What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches - from sparkling water to cider
Hard Agave
Thorntail Hard Agave – a new 5% canned cocktail brand in the US – is launching Washington and Oregon in the QFC and Fred Meyer locations this month.
The drinks (pictured above) are made with fermented Blue Weber agave sourced from small organic farms in the Jalisco region of Mexico, along with real fruit and natural sweeteners.
Thorntail Hard Agave is available in three flavors - sea salt lime, peach strawberry and passionfruit guava.
With a 5% ABV, and only 110 to 120 calories per can, the “Thornies” are designed to be sippable and shareable year-round and in any social setting: ‘whether heading to a backyard barbeque, on your way to one of the Northwest’s best hiking trails or for a day out on the water with friends’.
“We thought about the clean health benefits of fermenting agave and saw an opportunity to create a more delicious, refreshing product that tasted crisp and could be enjoyed throughout the day without feeling the impact the next day," said CEO and founder Joel VandenBrink.
Tequila, a close relative to hard agave, is made from the fermentation and subsequent distillation of agave. Hard agave starts the same way but stops after the fermentation process, allowing for a flavorful and slightly carbonated drink.
Absolut and Ocean Spray team up on vodka cranberry cocktail
Absolut has introduced RTD cocktail Absolut and Ocean Spray Vodka Cranberry in the US.
The RTD range combines Absolut vodka, Ocean Spray cranberrry juice, crisp sparkling water and natural flavors.
The range includes Vodka Cranberry, Vodka Can-Grape, Vodka Cran-Pineapple and Vodka Cran-Raspberry.
"Absolut Vodka and Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice have long been enjoyed together at bars and in homes across the country," said Natalie Accari, Vice President, RTD & Convenience North America, Pernod Ricard USA.
"We’re pleased to bring this beloved classic cocktail from two powerhouse brands to our consumers in a convenient new format."
This is the first time Ocean Spray is bringing brand to the spirits category by licensing the brand for an RTD.
"We’re excited to work with Absolut to bring this iconic cocktail to consumers,” said Monisha Dabek, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager, USA at Ocean Spray.
“Ocean Spray has had a long history with the cocktail and is often credited with introducing the drink in the 1940s as a marketing tactic to showcase the variety of cranberry juice pairings. We love how far it has come in its nearly 80-year history and are excited to see renewed consumer excitement with the new ready-to-drink.”
Bodyarmor launches Zero Sugar version
Bodyarmor has launched Bodyarmor Zero Sugar: a drink ‘designed to deliver the latest in active hydration, loaded with potassium-packed electrolytes, antioxidants and B & C-vitamins needed to refuel, replenish and recover’.
Bodyarmor Zero Sugar is available across the US via Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers in four flavors: fruit punch, lemon lime, orange, and cherry lime.
Berry Microlyte
Hydration brand waterdrop has launched a new flavor in its Microlyte collection: Berry.
The Microlyte collection features small compact cubes that dissolve in water to create a flavored drink with a functional blend of five electrolytes, nine vitamins and zinc.
They have zero sugar or caffeine and are designed as a sustainable solution with minimum packaging.
Dalston's prebiotic drinks
London soda brand, Dalston’s Soda Co, is launching a new range of functional prebiotic drinks.
The ‘for your gut’ range is made with Dalston’s own “PREBIO blend”. Each 250ml can contains 3g of plant fibre, Magnesium (15% recommended daily intake), Zinc (15% recommended daily intake), and botanicals Baobab and Lemon Balm - traditionally known for their ability to aid digestion.
Founder Duncan O’Brien said: “Leading research shows that gut health is the foundation of broader wellness. The microbiome has the potential to impact immunity, digestion, skin health, focus, cognition, and even weight.
“Customers tell us they love Dalston’s because we’re a healthier soft drink that still tastes great, so we took our time ensuring our Pop with Perks range was both great tasting and truly stacked up in terms of real health benefits.”
Dalston’s is launching two flavors of Prebiotic Soda - Raspberry and Tropical - over the coming weeks across numerous wholesalers, on Amazon and via the brands DTC store. RRP £1.99 per 250ml can.
The brand, which counts former Vita Coco CEO Giles Brook among its investors, grew at more than double the rate of the wider soft drinks category in 2023 and is now available at Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Waitrose, Ocado and CO-OP.
All of Dalston’s drinks are made with real fruit and free from added sugar, artificial sweeteners or stevia.
500ml 'Big Dash' cans
DASH Water – the makers of wonky fruit-infused sparkling water – has launched 500ml ‘Big Dash’ cans.
These larger cans of popular flavours from DASH’s range of no-sugar, no-calorie and no-sweetener sparkling waters are now available across 130 Waitrose stores in the UK in Lime and Raspberry.
Jack Scott, co-founder of DASH Water, says: “We are so excited to be launching 500ml cans of our two best-selling flavours into Waitrose.
"The launch comes from insight from our webshop which found that over 50% of our customers drink more than one 330ml can of DASH a day, and a further 75% responded to say that they’d like to see the 500ml in their local store.”
Ground Control
Seattle’s Schilling Hard Cider has launched Ground Control: its latest non-alcoholic twist on cider, using fresh-pressed cider apples, cherry juice and apple cider vinegar.
Ground Control’s adult flavor profile is inspired by shrub-based cocktails, providing the ‘same zing and depth of flavor’ as an alcoholic Schilling Excelsior Imperial Cider without the alcohol.
A six pack retails at $12.99.
Cream tequila liqueurs
LWC Drinks, the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler, is introducing a new range of cream tequila liqueurs to the UK on-trade.
Promising to bring ‘flavor and flair to every fiesta’ from February 1, the Sombrero Mexicano range will be available to LWC customers.
The drink comes in three flavors – strawberry, mango and passionfruit – with distinct 70cl white bottles that lend themselves to ‘Instagrammable’ drinks.
