Ferron Salniker is the Spirits Editor, guiding our coverage of the spirits and RTD cocktail space. She reports for BevNET.com and Brewbound.com on everything from new subcategories in established liquor types to the growth of the craft spirits business.
Two independent ready-to-drink (RTD) brands are betting Americans are ready to mix their wine with cola. Little Sun’s Calimocho and Wine and Cola, two Southern California-based companies inspired by the Spanish staple cocktail Kalimotxo, have hit the market recently with different spins on the liquid, branding and sales strategy.
Rohan Radhakrishnan and Fabian Clark’s first attempt at building a mid-proof spirits category didn’t go as planned. Now, they’re trying again.
August’s ready-to-drink releases include a Bay Area canned cocktail brand suiting up with the 49ers and a top sparkling wine brand making its RTD debut, plus several fall-themed cocktails and one controversial breakfast-flavored libation. Here’s what’s new on shelf.
Morales Beverage Group (MBG) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) Indiana assets and operations, the companies announced today. The deal would add a sixth state to MBG’s distribution footprint.
Pernod Ricard closed a rough fiscal 2026 with organic net sales down nearly 4% globally and 14% in the U.S., but CEO Alexandre Ricard used the company’s full-year results call to highlight where the French spirits giant is seeking growth, including ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails.
Verlaine, the Lower East Side bar synonymous with New York’s lychee martini, is about to see whether two decades of happy hour fame can translate into retail sales.
One of the Southeast’s largest beer distributors, Gulf Distributing Holdings, is investing in its spirits division, pairing a newly created leadership role with its latest infrastructure investment.
Ready-to-drink cocktails (RTD) carry the highest average price per serve of any category, yet are experiencing the most growth – undercutting old assumptions about what ‘trading up’ means to consumers.
RTD brands are doing disproportionate work in bev-alc innovation – and the brands investing in innovation are twice as likely to grow their overall business, according to a new NIQ report.
Mission Craft Cocktails’ Pickle-Rita, a gag that was supposed to die on April Fools’ Day, is headed to grocery stores in September.
YOSHI Matcha Liqueur is moving from a two-state test market to national distribution in under a year, testing its thesis that the popularity of espresso martinis and matcha prove there’s demand for green tea-laced cocktails.
Sazerac has signed a binding agreement to acquire Au Vodka, a top-selling ready-to-drink (RTD) canned vodka brand in the UK. The deal continues the Fireball owner’s two-year buying spree and marks its largest push yet into the UK market.
The latest spirits distribution headlines include RTD gin cocktail The Original Southside landing in major retailers, a wave of Southern Glazer’s (SGWS) additions spanning vodka, rum, and scotch, and distributors scooping up new territory in the wake of Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) collapse, among other moves.
Adult Non-Alc (ANA) beverage sales passed $1.08 billion in U.S. off-premise sales in 2026, with the real number likely higher when counting on-premise and alternative channel sales. But more than halfway through 2026, that growth is slowing as the category matures.
