It’s hard to resist those tiny, 4 oz cans that offer a single serving cocktail, ready to pour into glass and knock back, no mixing required. San Francisco-based Golden Rule Spirits offers two such offerings, both made with authentic ingredients (no malt liquor here) and coming in at 80 to 100 calories per serving. (Though at two servings per can, this could be the smallest margarita you’ve ever had.) Let’s try both.

Golden Rule Margarita Original – A blend of 100% agave tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. It’s a fairly basic expression of a margarita, to be honest. The tequila feels slightly brutish and bruising, heavy on the earthy agave notes and short of some needed acidity. A brighter lime juice component — or more triple sec, or some sweetener — could help here, as the finished product is definitely on the astringent side. For a $5 margarita, though, I’ve had worse. 54 proof. B- 

Golden Rule Old Fashioned – Made from three-year-old high-rye bourbon, bitters, cane sugar, and orange. A slightly pushy rendition of an old fashioned, very spicy with a huge bitter influence that comes across as lightly chocolatey and peppery. Some ice melt helps calm things down and allows the citrus notes to integrate a bit better with the frontier-style bourbon in the blend. Some curious notes of fennel or anise — again, perhaps driven by the bitters — give the finish a strange complexion. Some additional sweetness is definitely in order on this one. 79 proof. B 

each $20 per four-pack of 100ml cans / goldenrulespirits.com

Golden Rule Margarita Original

$20

7

Rating

7.0/10