Vodka + Ade

Competition in the vodka-based tea and lemonade segment is fierce. Many brands offer similar flavor and pack formats. Packaging is often similar, with light color palettes and visual cues to the sun.

Mark Anthony Brands navigated the hard seltzer gold rush phase with White Claw coming out on the other side as the segment’s top-selling brand. The company is looking to repeat in the fast-growing hard sports drink segment with a challenger brand: RefreshAde.

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter October 8-9, including headlines from SpikedAde, Hardywood Park, Starr Hill and Athletic.

Constellation Brands has acquired SpikedAde, the second-largest ready-to-drink (RTD) vodka + ade/hard sports drink brand, the company announced in its Q2 earnings report.

A new player has stepped onto the hard sports drink field. Firelyte (4.5% ABV) – a sports drink-inspired flavored malt beverage (FMB) from Bend, Oregon-headquartered Deschutes Brewery – rolled out last week.

Non-carbonated hard sports drinks may look and taste similar to Gatorade, Powerade and Body Armour, but they are forbidden from making health-related claims or even calling themselves sports drinks, McDermott, Will & Schulte partner Alva Mather reminded attendees during a recent webinar.

How do you balance two brands that are runaway successes? Stateside Brands president Matthew Quigley explained on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast how the maker of vodka iced tea brand Surfside is juggling the addition of Super Lyte, a non-carbonated hard sports drink (vodka + ade).

The spiked sports drink gold rush is on, but two players have already established themselves at the top of the burgeoning “vodka + ade” drink segment. Following the success of Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka, Stateside has another hit in its portfolio with the addition of Super Lyte, which launched earlier this year.