Review: Thomas Ashbourne Ready To Drink Cocktails

By Monica Uhm | June 12, 2022 |

Thomas Ashbourne is a new brand that partners with celebrities to bottle and can ready-to-drink cocktails. The objective is to offer top-of-the-line variations of favorite cocktails that are as simple to obtain as popping open a bottle or can.

There is always plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding any celeb-related project so best to override any fanfare and just get right to it.

Thomas Ashbourne The Perfect Cosmo by SJP – With a pink blush hue, the cocktail made ubiquitous by Sarah Jessica Parker’s character on Sex and the City kicks things off as aesthetically right on brand. And the drink works: The nose is enticing with refreshing strawberry and citrus notes. The palate is as well balanced as you can demand of a cosmopolitan, and the cranberry and strawberry fruit base actually leans towards the velvety sweetness of stone fruit. The sweetness sits just right alongside with the vodka though it’s not harsh. All told, this cosmopolitan-in-a-can is delightful, and concentration feels perfect for pouring over a generous serving of ice. 40 proof. A [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Thomas Ashbourne The Margalicious Margarita – This cocktail is brought to you in collaboration with Ashley Benson, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Hudgens. The nose on the Margalicious is bright with lime citrus along with some of the astringency of alcohol. The palate follows suit with a bold delivery of the sweet-tart of lime juice and some pretty kicking tequila. This sits right on that fine line of being more serious than the all-day beachside sipper that tends to lean more on the lime juice and sweetener and just shy of the hard-core bar margarita that can often come with a heavy hand on the tequila. Another solid drink. 40 proof. A [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Thomas Ashbourne The Classic Old Fashioned – Here we have a John Cena collaboration. In comparison to the previous offerings, the alcohol is rather overpowering on the nose here, with some intriguing rich vanilla custard and clove-spiced orange notes. On the palate, a bombardment of butterscotch in the whiskey comes off as a bit brash. Given how well-balanced the other drinks have been, I was a little disappointed at how rough this cocktail came across, veering a bit too much into the dessert palate than expected. 50 proof. B- [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Thomas Ashbourne The Hardscatto – In full transparency, I have never had a cocktail similar enough to the Hardscatto to have a reference point for it. For those similarly bemused, Playboi Cari’s Hardscattto is “a hard spirit reminscent of muscat blanc grapes, with aromas of peach, apricot, and elderflower.” Fortified wine offers a dense, musty character, but that changes quickly, as I have yet to come across a stone fruit and elderflower concoction that didn’t elevate a cocktail. I would venture that one would need to know what you are being served and expect the unique notes of fortified wines when getting into this, otherwise the drink may throw you off. With that setup, this makes for a nice late-night sipping cocktail for sitting under the stars on the outdoor deck of a lounge. 50 proof. A- [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

All told: Thomas Ashbourne has started off on a very promising foot.

each $26 per 4-pack of 200 ml cans / thomasashbourne.com