We tested pre-mixed cocktails to ring in the New Year… £9 bottle was a clear winner & half the price of an M&S favourite
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YOU can’t beat ringing in the New Year with a cocktail in your hand - and even better if it’s an easy-peasy pre-mixed one!. Whether you are hosting a party to welcome 2025, or just need to supply something to sip at midnight so you don’t arrive empty handed then ready-made tipples are the ideal solution.
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From minimum effort Martinis to sip straightaway sophisticated. Cosmopolitans, discounter Aldi has even launched a brand-new cocktail range just in time for Auld Lang Syne. Here, drinks expert HELENA NICKLIN is on hand to give her verdict on a range of supermarket made mixologist classics to ensure you have a very Happy New Year.
![[There's plenty on offer from all the major supermarkets - but some are a cut above the others when it comes to cocktails]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/christmas-cranberry-cocktail-rosemary-glasses-625856975.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The Marksologist range from M&S is proper, well considered stuff so naturally this pre-mixed cocktail has spawned some cheaper dupes. But what you get in this bottle is the real deal, even if it does taste slightly different to what you might be served in a bar.
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With a punchy kick of booze and quite heavy on the vanilla, this is full on, creamy, sweet and rich at the same time. Not a classic Espresso Martini but it’ll be for you if you’re not that much into a bitter caffeine kick. It now looks expensive next to the competition though with lots of cheaper comparisons on other supermarket shelves.
![[The Marks own brand Espresso is among the dearest]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/helena-nicklin-2024-958763729.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
With its identical ABV and similar shaped bottled, this is going for the same market as the M&S Espresso Martini is, but it’s on the shelves at half the cost. So does it win? On both price and taste, you betcha. This is a classic tasting caffeine-fuelled tipple that’s silky smooth to slurp with just a hint of salted caramel and the perfect hit of coffee.
![[The Aldi bottle guarantees a caffeine kick]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/helena-nicklin-2024-958763736.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
