If you’re the kind of person who cringes when someone orders a vodka soda, you’ll probably want to skip reading this one. But for those consumers who want an alcoholic drink that’s light on calories, there’s a lineup of companies out there waiting to entice you with various boozy seltzer beverages now on the market.
Health-conscious consumers are the ones driving most of the latest crazes, fads, and trends these days, so it was only a matter of time before more alcohol companies jumped on the bandwagon that brands like Skinnygirl, a low-calorie bottled cocktail brand.
The newest healthy trend in getting your buzz on is alcoholic seltzer water, MarketWatch notes, pointing to a slew of new products, including Wachusett Brewing Company’s Nauti Seltzer, Boston Beer Company’s Truly Spiked & Sparkling, Boathouse Beverage’s SpikedSeltzer, and Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw Hard Seltzer.
Some companies say they’re responding to consumer demand for low-calorie drinks with natural ingredients, and with sales of non-alcoholic bottled still and sparkling waters growing in the U.S. while soda sales have slowed, it makes sense.
Despite burgeoning demand, however, alcoholic seltzer might not be a hit with everyone just yet: according to an analysis of 2,000 adults surveyed by Mintel last year, only 7% of consumers said they think ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages are high quality. About 28% said they’d be “embarrassed” to consume a ready-to-drink beverage in front of other people, while likely imagining what used to happen when someone popped a Zima at a party.
That being said, boozy seltzer should still prove popular among people who want less processed products, Mintel’s report says. Almost half the respondents said they were into drinking flavored waters as a replacement for high-sugar drinks.
“Hard seltzer is a sexier positioning for low-calorie/diet [ready-to-drink alcohols] than merely name-checking a lack of calories, which implies lower taste,” said Jonny Forsyth, Mintel’s global drinks analyst, in his report.
What would you do when faced with a spiked seltzer? Vote in our poll below:
The latest craze in ‘healthy’ booze: alcoholic seltzer [MarketWatch]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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