As a brand born to mix, Absolut is entering the Ready-to-Serve category with its new Absolut Cocktails line with flavours Vodka Mojito and Raspberry Lemonade. As the #1 premium imported vodka1, Absolut’s latest mixology innovation delivers bar-quality cocktails that are refreshingly tasty with a twist and in a convenient format that saves the time and preparation that goes into making cocktails. Absolut’s latest innovation allows for easy hosting occasions with bar-quality cocktails without taking away from time shared with family and friends.
“With prepared cocktails as the fastest growing spirits category, trending to overtake wine and spirits this year, we’re excited for Absolut to officially enter into the Ready-to-Serve space,” said Reshma Dhati, Senior Brand Director of Marketing, Absolut. “We’re giving time back with family and friends, without sacrificing on the bar-quality cocktails that Absolut is known for.”
Through consumer research, Absolut saw very strong performance with Raspberry Lemonade and Vodka Mojito cocktails. In the flavoured vodka space, Vodka Lemonades are performing strongly in the market and a signature cocktail that the brand is mixed with. These classic beloved RTS cocktails (with 15% ABV) have a light and sweet twist and offer a convenient multi-serve format (5 servings per bottle) that’s perfect for sharing or enjoying at home – on the rocks or chilled neat.
Who’s Next?
While it’s a trend that’s catching on, Absolut isn’t the only one taking up this market space.
VK
Ready-to-drink (RTD) brand VK has launched a campaign calling on consumers to select the flavour for its next expression, which will be released this summer. The campaign, titled #WeAreFlavour, was delivered across the UK by the brand’s student ambassadors– both offline through flavour samplings at student sites and in bars, and digitally on social media.
VK’s senior brand manager, Daniella Mulvey, said: “Over the years, we’ve seen just how passionate people across the UK are about VK, with many people firmly backing a favourite in the lineup – from Tropical Fruits to Black Cherry. As the number one RTD for flavour, VK not only delivers with category-leading SKUs such as VK Blue, but across the lineup too, seeing more demand for the entire range than any other RTD, and delivering a higher ROS [return on sales] as a result.”
“So what better way to share and celebrate our flavour range than by letting fans choose the next addition to the lineup? We can’t wait to continue building excitement for the whole range, and above all else, continuing to deliver the flavours that consumers want.”
Consumers had until 9 February to submit their flavours on the ‘VK Flavour Vault’ on the brand’s website, and the four finalists were announced on 19 February. From there, consumers were able to vote for their favourite flavour with the winner revealed at a launch party. The winner was Watermelon.
Diageo
Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Diageo is debuting its super-premium vodka brand, Cîroc, in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category with the launch of two brand-new sparkling vodka drinks – Cîroc Summer Citrus (5% ABV) and Cîroc Tropical Passion (5% ABV) – available in 250ML formats across the grocery, wholesale and convenience channels.
The RTD segment is the fastest growing within the total alcohol category, and premium options have driven this growth by +33% in recent months. Cîroc Summer Citrus and Cîroc Tropical Passion aim to give retailers an opportunity to tap into the macro trend for affordable indulgence and provide consumers with a sense of luxury when enjoying an RTD format.
Celebrating Cîroc’s most popular and highest performing innovations from the past few years, Cîroc Summer Citrus and Cîroc Tropical Passion will now be expertly mixed with deliciously sweet and sparkling lemonade in a convenient format, creating the perfect serve every time. Playing to the strength of the brand equity, during consumer taste tests, 82% of those surveyed said they would intend to purchase the new SKUs.
Conor Brown, Cîroc Brand Manager, Diageo GB, said: “Our core Cîroc range has performed well for many years across the off-trade, with our flagship Cîroc Blue Dot vodka variant owning the highest rate of sale across the super-premium vodka category. Cîroc is also well known for flavour innovation, having made our popular limited-edition flavour variants, like Summer Cirtus, a permanent fixture of the portfolio due to demand.”
“The brand’s move into the RTDs space feels like a natural progression, giving our customers across the grocery, wholesale and convenience channels the opportunity to excite and intrigue their shoppers with brand-new, super-premium RTD options. Particularly as we approach the summer, the new range is ideal for attracting shoppers who are on the go, attending festivals, planning get-togethers with friends such as BBQs and picnics, and looking to elevate those occasions with a more premium option.”
The cans have been designed to lean into the brand’s position as one of the biggest super premium vodka brands in the GB market. Vibrant ombre backgrounds bring to life the blend of flavours within each can, with gold foil and accents creating a luxury look and feel. The iconic Cîroc Orb takes a leading position, aiming to align the new SKUs with the recognisable range of flavour vodkas in Cîroc’s portfolio. The launch of Cîroc Summer Citrus and Cîroc Tropical Passion will be supported by a disruptive marketing campaign across social and digital, making the launch unmissable to shoppers throughout the summer months and beyond.
Next Century Spirits
US-based Next Century Spirits has acquired a minority stake in canned cocktail producer Vide. Founded in 2019 in New York, Vide’s RTD portfolio features flavoured Tequila and vodka canned drinks. Variants include watermelon, cranberry, mango and peach. “Adding Next Century Spirits into the framework of our business will allow us to scale nationally to be the top alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage brand in the country that is committed to consumer transparency,” Vide co-founder Sal Campisi said.
