11 New Products for the Alcohol Section
By Steve Holtz on Feb. 28, 2018CHICAGO -- Several new beverage products are coming to market with the intention of grabbing the attention of consumers who have moved beyond beer.
From flavored malt beverages to hard ciders, liquor to drinks intended to be used as mixers, here are 11 products to consider for the beer door or shelf …
Arnold Palmer Spiked Half & Half
MillerCoors is rolling out its new take on the classic beverage of half iced tea and half lemonade. Arnold Palmer Spiked Half & Half, a joint partnership between MillerCoors and AriZona Beverages, is a noncarbonated blend of iced tea and lemonade made with real juice and select teas with 5% alcohol by volume. It's now available in 24-ounce cans and six-packs of 12-ounce slim cans.
To celebrate the launch, Arnold Palmer Spiked will be available at a wide variety of sporting events and festivals throughout the spring and summer. The brand will also host a series of launch party events at select Topgolf locations across the nation.
Zevia Mixers
The makers of Zevia sodas, sparkling waters and energy drinks continue to move into new beverage categories with a new line of zero-calorie mixers. Zevia Mixers are available in three flavors: Tonic Water, Dry Lemon Lime and what the company says is the first-ever zero-calorie Ginger Beer. The stevia-sweetened drinks are packaged in six-packs of 7.5-ounce cans.
Strongbow Rose Apple
Heineken USA’s Strongbow Hard Cider launched its newest flavor, Rose Apple, a semidry hard cider with a touch of red-fleshed apples. With a light, refreshing, fruity taste and 5% alcohol by volume, this newest addition to the Strongbow line is reminiscent of a rose wine but with 50% less sugar than leading U.S. hard ciders, the company said. Developed to capitalize on 45% year-on-year growth in rose wine sales, Strongbow Rose Apple, along with all Strongbow products, contains no artificial flavors or colors. It rolled out in February 2018 in six-packs of 11.2-ounce. bottles, the Strongbow variety 12-pack, and, for a limited time, 5.1-ounce mini-cans.
Natty Rush Plus
Anheuser-Busch is launching Natty Rush Plus in the flavored-malt-beverage segment. The drinks are available in three flavors—Hurricane Punch, Watermelon Smash and Blue Frostbite—and two sizes/alcohol levels: 25-ounce cans with 8% ABV and 8-ounce cans with 12% ABV.
Purity Vodka
Purity Vodka, an ultrapremium organic Swedish vodka, launched in the United States early this year. Made from organic winter wheat and barley, Purity Vodka comes to life in a handcrafted copper and gold still where each blend yields only a small batch; it's never rushed, so there's no compromise in the quality, the company said. Purity Vodka is certified organic and gluten-free. Suggested retail price is $29.99.
Bottoms Up Ginger Beer
Bottoms Up ginger beer is made with single-origin ginger and a clean ingredient list. By not filtering, blending, using extracts or adding fruit juices, Bottoms Up offers a classic ginger-beer option, the company said. The authentic flavor also makes it an ideal mixer for popular ginger-based cocktails, such as Moscow Mule cocktails, the company said. The producer made some upgrades by cutting the beverage's sugar content and switching to pry-off crown seals to maintain the highest quality and optimum oxygen barrier.
Rebel Coast THC wine
Rebel Coast Winery, “an award-winning California winery with a rebellious spirit,” has announced the launch of the world’s first legal, alcohol-removed, cannabis-infused wine. The new company’s marijuana-infused, premium Sauvignon Blanc is available now and set to begin shipping to dispensaries and residents in California in 2018 in compliance with the state’s new cannabis industry regulations. The patent-pending product has 4 milligrams of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) per serving and on average, affects consumers in less than 15 minutes, the company said. Retail price is $59.99 on the Rebel Coast website.
Kicktail Energy Mixers
Kicktail Energy Mixers are a new, first-of-its-kind natural energy cocktail mixer line. Kicktail Energy Mixers are enriched with caffeine, taurine and B-group vitamins, giving classic cocktails a boost of energy without compromising a customer’s drink of choice. The drinks are available in six all-natural flavors: Ginger Beer, Club Soda, Tonic Water, Cranberry, Lemon Lime and Cola.
Seagram’s Escapes Spiked Calypso Colada
Flavored malt beverage brand Seagram’s Escapes Spiked has launched its newest flavor: Spiked Calypso Colada. The product is now available nationwide in 23.5 ounce, single-serve cans. Suggested retail price is $2.50-$2.99.
Calypso Colada has gained widespread popularity among Seagram’s Escapes fans, inspiring its addition to the higher-alcohol Spiked line, the company said.
“After Jamaican Me Happy and Strawberry Daiquiri, Calypso Colada is our most popular Seagram’s Escapes flavor,” said Jennifer McCauley-Topor, brand director for Seagram’s Escapes. “We decided to roll it out in our higher ABV Seagram’s Escapes Spiked line to build off its fan base.”
Seagram’s Escapes Spiked launched late last year with two flavors: Spiked Jamaican Me Happy and Spiked Strawberry Daiquiri. Seagram’s Escapes Spiked Jamaican Me Happy is the No. 5 new brand in the total beer, flavored-malt-beverage and cider category and No. 3 best-selling new brand in total U.S. convenience, according to Nielsen data, she said.
Crispin Rose Cider
MillerCoors’ Crispin Cider kicked off 2018 with the launch of Crispin Rose Cider. The hard cider “offers drinkers the best of both worlds—the beauty of rose combined with the refreshing taste of a cider that’s less sweet and drier than standard ciders,” the company said. Crispin Rose comes in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles.
Brooklyn Crafted
Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Brooklyn Crafted has launched its Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beer in mini bottles to complement its 12-ounce line. The 7-ounce bottles are available in four flavors: Traditional, Earl Grey, Mango, and Lemon and Lime.