retrieved from Li Ding via stock.adobe.com

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