Beyond Bubbles: How Still RTDs Are Becoming Alcohol’s Next Big Wave
How real spirits, zero fizz, and modern occasions are redefining the RTD category
For the last few years, the beverage conversation has been dominated by moderation—who’s drinking less, who’s opting out entirely, and what that means for the future of alcohol. But that narrative, while real, is often overstated. Younger consumers haven’t abandoned drinking altogether; they’re just drinking differently.
Nowhere is that shift more visible than in ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages.
RTDs remain one of the few bright spots in the alcoholic beverage landscape1. The category’s momentum didn’t come out of nowhere: the rise of hard seltzer—propelled by White Claw’s 2016 launch, and explosive growth in 2019—normalized low-calorie alcohol, casual daytime occasions, and cans as a legitimate cocktail format. It reset expectations around how alcohol could look, taste, and fit into everyday life.
From 2017 to 2022, hard seltzer grew at an incredible pace, rapidly scaling from novelty to default. And as quickly as it rose, the segment began to fragment—revealing the limits of sameness in flavor, format, and experience.
Today, the category has evolved well beyond bubbles. What we’re seeing now isn’t a pullback from RTDs, but an evolution of them. NIQ data shows the shift clearly: while hard seltzers have declined, spirits-based RTDs are up double digits.2 Consumers didn’t lose interest in convenience—they simply became more discerning. The brands winning today are the ones that understand how, when, and why people want to drink now.
What emerged in hard seltzer’s wake is a new set of expectations. We break down the current table stakes in the RTD space, the direction the category is heading, the new brands on the rise, and where the opportunity lies.
