What's hitting the shelves? New year, new products
RTD cocktails
Minnesota beverage brand Mule 2.0 has launched four new canned RTD cocktails.
London Mule is designed to appeal to the gin drinker, Mexican Mule to the tequila drinker, Caribé Mule to the rum drinker and Old Fashioned Mule to the bourbon/whiskey drinker.
The four drinks are made with real spirits and come in at 5% ABV, joining the original 8% ABV Moscow Mule.
Lisa Marlow, CEO and founder of Mule 2.0, is a geologist by profession but launched Mule 2.0 in 2015: seeking to create cocktails made from real spirits rather than malt-based seltzers. The brand is now available in 30 states.
Michael Vaughan launches hard seltzer
Declaration Gin, a brand co-founded by former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan, has teamed up with Number1 Sparkling Water to launch Gin1 Seltzer.
The 3% ABV seltzer is ‘a cool, crisp, refreshing drink’ mixed with a twist of orange, is sugar-free, and contains 58 calories per can.
Declaration Gin co-founder Vaughan said: “With our gin being made from 100% organic neutral grain spirit and botanicals sourced from around the globe, the combination with naturally flavoured Number1 sparkling water results in a drink like no other”.
Number1 Sparkling water founder Simon Gook added: “Gin1 delivers what today’s health conscious consumers want, all the taste, all the fun without the sugar or high calories”.
Soylent
Soylent Nutrition has launched two new products in North America: Soylent Complete Protein and Soylent Complete Energy.
The new lines are extensions of Soylent’s line of complete nutrition products: formulated with plant-based protein.
Soylent Complete Protein shake goes ‘well beyond’ the standard protein supplement: with 30g of complete plant-based protein and 39 essential nutrients with 0g of sugar. The shake also has 5g BCAAs and 1,000mg omega-3 healthy fats.
Soylent Complete Energy is the new name for Soylent Stacked, a products launched last year. The ‘complete nutrition nootropics shake’ is formulated with a proprietary blend of B vitamins, caffeine, l-theanine, l-tyrosine, and alpha-GPC plus 15g of plant-based protein and 39 essential nutrients.
Brooklyn Brewery expands non-alcoholic portfolio
Brooklyn Brewery has expanded its non-alcoholic line with the introduction of Special Effects IPA.
The IPA follows the 2019 launch of the craft brewer's first non-alcoholic brew: Special Effects Hoppy Amber.
"Special Effects IPA's full, hoppy flavor tastes exactly like a regular beer, but therein lies the special effect - it's not," says the brewery.
“During development, we held ourselves to the same quality standards as any other beer in the Brooklyn portfolio, but Special Effects IPA posed an alluring technical challenge; could a non-alcoholic IPA actually be delicious? People will be glad to see that Special Effects IPA tastes like IPA! In this case we’re a bit closer to a classic, West Coast IPA, with a light to moderate body, good fruit, a nice hop bite and a floral, citrus hop aroma.”
Special Effects IPA is available in the US as of this month in the brewery's 30+ state footprint in 6 packs of 12oz cans.
Gordon’s 0.0
Gin brand Gordon’s is launching alcohol-free Gordon’s 0.0 in the UK: sold in a 70cl bottle via Amazon and Tesco with a RRP of £14.
“Gordon’s 0.0% is made using the same finest distilled botanicals as Gordon’s London Dry Gin, providing the bold, juniper-led character which has helped to make Gordon’s renowned the world over,” says Gordon’s owner Diageo.
“With low and no alcohol spirits currently the fastest growing segment within the alcohol category in the UK, at +33% across the off trade [Nielsen figures], the new innovation chimes with current consumer behaviour which has seen people increasingly looking for choice for different occasions.
“Following a unique distillation process, which involves each botanical being individually immersed in water, heated and then distilled before being expertly blended together, Gordon’s 0.0% perfectly captures the essence of Gordon’s and offers a delicious alcohol-free alternative without having to compromise on taste and experience.”
Gordon’s 0.0% joins recent innovations such as Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon Distilled Gin (37.5%ABV) and Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin (38% ABV) – which launched in 2017.
Hard seltzers
High Water, a new brand of hard seltzers, has launched in the UK.
The brand comes in three flavors: lemon and elderflower, cucumber and mint, and mango and peach. Each comes in at under 100 calories per can and uses natural ingredients, triple distilled vodka and Cotswolds spring water.
High Water was founded during the 2020 lockdown by Nick Britton, formerly a head of innovation at Diageo, who said: "I have seen the incredible success of hard seltzers in the US, driven by the same trends we see in the UK, yet when I tried a number of the existing brands I didn't find one that was perfect for me.
"I therefore set out on a quest to make a product of the highest standard that was delicious, low in sugar and uses natural ingredients."
Gordon Ramsay hard seltzers
TV chef Gordon Ramsay is launching Hell’s Seltzer in the US.
The 5.5% hard seltzer comes in four ‘unapologetically bold flavors with premium drinkability’, crafted by the Hell’s Kitchen chef. Each recipe is inspired by popular menu items from his restaurants across the US.
Hell’s Seltzer will be sold in 12-pack variety packs; with all drinks being gluten-free and use natural flavors. The four flavors are Berry Inferno (peach, blueberry, raspberry); Knicker Twist (passionfruit, pineapple, orange); Mean Green (kiwi, lime, mint, pineapple) and That’s Forked (Key Lime, vanilla, graham).
Nestle upcycles coffee berries with NATIV Cascara
Nestle Australia has launched a new better-for-you beverage drink called Nescafe NATIV Cascara: an upcycled coffee berry-based product with native Australian flavors.
Cascara is a byproduct of the coffee drying process: a husk of the coffee berry that is often discarded. Nestle says that by upcycling cascara it is reducing waste and providing a new revenue stream for coffee farmers.
Described as an 'adult social beverage' - with around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee but no alcohol - the drink is designed to bridge a gap between overly sweet mainstream soft drinks and more niche drinks such as kombucha.
The drink is lightly sparkling and described as 'floral and fruity'. It is less sugary than most sodas with 3.3g sugar per 100ml and free from artificial sweeteners and preservatives.
NATIV Cascara is launching in three variants: classic, Kakadu plum, and lemon myrtle and pepperberry. They can be drunk as a regular RTD drink or used as a mixer with alcohol.
Bubly drops
PepsiCo’s SodaStream and bubly brands have partnered to launch bubly drops: ‘bringing bubly’s bright flavors to the SodaStream platform and enabling consumers to create their beverages at home’.
The new bubly drops will allow consumers to create bubly drinks at home via the SodaStream system. The drops contain no calories or sweeteners and will launch in six existing bubly flavors: grapefruitbubly, blackberrybubly, limebubly, strawberrybubly, mangobubly, and cherrybubly.
The partnership between two of PepsiCo’s hottest beverage brands – SodaStream was acquired by PepsiCo in 2018 for $3.2bn while bubly is its home-grown sparkling water brand launched in 2018 – seeks to tap into a growing market for unsweetened flavored sparkling water.
