Just as bottled wine has moved to bagnums, so have cocktails moved from fancy glasses to something, well, a tad larger.

Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Gordon’s have all released 2L premixed cocktail casks, designed for an outdoor Aussie summer – take ‘em to a picnic, the beach or, hey, even your own backyard. All you need is a glass and some ice. Oh, and a bit of sunshine would be nice, too. Let’s send a prayer to the patron saint of La Nina, and see how we go.

So! What’s on the menu? First up we have The Captain Morgan Tropical Punch: pineapple blended with orange, lemon, lime and a touch of raspberry. It’ll give you that taste of the tropics you just can’t otherwise afford right now.

Next, there’s Gordon’s Pink Berry Cosmo. Treat yourself to Carrie Bradshaw’s fave tipple with zero effort (also zero foxy bartenders… bummer). You’ll get flavours of raspberry, redcurrant and cranberry, along with Gordon’s gin and a bit of lime zest.

The final entrant in our trilogy of mixology is Smirnoff Passionfruit Martini. It combines Smirnoff vodka and vanilla with passionfruit and lime. It’s a ‘tini bit naughty, but is otherwise delicious.

Sure, cask cocktails are not a patch on having some classy dude in a waistcoat shake up a fresh batch right in front of you, as you sit back (looking fabulous) in a five-star hotel bar. But these are challenging times, and this is good booze, for great value. AKA, bottoms up, without going broke.

Captain Morgan Tropical Punch, Gordon’s Pink Berry Cosmo and Smirnoff Passionfruit Martini 2L casks are available for $38 each at BWS, Dan Murphy’s and independent retailers. 

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