Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails accounted for half of the top-performing new spirits available on Drizly this past quarter. According to Q2 sales data from the popular alcohol delivery e-commerce platform, between April and June of this year RTD cocktail products continued to provide consumers with new and innovative ways to enjoy spirits. Drizly predicts that the RTD cocktail sub-category will continue to surge through the summer months and beyond.

IWSR Drinks Market Analysis agrees with Drizly. The data company recently reported that the RTD category as a whole grew 62.3% by volume in 2020. The RTD cocktail/long drink sub-category controlled a small but formidable 6.9% of the total RTD category last year and continues to gain traction.

“Though the cocktail/long drink sub-category is still comparatively small by volume, the segment grew +52.7% in 2020 with canned cocktail growth spurred by on-premise closures and the on-premise pivot to ‘drinks to go,’ as well as more at-home consumption and outdoor socialization,” said Brand Rand, COO of the Americas for IWSR.

Fruit flavors are emerging as a summer favorite in RTD cocktails as well as hard seltzers. According to Drizly’s data, many of the best-selling new products on the platform are fruit-centric.

High Noon is Owned by E & J Gallo

High Noon’s new Tropical Variety Pack quickly became popular on the alcohol delivery site after its release earlier this summer. The limited edition 8-can variety pack features four flavors including Watermelon, Pineapple, Mango and Passionfruit. All flavors contain 100 calories, no added sugar and less than 3 carbs per 12 ounce serving. They are also gluten free.

High Noon Mango, which is part of the Tropical Variety Pack, was also recently released as an individual flavor. The mango variety has performed impressively this past quarter, earning it a spot of its own on Drizly’s roster of best-selling new RTD cocktail products.

High Noon is an interesting brand to categorize. Although the drinks feature hard seltzer, they are also crafted with spirits, real vodka, making them both a hard seltzer and an RTD cocktail. “This strategy has allowed High Noon to capture share of hard seltzer buyers and carry over into the RTD category,” stated Liz Paquette, Head of Consumer Insights at Drizly. “These offerings are lower calorie and lower sugar alternatives to other RTDs and often compete with hard seltzer.”

E&J Gallo’s High Noon is a regular on Drizly’s leaderboard. Between February 2020 and February 2021 the brand captured 7 spots on the alcohol delivery company’s top 10 best-selling RTD Cocktails list. The #1 spot went to the High Noon Variety Pack. Other flavors to make the list included Pineapple, Watermelon, Peach, Grapefruit, Black Cherry, and Lime.

Cutwater Spirits is Owned by Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch’s Cutwater Spirits also proved to be a cut above the rest this quarter. After the successful launch of Cutwater Mango Margarita in Q1, two new margarita flavors have become Drizly best-sellers in Q2. Cutwater’s Peach and Strawberry Margarita varieties have both received a warm welcome from Drizly users.

The brand, which calls its portfolio “America’s Most Awarded Canned Cocktails,” has won more than 1,100 awards to date for its RTD cocktails and bottled spirits. Like High Noon, Cutwater uses real spirits in its cocktails. Cutwater currently has 25 individual canned cocktail flavors including options with real vodka, rum, whiskey, gin and tequila.

As the RTD category continues to reimagine cocktails, it is also beginning to change the way consumers enjoy spirits. We are eager to see which new products shine on Drizly as the summer progresses.

Shirani Jayasuriya
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