Anthony Moniello, Next Century Spirits’ co-CEO, said: “I’ve been so impressed with Vide’s growth thus far and I love how the portfolio uses real vodka and tequila within its products. Broadly speaking, the RTD category is hyper-competitive but we see the tequila RTD space as an underdeveloped category where we have an opportunity to scale growth.”
RTDs are set to outpace vodka and whisk(e)y to become the US’s most valuable spirits category by 2027, according to analysis by GlobalData, Just Drinks’ parent company. Worth $11.2bn in 2017, the US “flavoured alcoholic beverages” category could reach a value of $52.5bn by 2027, outpacing whisk(e)y by $11.1bn and vodka by $31.2bn.
Tequila and mezcal are also set for a decent boost in the US, rising from a category value of $6.9bn in 2017 to a predicted $16.7bn by 2027. Next Century Spirits was founded in North Carolina in 2018 by Joel Pawlak and Scott Bolin. It creates custom formulations for those looking to enter the beverage market and covers spirits such as whiskies, vodka, gin, rum and Tequila, as well as RTD cocktails.
BrewDog Distilling
Scottish producer BrewDog Distilling Co has unveiled Wonderland Cocktails, its debut range of ready-to-drink (RTD) serves. Designed to ‘bring the bar-quality experience directly to consumers’, Wonderland Cocktails has debuted with five canned serves: Classic Mojito, Classic Margarita, Espresso Martini, Cantarito Paloma, and Passionfruit Martini.
Stephen Kersley, managing director of BrewDog Distilling, said: “The culmination of 18 months of work is now here in the form of Wonderland Cocktails, born from a time-honoured mission to bring our range of spirits to life in delicious, bar-quality, ready-to-drink cocktails. The range is a mixture of cocktails that we love to drink and that our customers most wanted us to create. Our goal was to create serves with vast appeal; we’ve created bar-quality RTDs that you can enjoy on every occasion.”
Wonderland Cocktails are laced with BrewDog Distilling’s newly launched spirits: LoneWolf gin, Abstrakt Vodka, and Duo rum. The cans are said to have been designed with an ‘innovative feature’, which allows consumers to shake each of the cocktails to aerate the product and deliver a ‘smoothness’ of serve and additional texture. “We’ve made sure that these cocktails taste unlike any other canned cocktail you’ve experienced before, and that’s why our cans are slightly oversized,” Kersley explained. “We’ve left just enough space for you to shake your cocktail, creating silky flavour texture just like it would be in a bar. It’s time to go on an adventure with cocktails.” Each of the cocktails in the series have been crafted with ABVs ranging from 10% to 14%. Kersley confirmed that the company is “constantly working on new liquid”, and will be exploring more cocktail variations for launch in 2024.
J20
J2O, the UK’s number one adult soft drink, is expanding its offering with ready-to-drink Mocktails this month, launching a three-strong premium range of non-alcoholic options. Strawberry & Orange Blossom Mojito, White Peach & Mango Daiquiri, and Blackberry & Blueberry Martini flavours will all be available within the grocery channel. The move is set to help the brand expand its appeal into even more occasions, at a time when non-alcoholic options are continuing to gain relevance.
The non-alcoholic market in the UK has been growing steadily in recent years, with a third of UK adults abstaining from alcohol entirely, and is projected to reach a valuation of £432 million by 2027. These products are designed for consumers seeking more elevated experiences and interesting flavours that match up to the mocktail experience they get out-of-home, but for a fraction of the cost at home. J2O is set to offer these shoppers a great tasting experience, in one convenient product.
Ben Parker, Retail Commercial Director at Britvic, comments: “As a well-known and trusted brand, we are always looking at ways to stay innovative, and the launch of our J2O Mocktails will help us to offer shoppers even more choice, as well as entice consumers to trade up. We know that many people are looking for ways to make their ‘big night in’ or special occasions at home stand out, to even measure up to an evening out.”
“At the same time, the non-alcoholic drinks market is gaining relevance as people consider their alcohol intake and J2O Mocktails will allow retailers to take advantage of the opportunity this presents. With taste the number one driver of soft drinks, the products have been designed to offer delicious flavours based on some of the most popular cocktails, only without the alcohol.”
No other spirits category has skyrocketed in recent years like the ready-to-drink cocktail. From canned gin and tonics and bottled Negronis to craft cocktails packaged in pouches and bags-in-a-box, spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails have come a long way since the days of sticky-sweet Margaritas in jugs.
The pandemic accelerated this already-growing segment of the RTD category, as people sought easy ways to enjoy their favourite drinks when bars and restaurants were shuttered. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, pre-mixed cocktails and spirits-based RTDs were the fastest-growing spirits category in 2021; there was a 42 percent increase in revenue and a 56 percent increase in sales volume from 2020. In 2022, they accounted for 13 percent of the total RTD market—a five percent jump from the previous year.