Study Predicts a Looming Market-Wide Shift From Hard Seltzers to Pre-Mixed Cocktails

Hard seltzer brands like White Claw have long dominated the RTD market. Now, pre-mixed cocktails are poised to gain the upper hand. Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

While the last few years were defined by the exploding popularity of hard seltzer brands like White Claw, Truly and High Noon, forecasts are predicting a market-wide shift within the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage industry.

The recently commissioned IWSR RTD study forecasts that consumer demand for RTD beverages will continue to increase until 2026, but that hard seltzers will take a back seat to a growing demand for premium and “fuller-flavored” drinks (pre-mixed cocktails).

Currently, hard seltzers make up 60% of the RTD segment in the United States. But their popularity is waning.

Brandy Rand, Chief Strategy Officer at IWSR Drinks Market Analysis explains, “Consumers in the U.S. have grown accustomed to the convenience and variety offered by RTDs, which has increasingly led to people trading up to spirit-based cocktails… as a result, hard seltzer volume is now projected to decrease after hitting all-time highs.”

Brands like Twisted Tea, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Lime-A-Rita have long bustled for space against hard seltzers on convenience store shelves. But now, more and more pre-mixed cocktail brands are beginning to hit the market.

Topo Chico Spirited is set for launch in 2023.

Cult-hit Topo Chico, a Mexican-based sparkling water company acquired by Coca-Cola in 2017, just announced a new line of 3 pre-mixed cocktails which are set to release in 2023. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola saw great success in this segment with the launch of Simply Spiked Lemonade.

Although the majority of pre-mixed cocktails are projected to include either vodka or tequila, the RTD market seems to be defined by trends separate from those in the spirits market.

In stark contrast to the tequila industry, demand for celebrity-backed RTD brands actually ranks lowest, while those produced by local craft breweries or distilleries rank the highest.

If this study is to be believed, we will see many more pre-mixed cocktails hit the shelves in years to come. Hard seltzers will give way to the likes of canned mojitos, gin & tonics, cosmopolitans and more.

Here at The Daily Pour, we do more than write about current events in spirit. We are the only media property reviewing spirits and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the spirit world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of spirit in your morning email, sign up for our Whiskey Deal of the Day Newsletter