Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Whiskey Sunshine and Whiskey Buck Review

By Richard Thomas

Although they were around prior to March 2020, it was the Pandemic that brought canned and bottled cocktails into their own. My talks with spirits industry marketers indicated that much of that was driven by the (inexplicable) popularity of flavored seltzer drinks. Cut off from bars, more folks paid attention to them. Distillers, bars and liquor companies either foresaw or responded to this interest, and created new products to meet it.

Whereas I hope the flavored seltzer trend dies the same ignominious death as Zima, I am glad to see canned and bottled cocktails continue. Initial forays into this sector were cheap and either boring or noxious, but much of what has come about these last few years has been rather good, if often simple. Simple and good aptly describes two canned cocktails from Hochstadter’s Slow & Low, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, since the company started out several years ago with their flagship Rock & Rye.

Seeing as how we are speaking of riffs on the Mule and the Collins, simple is the point. These are meant to be light, refreshing cocktails, perfect for summertime drinking, and they don’t disappoint. The Sunshine is rye whiskey with yuzu, lemon juice, oroblanco and sweet orange, while the Buck is rye with ginger beer and lemon. I served the Buck in the same pewter julep cups I use for my bourbon and moonshine riffs on the Mule, and it turned out marvelously and saved me the (admittedly modest) effort of making a Mule from scratch.