Ready-to-drink cocktails used to feel like a beach cooler

Ready-to-drink cocktails used to feel like a beach cooler compromise; now some of them are more consistent than what you get at a rushed bar on a Friday night. The interesting shift is that spirits brands suddenly have to think like chefs and package designers too — texture, dilution, carbonation, even how the drink tastes straight from a cold can instead of over ice changes the whole game.