Adult soft drinks: What flavors appeal to consumers?

With consumers increasingly conscious of their alcohol intake, adult soft drinks aim to provide a sophisticated alternative to those wanting to cut down on alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, the category also provides a premium alternative to regular soft drinks as consumers look for new and different flavors.   

“In general we see there’s a huge trend towards adult soft drinks; alcoholic drinks are slightly decreasing,”​ explains Sarah Dorschner, product manager at Döhler. “So we have developed a lot of different concepts responding to this adult soft drink trend.”​

Döhler outlined some of the concepts and ingredients that can appeal to today’s adult consumers (targeted at those aged 25 and over) at drinktec in Munich this month. These include:

• Brewed soda: references the beer brewing process and provides an adult flavor profile through the fermentation notes.
• Bitter flavors: a move away from sweet
• Vinegar soda: appeals to consumers as an ‘authentic, reliable and believable ingredient’, providing an interesting sourness to products
• Cold brew: a smooth coffee taste