What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches in November
Picadas releases hard agua fresca variety pack with new flavor
Picadas - a Mexican hard agua fresca - released a new variety pack of 12 cans with four different flavors in the US.
Limonada, Mango and Guava are joined by new flavor Piña (pineapple), which is found exclusively in the variety pack.
Made from a family recipe, Picadas combines real fruit juice with alcohol from cane sugar to create a hard agua fresca that ‘embodies the bold, authentic flavors of Mexico’.
Picadas was founded in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2021 by Hugo Martinez, a local who – like everyone in Mexico – grew up enjoying homemade aguas frescas with his family. Martinez was pursuing an MBA at Stanford when he became captivated by the ready-to-drink cocktail craze.
The Mexican RTD beverage was released in the US in January 2023 to 200 H-E-B stores across Texas. Picadas is now available at all H-E-B stores and has added multiple other retailers in Texas, including Bucee’s, Quick Trip in North Texas and Total Wine.
Picadas blends its juice in small batches, allowing it to retain a bold, fruit-forward flavor, with no need for artificial additives.
The mixture is then sweetened with agave, and cane sugar alcohol is added.
Every 12-ounce can contains 130 calories and 4.5% alcohol by volume.
In addition to the newly released variety 12-pack, six-packs of individual flavors are available at all retail stores.
Each pack is accompanied by an individually portioned packet of spicy chili salt to place on the rim and enjoy with each sip.
Six-packs retail for $10.99, and variety packs retail for $19.99.
Casa Obsidiana tequila debuts in the US
The Beckmann Grazalez family of Jalisco, Mexico – and the Boisset family of Burgundy and California – have announced the launch of Casa Obsidiana in the US.
The ultra-premium tequila portfolio comprises a blanco, reposado and an anejo: all made from 100% blue weber agave.
For this new venture, Jean-Charles Boisset (hailing from Burgundy with wineries in France and California) joined forces with Jorge and Roberto Beckmann Gonzalez, who have a family background in tequila production.
Francisco Quijano, a renowned master tequilero, crafted the liquid inside the bottles.
Casa Obsidiana is crafted at the base of the Volcan de Tequila from estate-grown, 100% blue weber agave from the Beckmann Gonzalez estate.
After distillation, the tequila is aged in French Oak fine wine barrels that once held Boisset’s Napa Valley Chardonnay. Each Casa Obsidiana tequila uses the house’s proprietary yeast strain: which has been cultivated for 45 years.
Casa Obsidiana is available for pre-order and will soon launch in select retailers, restaurants and cocktail launches in California and Texas, as well as additional markets in 2024.
Tropicana Light
Tropicana is relaunching its Trop50 offering as Tropicana Light: a drink with 100% of the daily dose of vitamin C, a source of potassium, and with ‘50% less sugar and 50% less calories than regular orange juice’.
“The new innovation comes in a variety of offerings, including Tropicana Light No Pulp Calcium + Vitamin D, which contains 4 vitamins and minerals, and delivers 25% of your recommended daily value of calcium - more than a glass of milk - and Tropicana Light Vitamin C + Zinc , which offers three times the vitamin C of regular orange juice for a nutrient boost,” says the brand.
All varieties are available in a 52 oz. bottle in grocery stores including Albertsons, Publix, and Wegmans.
Gatorade Blackberry Raspberry launches with color-changing cleats
Gatorade has unveiled its limited-edition mystery flavor, Blackberry Raspberry.
The drink has been launched alongside custom color-changing cleats designed by sneaker designer Mache: made for Colorado Buffaloes star quarterback and Gatorade Athlete Shedeur Sanders.
“Mache designed the one-of-one cleats to unveil Gatorade’s Mystery Flavor Blackberry Raspberry, by utilizing thermal pigment materials which change colors when exposed to cold temperatures (under 72 degrees)," says Gatorade.
"Inspired by the legacy and evolution of the Gatorade brand, Mache designed the cleats in a way that would showcase the colors transforming from white and retro Gatorade green accents to Gatorade's modern day signature bright orange."
Mini canned cocktails
UK RTD cocktail brand, The Drinks Bureau, has just launched 150ml canned cocktails and 10-serving Party Boxes (cocktails in a box).
The cocktails come in three offerings at 10% ABV – Spicy Margarita, Espresso Martini and Passion Fruit Martini.
Along with being made with premium quality ingredients and tasting like a bar-made drink, the playful brand aims to celebrate the great fun around cocktail occasion.
Founder Frankie Snobel said: “Our cans and Party Boxes celebrate what cocktails are all about - enjoyment, festivities and good fun. Our brand really resonates with this - with its colourful and playful packaging and popular cocktail serves.
“We’re all about good times and great drinks and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Except for the yumminess of our cocktails – they are seriously tasty.”
Snobel’s previous endeavor – the cocktails-on-tap business, Tipplesworth - was acquired by Diageo in 2019.
Kingfisher Zero
Premium beer, cider and spirits company KBE Drinks has launched an alcohol-free version of its biggest brand: Kingfisher.
