Dive Brief:
- The Coca-Cola Company is launching a vodka-based version of its Minute Maid lemonade and pink lemonade as beverage giants look to make a splash in the buzzy canned cocktail sector.
- The drinks, to be released through Coke's alcohol subsidiary Red Tree Beverages, have 5% alcohol-by-volume, do not contain carbonation and come in flavors including classic lemonade and pink lemonade. The brand is also launching a line of Minute Maid Spike Vodka Punch, with flavors like citrus, berry and tropical punch.
- The Coca-Cola subsidiary’s move into spiked lemonade comes as food and beverage giants look to expand into the RTD space by leveraging well-known brand names. Kraft Heinz earlier this month entered the alcohol sector for the first time with the release of a Crystal Light vodka refresher.
Dive Insight:
The Coca-Cola subsidiary’s latest launch showcases a broader evolution in the RTD space toward spirits-based cocktails and non-carbonated juice refreshers.
The vodka cocktails expand on the debut of wine-based Minute Maid Spiked last year, which includes flavors Strawberry Daiquiri and Blue Hawaiian. The soda giant also sells Simply Spiked Lemonade canned RTDs, which are malt-based and lightly carbonated, in partnership with Molson Coors.
Coca-Cola’s foray into alcohol includes partnerships with Brown-Forman on Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola, and Constellation Brands on Fresca Mixed. Red Tree Beverages said in the press release it brought these products to market “through its relationships with authorized independent manufacturers.”
Some of the most popular canned cocktail brands have found success by honing in on the quality of their spirits. Non-carbonated vodka-infused tea and lemonade brand Surfside was the second best-selling canned cocktail made with spirits in 2024, with 378% year-over-year sales growth.
Surfside’s success with vodka cocktails clued the industry into a desire among younger drinkers for ready-to-drink cocktails that contain higher quality spirits, compared to malt-based canned drinks popularized in the late 2010s.
The Minute Maid Spiked drinks also seek to fulfill the growing desire for canned cocktails that are non-carbonated. Last year, Molson Coors debuted Happy Thursday spiked refreshers, aimed at Gen Z consumers.
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