Why Celebrity RTDs Might Be Just What the Market Needs Right Now
Sarah Jessica Parker and The Perfect Cosmo
These days, when every trip to the convenience store reveals another endcap packed with colorful canned hard seltzers, beverage brands need to pull out all the stops to get their products noticed. In fact, canned RTDs (ready to drink) are seeing a case volume increases of 15%, according ot the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association data. While some beverage companies rely on nostalgia to sell their ready to drink cocktails, and others choose long established brands to partner with, some turn to celebrities to help achieve greater market share, following the playbook of spirits brands.
House of Love
According to CGA RTD drinkers are young (only 16% of drinkers are above the age of 55). They earn an average of $83,000 per year, and consumption skews just slightly more attractive to women (52%) than to men (48%). Yet interestingly, so far the celebrities endorsers have been mostly women. One notable exception is Sean “Diddy” Combs who along with CÎROC recently launched a tropical Vodka Spritz. In addition there’s been just one drag performer that we know of, RuPaul partnering with Svedka Vodka founder Marina Hahn to create their House of Love line of RTDs.
Skinny Girl cocktails
An Early Entry
Bethenny Frankel cracked the code when she launched Skinny Girl Cocktails, s supermarket line of large format, low calorie, ready-to-serve bottled drinks back in 2009 on the heels of her Bravo TV fame on The Real Housewives of NYC. She sold the margarita-fueled beverage company to Beam Suntory for a reported $100 million in 2011 but kept the rights to the Skinny Girl name.
Most recently actress, amateur mixologist and non-drinker Blake Lively just expanded her line of Betty Buzz mixers to include Betty Booze, a set of three sparkling culinary cocktails made from real booze and real juice.
A Brand with many Star Connections
Neil Patrick Harris After Hours Espresso Martini
In summer 2022, Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits, reignited the celebrity cocktail trend with the release of their line of premium, star-kissed drinks including The Perfect Cosmo by SJP from Sarah Jessica Parker, The Margalicious Margarita created by galpals Vanessa Hudgens, Rosario Dawson and Ashley Benson, and The Hardscatto from Playboi Carti. This year, Neil Patrick Harris is getting in the game by serving us his chocolate-y take on the “After Hours” Espresso Martini.
Pairing a Star with a star Bartender
Bartender Lynnette Marrero and DeLola
Jennifer Lopez called on superstar bartender Lynnette Marrero when she caught the RTD bug and launched DeLola in Spring 2023 with The Rock’s Teremana Tequila co-founders Ken Austin and Jenna Fagnan and her agent Benny Medina. Says Marrero, “I think what Jennifer was looking for, is a style of cocktail that you do build from restaurants. You’re constantly thinking about proof, how it doesn’t overpower food, but how you get big impact, big flavor. I actually started with just three ideas that were based on different culinary drinks. I knew we wanted to go spritz, I knew we wanted to go colorful bright refreshing.” Despite getting some blowback for having appeared to backtrack on her teetotaler image, Lopez was involved in the tasting process all along the way. Shares Marrero, “She was really great at really saying things she’d like and didn’t like, which I think is the best thing I can hear from somebody.” After trying an early version of the grapefruit spritz called Paloma Rosa, Lopez suggested incorporating elderflower, a flavor that ended up in the final formulation. She also put her mark on the elegant bottle, stamped with the Bronx crest, and chose the 750 ml size to encourage entertaining. (The brand recently also released 375 ml bottles perfect for toting on your yacht.) They chose a screw cap to allow the gentle carbonation (Marrero intentionally selected a small bubble, “It’s not meant to be a soda sparkle”) to stay lively in the fridge for several days.
Stars & Distillers
Katy Perry and Master Distiller Morgan McLachlan photo credit Monroe Alvarez
This summer, pop star Katy Perry partnered with Master Distiller Morgan McLachlan to create TrèsRosé for De Soi, a canned non-alcoholic aperitif meant to mimic a sparkling brut rose. They met in 2020 when both were pregnant and launched their line as young mothers trying to maintain a fun and healthy lifestyle. Packed with adaptogens like lion’s mane and rooibos, the drink plays on the theme of ‘maîtrise de soi,’ (‘self-control’ in French) while offering relaxing refreshment, says a company spokesperson.
DeLola RTDs
A Timely Offering for Bars
The celebrity RTD trend may have a positive impact on the bar industry. As post pandemic staffing models remain unpredictable and bar talent hard to come by, “Delola can be a really great solution. So [bars] always can offer something really fresh and bright and craft…and it’s predictable…consistent” says Marerro. “What I hope is that with someone’s influence like Jennifer, it just sheds a more positive light on what we do as bartenders and mixologists and that’s a really great opportunity. One to get that recognition for us to have such a big name behind us pushing us in this way. And also because it’s just opening up a whole another world for people, because there’s just not a craft cocktail bar every city in the world.”