Joia taps into RTD cocktail space with line of premixed spirit drinks

21-Aug-2016 - Last updated on 24-Aug-2016 at 08:41 GMT

Joia Spirit converts popular cocktails, like a cosmopolitan, into a RTD single-serve format.

Premium soda brand Joia has launched a line of premixed canned cocktails aimed at an on-the-go crowd looking to imbibe in a convenient and portable way.

Joia Spirit Craft Cocktails come in three varieties: Sparkling Greyhound, Sparkling Moscow Mule, and Sparkling Cosmopolitan, all in a slim 12-ounce can. Each

recipe uses what the company calls “premium vodka” without the use of high-fructose corn syrup.

“An explosion in food service will significantly expand the scope of craft sodas,” Joia CEO Bob Safford said. “But bringing innovation to the RTD cocktail space with the best tasting spirit-based drink is an even bigger opportunity that is distinct from and protected a bit from many of the other trends affecting the beverage category today.

”The drinks have an ABV level between 6% to 7% and will be sold in select markets for a suggested retail price of $3.99 for one can or $14.99 for a four-pack.

Joia also emphasized the fact that its drinks contain a lower calorie count of between 110 and 125 calories per 12-ounce serving compared to its competitors.

Transition from soda to alcohol was ‘natural’

Safford described the new line as a “natural evolution” for the brand ever since the company noticed one of the most popular uses for the soda (which come in grapefruit, chamomile, and cardamom flavors and one made with ginger, apricot, and allspice) was as a cocktail mixer.

He added that the new line combines “the best of two major beverage trends: the craft distilling craze and the recent trend towards hard sodas.”

He also said that the company’s line of RTD craft cocktails is designed to be higher quality and better tasting than malt-based products that are already on the market.

“We believe it’s the logical next step of the trend moving from craft beer to craft distillery and now to RTD cocktails with great taste, higher quality natural ingredients and on-the-go convenience to fit with millennials’ lifestyles.”