The New Spirit-Forward, Premium High ABV RTD's

Despite the prevalence of the low alcohol and no alcohol trend in ready to drink cocktails, an emerging trend towards premium and spirit forward ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs) continues to grow. According to an ISWR report from August 2023, consumers of the ever-evolving RTD beverage category “are increasingly trading up to spirit-based RTD cocktails, and the super-premium price tier of RTDs recorded a CAGR of +71% from 2018 to 2021.” High in alcohol and often made with premium spirits, these drinks are quite the opposite to those from the dwindling hard seltzer category.

Classic Cocktails & Not So Classic Cocktails

Social Hour Dickel Bourbon Smash — Social Hour Dickel Smash

Many of these drinks, like the cans and bottles from Via Carota (whose Signature Martini and Signature Manhattan were 2023 gold winners in the NY International Spirits Competition), St. Agrestis, Sagamore Spirits, and Novo Fogo, mimic the classic cocktails that folks love to mix up at home and imbibe in bars, others, like Social Hour’s limited run 8 year George Dickel Bourbon Smash amp up the alcohol (in this case, to a whopping 20%) for consumers who enjoy the taste of fine spirits. Companies like Empirical are reaching farther, offering high octane cans and offbeat botanical flavors for adventurous sippers.

Here’s a round-up of some more notable RTD’s that fit the upscale boozy trend

Tip Top Proper Cocktails

These cute, boozy 100 ml cans can be found on tray tables on Delta Airlines flights, and checkout counters all over the US. Spirit forward is their specialty old-fashioneds, negronis, and bees knees are their wheelhouse, while their jungle bird is a toe dip into tiki, and their latest, a stiff gin martini, is finding a home in freezers nationwide.

Why did Tip Top choose this unusually adorable format rather than highballs or spritzes? “The truth is we always wanted to do these cocktails in 100 ml cans to make them available on demand,” says Tip Top Co-Founder Neal Cohen. These classic cocktails are based on a formula that adds up to three ounces (base spirit plus modifier plus mixer), “if you are serving them in larger cans you are watering them down or filling them with sugar.”

Additionally, Cohen sees a clear trajectory in the RTD sales curve. “We are working on the hypothesis that beer consumers who moved to malt seltzers are not going back to beer. They are going on a new, spirit based journey as they mature as drinkers. They are ready to enjoy more sophisticated traditional cocktails and we are offering a crash course.”

Casatera Mango Tequila Seltzer — Casatera Tropical Collection

Casatera Tequila Seltzer

These skinny cans keep it simple–refreshing, no sugar, fizzy drinks with inoffensive (but skip the coconut) fruity flavors and real tequila mixed to 7% ABV for a nice buzzy summer cooler.

Hiro Black cherry & Watermelon Saketini cans

Hiro Saketini

Less a ‘tini and more a sake seltzer, the clean lean reputation of sake drives these slightly fruity, slightly sweet bubbly drinks that clock a 5% ABV. Made with Hiro Red, a junmai sake made in Murakami, Japan since 2011, the RTD could profit from the US sake boom even as sales decline in it’s home country.

Big Sipz

Wild flavors like chocolate martini and blue raspberry punch must be taken seriously when offered at 15-16% alcohol, although Big Sipz’s cartoony packaging leans more towards wacky than warning. Available in toteable 200 ml cans or shareable 500 ml tetra pack, these 90’s inspired drinks are available widely. Tetra pack’s popularity is growing among RTD producers like Dulce Vida for its recyclability and perceived sustainability. This aseptic packaging also preserves flavor and freshness and holds up to high proof and high acid concoctions.

Fabrizia Spirits

Hand-peeled Sicilian lemons go into the limoncello base for this line of bracing Italian lemonades. A splash of vodka or tequila take these still coolers to 7% ABV. Serve them tall over ice to all your lemon loving friends.

DIO

When Nicholas Bradley, the marketing guy behind Pangea Swimwear, teams up with party planner Bronson Van Wyck to create a line of canned cocktails, heads are gonna turn. Their twisted boozy classics come in vivid 200 ml cans in over-the-top collections named Divine Decadence and Pandora’s Box and appealing choices like a hibiscus rose French 75.

Greenbar Distillery

This LA-based distillery offers a West Coast twist in each of their large format (375 ml bottles), up-drink strength cocktails. They all feature Greenbar’s own organic spirits, each with its own unique roll call of botanicals, like their floral Poppy Amaro in a Negroni, and a liqueur made with three types of oranges in an Old-fashioned with house bitters and barrel-aged single malt whiskey.

XXI Martinis

Espresso. Chocolate. Peach. Raspberry. No, this list is not the roster from your local scoop shop, it’s your 15% ABV, ready-to shake-premium vodka martini flavors from Twenty-One (XXI) Martinis. Cold and colorful and strong, all you need is a cocktail shaker and plenty of ice to bring the martini to the party. Similarly, this summer Bacardi launched its 20% ABV TAILS line of shakeable cocktails including a passion fruit martini and a Cazadores pomegranate margarita in 375 ml bottles.