Memorial Day weekend is 4 days out and Trader Joe’s patio-drink lineup has gotten genuinely strong this spring. Here are the 8 sparkling, frozen, and ready-to-pour picks I’d stock the cooler with — a mix of zero-proof for the brunchers and proper ready-to-drink cocktails for hosts who don’t want to play bartender.
1. Sparkling Lychee Juice Beverage — $3.99 / 4-pack
This is the one I’ve been telling friends about since it landed on the shelf last month. It’s a limited spring-to-summer release, lightly carbonated, and the lychee flavor is floral without being perfumey. Perfect for guests who don’t drink alcohol but still want something that feels like an occasion.
Taste Test
Delicate floral sweetness with a clean finish — nothing cloying, nothing artificial. Drinks more like a sparkling rosé than a juice, which is exactly why it works at a patio table.
Serve It This Way
Pour over ice in a coupe glass with a sprig of fresh mint and a thin lime wheel. If you want to spike it for the adult half of the cooler, a half-ounce of vodka turns it into an instant lychee spritz.
Pairing Tip
Pairs beautifully with grilled shrimp skewers or anything with citrus and herbs.
Verdict
BUY — The crowd-pleaser of the lineup, equally at home as a mocktail or a cocktail base.
2. Everything But The Bartender Mango Habanero Margarita — ready-to-drink 4-pack
This is Trader Joe’s house ready-to-drink margarita line and the mango habanero variant is the one I keep going back to. It’s pre-mixed, properly balanced, and means I don’t have to stand at the blender all afternoon while everyone else is eating.
Taste Test
Ripe mango sweetness up front, then a slow habanero warmth that builds across two or three sips rather than slapping you. Tart enough to cut through barbecue, sweet enough to feel like a vacation drink.
Serve It This Way
Pour straight over crushed ice in a salt-rimmed glass with a wedge of lime. For a frozen version, blend one can with a cup of ice and a handful of frozen mango chunks — five seconds of work for a frosted-glass moment.
Pairing Tip
Tacos al pastor, carne asada, or anything off the grill with a chili-lime rub.
Verdict
BUY — The single best “I am not bartending today” decision you can make this weekend.
3. Organic Jalapeño Limeade — $2.99 / 32 oz
Don’t let the jalapeño on the label scare you — this is more of a slow warmth than a five-alarm situation. I keep a bottle in the fridge from May through August because it doubles as a mocktail and a cocktail mixer with no extra effort.
Taste Test
Bright lime tartness, real sugar sweetness, and a green pepper finish that registers more as freshness than heat. Genuinely refreshing on a hot afternoon.
Serve It This Way
Over ice with a splash of soda water and a cucumber ribbon makes a beautiful zero-proof spritz. For hosts, an ounce of tequila and a squeeze of lime turns it into a spicy skinny margarita in 30 seconds.
Pairing Tip
Goes with anything spicy — buffalo chicken, jerk wings, or a black bean burger.
Verdict
BUY — Workhorse bottle that earns its fridge space all summer.
4. Sparkling Strawberry Juice — $3.99 / 4-pack
This one tastes like a strawberry shortcake without the sugar bomb. It’s a real juice base — not a flavored seltzer — so the strawberry character is rounder and fruitier than you’d expect from a can.
Taste Test
Ripe, jammy strawberry with a clean carbonated finish. Sweeter than the lychee but not syrupy, and it holds up well even after ice melts into it.
Serve It This Way
Pour into a wine glass with a basil leaf and a splash of balsamic — surprisingly grown-up. Or pour over prosecco for an instant strawberry mimosa that’s better than the brunch version.
Pairing Tip
Cheese board, prosciutto-wrapped melon, or anything with goat cheese.
Verdict
BUY — The mocktail option that actually feels celebratory.
5. Sparkling Coconut Water with Yuzu — $3.99 / 4-pack
I bought this on a whim two summers ago and now it lives in the rotation. Yuzu is the Japanese citrus that splits the difference between a Meyer lemon and a mandarin, and pairing it with coconut water makes for a drink that’s hydrating without being boring.
Taste Test
Light, dry, almost mineral, with a bright citrus snap on the finish. Not sweet — this is the can you reach for when you’ve had three sugary drinks and need a reset.
Serve It This Way
Straight from the can over ice with a slice of fresh ginger. For cocktails, it makes an excellent gin-and-coconut highball with a splash of elderflower.
Pairing Tip
Sushi spread, poke bowls, or grilled fish tacos.
Verdict
BUY — The grown-up hydration can; great between cocktails or after a long afternoon in the sun.
6. Sparkling Black Tea with Peach Juice Beverage — $3.99 / 4-pack
This is a sneaky favorite — it scratches the iced-tea itch and the sparkling-drink itch at the same time. Light caffeine, real peach juice, and just enough fizz to keep it interesting.
Taste Test
Brewed black tea body with ripe peach on top — like a peach Snapple grew up, lost the sugar bomb, and learned about carbonation. Crisp finish, no aftertaste.
Serve It This Way
Over ice in a tall glass with a peach slice and a sprig of thyme. For an evening version, add a shot of bourbon and call it a porch tea.
Pairing Tip
Pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, or a caprese salad.
Verdict
BUY — The “I want iced tea but fancier” can; works from brunch through sundown.
7. Sparkling Pineapple Juice — $3.99 / 4-pack
If you’ve ever had a pineapple soda at a backyard cookout and thought “I want that but less sweet,” this is the can. It’s real pineapple juice with light carbonation, no syrup, no artificial anything.
Taste Test
Tart-sweet tropical pineapple with that signature acidic snap on the back end. Bright, juicy, and somehow lighter than the juice-box version of pineapple juice.
Serve It This Way
Pour over crushed ice with a maraschino cherry and a paper umbrella if you’re feeling festive. Spiked, it turns into a five-second piña colada with a splash of coconut cream and white rum.
Pairing Tip
Grilled pork tenderloin, Hawaiian-style sliders, or anything teriyaki.
Verdict
BUY — Tropical without being tacky; works in mocktails and tiki drinks equally well.
8. French Market Sparkling Pink Lemonade — $3.99 / 4-pack
This is the can I hand to guests when they ask for “something light, nothing too sweet.” It’s based on the French Market lemonade Trader Joe’s has carried for years, and the sparkling version is the upgrade I’ve been waiting for.
Taste Test
Crisp lemon tartness with a hint of red berry sweetness — drier than most pink lemonades, closer to a French citron pressé than a kids’ drink. Clean, dry, and very easy to drink two of.
Serve It This Way
Over ice with a fresh raspberry and a basil leaf. For cocktails, an ounce of vodka and a squeeze of lemon makes a beautiful pink lemonade spritz that looks better than it has any right to.
Pairing Tip
Burgers, hot dogs, and anything off the grill that wants something tart and bubbly alongside.
Verdict
BUY — The closer; the last can in the cooler always gets fought over.
That’s the patio-drink bar for the weekend — four cans plus a bottle of jalapeño limeade covers somewhere between $25 and $30 and feeds a table of six through the afternoon. The mango habanero margarita is the single most useful thing in the lineup if you’re hosting, and the sparkling lychee is the bottle that gets the most “what is this?” follow-up questions from guests.
Hit reply with which one you grabbed — we read every one.