Kingfisher Zero is available to outlets now in 330ml bottles with a wholesale RRP of £19.99 for a pack of 24 bottles.
“Kingfisher Zero embodies the quality and flavour of Kingfisher Premium, but without alcohol and, most importantly, without compromising on taste,” says KBE Drinks.
“With 85% of pubs now serving alcohol free beer and as many as 50% of adults having purchased from the no or low category in the past year, it’s clear a growing number of consumers are looking for high-quality alcohol-free drinks, whether in pubs, bars or restaurants,” it continues, quoting data from the British Beer and Pub Association and ISWR Drinks Market Analysis.
“But quality and authenticity are also important and Kingfisher Zero will be brewed from only natural ingredients to replicate the refreshing taste of Kingfisher Premium.”
As India’s number one beer, Kingfisher has already found ‘huge success’ in the Indian restaurant channel in the UK. However, demand for premium session beers means KBE Drinks is seeding the brand beyond this occasion and it is now served in pubs and bars across the country.
Kingfisher Premium is the official beer of Southampton FC, has been sold at festivals including Bestival, Isle of Wight and Taste of London and is sold in grocery and convenience channels.
Andy Sunnucks, Senior Brand Manager for Kingfisher, comments, “We are delighted to announce the arrival of Kingfisher Zero, a long-requested addition to our portfolio. After successfully repositioning the brand last year, we want Kingfisher to continue to lead the Indian beer category and have a credible offering to meet the current growth in alcohol free occasions. It was also important to us that we’re not just ticking a box and that the new liquid is not only of good enough quality to replicate the original, but also stands on its own as a quality drink.”
Eden Mill unveils new look bourbon and sherry matured single malts
Independent Scottish distiller Eden Mill St Andrews has announced two exclusive new signature single malts, bolstering its premium whisky portfolio.
Crafted by head distiller Scott Ferguson at the original Eden Mill distillery – which will soon be moving to its new site after an extensive, multi-million-pound refurbishment – the new expressions are a Bourbon Cask release, matured in the finest American Oak casks, and a Sherry Cask release, finished in first-fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks.
“Both new single malts celebrate the nuanced flavor profile influences of the cask maturation in bourbon and sherry and showcase how the new Eden Mill spirit stands up in both,” says the distillery. “The two single malts are natural in color, non-chill filtered and bottled with an ABV of 46%.”
The new whiskies will become part of Eden Mill’s core range offering, available year-round and complemented by additional annual and limited releases like their Art of St Andrews series.
Ferguson commented: “These new expressions are unique in that they come from the old Eden Mill distillery which will never reopen. With the new distillery opening in 2024, the original whisky is truly limited with fewer than 400 casks of this precious liquid remaining.
“Both deliver a stunning flavor profile, each with their own very distinct characteristics. The Bourbon Cask, which is Eden Mill’s first release to mature exclusively in bourbon from start to finish, has a unique spicy and sweet vanilla profile – think light spice meets caramel and fruit crumble, while the Sherry Cask is reminiscent of chocolate raisins, dates and subtle cassia spice.
“Whilst they will no doubt appeal to classic malt lovers and those who appreciate a premium non-aged single malt, we’re also expecting a high level of interest from those curious to seek out new single malts outside of the more well-known big-name brands.”
The Bourbon Cask and Sherry Cask single malts also officially launch Eden Mill’s refreshed brand identity and are the first to come in the new-look single malt bottle.
The Bourbon Cask Single Malt is priced at £55 (70cl / ABV 46%) and the Sherry Cask Single Malt is £65 (70cl / ABV 46%).
ManiLife teams up with Brixton Brewery to create peanut stout
UK peanut butter brand ManiLife has teamed up with Brixton Brewery to create Nuts + Bolts, a deep roast peanut stout.
The drinks, whose name refers to peanuts (nuts) and the ‘bolts’ of Brixton Brewery’s branding, was developed by Brixton brewer Martin Wollerstam, who also designed the can.
The limited edition comes in at 5% ABV.
“There are already a few peanut brews on the market,” said Brixton Brewery co-founder Jez Galaun, “so we really wanted to create something unique and different with this limited-edition stout. The guys at ManiLife are real taste masters which really sets this one apart from the rest. We went through lots of trials with the recipe but have landed on a batch that we’re super proud of. It’s malty, smooth and has that distinctive peanut flavored finish that we know people will recognise and love.”
“Quality and great taste have always been paramount for us,” added ManiLife Founder Stu Macdonald, “and the creation of this stout was no exception. We’re used to uniting people around the dinner table through a shared love of great food and flavor and can’t wait to do the same with this! ManiLife has been taking inspiration from traditionally craft categories since our inception so to work in beer, let alone with the absolute visionaries at Brixton Brewery, was a real honor!’
Nuts + Bolts is available from Brixton Brewery’s tap room, or from its online shop, in 330ml cans at an RRP of £2.75.
