Coca-Cola is teaming up with Jack Daniel’s distiller Brown-Forman to make a Jack-and-Coke cocktail in a can.
The mashup is the latest development in the rapidly growing canned cocktail segment. In fact, the ready-to-drink cocktail category grew 53% last year and is projected to grow another 29% over the next three years, according to data from IWSR Drinks Analysis, CNN reported (May 28).
Other recent releases include Simply Spiked Lemonade, a collaboration between Coke and Molson Coors, as well as Boston Beer and PepsiCo’s boozy Mountain Dew.
Against this backdrop, The Food Institute spoke with City National Bank Vice President Steve Ramirez and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi on a recent episode of The Food Institute Podcast to discuss canned cocktail developments and other trends in the alcoholic beverage market.
HEALTH & WELLNESS, CONVENIENCE TOP DRIVERS
Some canned cocktails are seen as healthier and more convenient by consumers, which is a motivator for buying them.
“I think what’s going on is that a lot of emerging consumers go towards a more fruitful flavor profile, something that’s more health conscious,” said Ramirez. “I think that’s what’s top of mind with them.”
“What is really driving [growth] is this murky convergence of health and wellness and convenience,” said Modi. “Instead of carrying that cosmopolitan, or that vodka soda … and potentially spilling it, you have it in a very convenient package type. And you can make it portable.”
GEN Z’S IMPACT
As with many areas, Gen Z is certainly having an impact on the alcohol market.
“If you think about Gen Z, they are less reliant on beer and wine than preceding generations,” noted Modi. “Only 50% of Gen Z drinkers reported consuming wine regularly compared to 59% for Millennials, and 43% report drinking beer regularly versus 58% for Millennials, so you’re actually seeing this shift.”
Numerator insights also show that Gen Z consumes spirits at the same frequency as Millennials, but are more likely to choose categories like tequila, vodka, cognac, and whiskey.
Gen Z is also staying at home more than their predecessors.
“This kind of new legal drinking age consumer group has been staying home more often than preceding generations,” added Modi. “They obviously have a lot of streaming opportunities, they have social media, they’re just getting out less. And so they’re pre-gaming more at home.”
