What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches: rum, soda and more

21-Oct-2024 - Last updated on 21-Oct-2024 at 10:12 GMT

From spirits using upcycled ingredients to better-for-you soda, we take a look at some of the newest beverages launching around the globe.

Innovation in the beverage industry continues to thrive. Our weekly round-up of beverage NPD highlights just some of the interesting launches around the globe.

Chamère brings Emily in Paris to the US

The allure of Paris arrives stateside as Chamère, the ready-to-drink Kir Royale, launches in the US (pictured above).

Chamère is inspired by the Netflix show Emily in Paris: offering Americans ‘the essence of Parisian sophistication with a playful twist’.

Chamère combines sparkling wine with natural cassis flavor to create a blend that ‘echoes the elegance of the Kir Royale while adding a touch of whimsy’.

Packaged in a chic 25cl can, Chamère is designed for those who appreciate style, convenience, and a bit of playful sophistication, making it easy to enjoy the glamour of Paris on the go.

"Chamère is more than just a drink—it's a celebration of the Parisian art de vivre with a hint of cheeky charm," said Letizia Razzino, Global Brand Director at The Quintessential Brands Group.

"Inspired by the allure and playfulness of Emily in Paris, Chamère allows consumers to experience a touch of French elegance and fun wherever they may be."

Chamère is available at select retailers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., including Bottle King, Buy Rite, and Liquor Land; as well as through ReserveBar later this month.

Better-for-you soda

Better-for-you soda brand ROCKAWAY has revealed a new formulation and packaging with street art and bold colors.

Created by beverage entrepreneur and Rockaway Beach native, Bridget Firtle, ROCKAWAY is inspired by the special NYC spot where the streets meet the beach.

ROCKAWAY features real fruit juice and real sugar; and is available in four flavors – Berry Hibiscus, Lemon Lemongrass, Watermelon Guava and Pineapple Ginger. Each 12oz can features 7 grams of organic cane sugar and a little sea salt. The brand is a certified member of 1% for the Planet.

“ROCKAWAY is my answer to shelves full of sodas packed with additives. We're all about real ingredients, an awesome taste and no surprises,” says Firtle. “Beyond that, we don't take ourselves too seriously. ROCKAWAY is for that feel-good moment of reaching for a soda to treat yourself.”

A hedge fund investor-turned-entrepreneur, Firtle left her corporate job to found Owney’s rum in 2012, selling it in 2020. ROCKAWAY is her next project.

Upcycling fruit for spirits

Trash and Treasure Spirits, a new spirits brand flavored from waste or ‘rescued’ ingredients from local food processors and breweries, has been launched by the UK’s Warner’s Distillery.

In the UK approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food goes to waste annually. Warner’s Distillery, following their corporate purpose of making the best drinks that are best for the planet, wanted to help solve this problem, raise awareness and change behaviours.

This new brand’s core purpose is to challenge consumers to rethink how they perceive waste and recognise that one person's trash can be transformed into another’s treasure.

Featuring three expressions in the range, the spirits are produced from unwanted foods, fruits and peels that would have otherwise gone to landfill, transforming them into delicious drinks:

• Trash & Treasure Tropical Rum (distilled using rescued pineapple and mango peels from a nearby food processor; blended with extracts from waste passion fruit and coconut husks))

• Trash & Treasure Banana Rum (distilled with overripe bananas that would have otherwise gone to landfill)

• Trash & Treasure Citrus Vodka (distilled with rescued lemon peel)

All 4 expressions are bottled at 37.5% ABV and RRP is £26. The brand is listed with Tesco, Coop and Marks & Spencer nationwide, plus trashandtreasurespirits.com.

Black Tot Rum

Black Tot Rum is unveiling a brand-new permanent addition to its range with Black Tot Historic Solera Rum: an authentic solera-aged blend of rums from Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica.

With this new expression, Black Tot champions this traditional blending method to honour the sherry bodegas from which their historic solera casks originated. This is the first time a blend of rums from these countries has been produced using a traditional solera process.

In a traditional solera, the magic lies in blending spirits of various ages in a tiered barrel-aging process - for Black Tot Historic Solera, this is 3-tiered. At each tier, younger rum interacts with the concentrated older rums left in the barrel to acquire richer characteristics.

Black Tot Historic Solera begins with Black Tot Finest Caribbean rum, which is aged up to two years in first fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry butts before entering the 3-tier solera system.

The rum is then aged for one year in each tier before being added to the subsequent tier.

The result is a ‘rich and decadent rum that displays notes of figs and plums, along with chocolate, warming winter spices, and lightly roasted coffee’. The finish is long with charred citrus zest that develops into ripe tropical fruits.

Black Tot Historic Solera Rum (RRP £64.95, 46.2%) is a permanent addition to the range, available in selected UK retailers.

Spirits with a focus on flavor

Diistil - an on-demand distillery serving some of the UK’s finest venues, including One Aldwych, The London Peninsula Hotel, Experimental Cocktail Club, Michelin Star restaurant Aulis and WatchHouse coffee shops – is launching in retail.

Each spirit is handcrafted, and double vacuum distilled, incorporating a unique maceration technique designed to capture the purity of the chosen ingredients. Consumers can even request a bespoke spirit to be created for any occasion - all done at their state-of-the-art distillery in London. 

Also known as a ‘distillate’ - simply meaning the vapor in a distillation that is collected and condensed into a liquid, Diistil is a premium product with no artificial flavourings or extracts added after distillation. 

The six flavors are Jalapeño, Yuzu, Black Tea, Beetroot, Soy Sauce and Vanilla.

The Diistil team is led by Founder and CEO Raj Batra, who launched the business with the vision to offer an on-demand distillery enabling hospitality venues and consumers across the world to create bespoke alcoholic spirits with no limit on creativity. He is supported by Head Distiller Maxwell Whitney, who has previously worked at Halewood Artisanal Spirits and Drink Factory.

Cucumber & Mint

DASH Water – the makers of wonky fruit-infused sparkling water – has launched its latest flavor: Cucumber & Mint.

The new launch brings a ‘minty glow-up’ to DASH’s classic Cucumber flavor. The all-naturally-flavored drink is crafted with fresh spring water, bubbles, wonky cucumber, and mint - never any sugar, sweeteners, or calories.

Jack Scott, Co-founder of DASH Water, said: “This refreshing twist to one of our original flavors has been long-awaited, and we’re excited to offer a taste that’s both revitalising and, as always, deliciously wonky.”

“As well as pairing perfectly with cucumber, mint is a well-loved flavor in the drinks industry, making it a natural choice for our newest launch. It truly brings a new dimension to an old favorite, and we believe our customers will love the result.”