Premium RTDs & Mocktails: How to Ride the New Wave of Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages have become one of the most dynamic segments of the market. Convenient, consistent in flavor, and with better quality control than mixed cocktails, they are perfectly suited to changing consumption patterns, which are becoming more mobile, more spontaneous, and with lower alcohol content. This trend is accelerating in both classic spirits and non-alcoholic alternatives. Bars, brands, and distributors are now looking to position themselves with premium recipes that offer a true cocktail experience... without a shaker.
Nicolas Malfondet
5/13/20252 min read
Premiumization
The RTD landscape has long suffered from a low-end image: high sugar content, artificial flavors, standardized neutral alcohol.
But the rise of more natural and healthier drinks and craft cocktails has forced a profound transformation.
Companies are now focusing on identifiable ingredients, natural flavor bases, and quality spirits. Recipes are becoming signature creations in their own right, with compelling storytelling and technical choices that rival those of bar cocktails.
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The trend is even stronger for non-alcoholic beverages: in response to growing demand for alternatives to alcoholic drinks, premium ready-to-drink mocktails offer enjoyment, a balanced flavor profile, and often better aromatic consistency than when made to order.
Plants, non-alcoholic distillates, hydrodistillates, verjus: the technical possibilities have become enormously diverse.
RTDs are now a way to offer a true brand identity, even without alcohol.
Innovate and surprise
For producers, RTDs represent an exciting area for innovation: working on textures (fine carbonation, clarified juices), aromatic extraction, aromatic stability management, gentle pasteurization, natural stabilization, etc.
A successful product requires a balance between immediate pleasure, stability over time, and the ability to surprise.
For bars, RTDs make it possible to increase production without compromising on quality; for distributors, they meet the growing demand for ready-to-drink cocktails for home consumption, festivals, and high-end fast-food outlets.
Strong market opportunity
So how can you ride this wave? By focusing on quality, intense flavors, eco-friendly packaging, and a strong identity.
Consumers are looking less for a drink “with” or “without” alcohol and more for a consistent, confident experience.
A good RTD is no longer a simplified version of a cocktail: it is a creation in its own right, designed to be enjoyed as it is, where technical expertise is used to make it easy to use.
Now is the ideal time for brands that want to innovate and for those that want to reinvent themselves.
Can or bottle?
The choice of container is also strategic and opens up two complementary avenues.
The aluminum can remains the most flexible and versatile format: lightweight, easily recyclable, transportable anywhere, it appeals to a young, nomadic audience that enjoys spontaneous consumption. It works perfectly for energy-boosting, refreshing RTDs or those intended for relaxed moments.
Conversely, glass bottles are more prevalent in the premium segment: they are perceived as higher quality, offer a better serving ritual, and allow for more sophisticated and appealing packaging. For high-end RTDs, complex mocktails, or signature cocktails, glass reinforces the idea of a refined, artisanal, and gourmet product.
Two formats, two worlds of consumption, and the possibility for the same brand to build a coherent range that covers both immediate pleasure and the premium experience.
