Dive Brief:
- Ocean Spray Cranberries has released mocktails, premium non-alcohol juice drinks made with real fruit juice, according to Bev Industry.
- The cocktail-inspired drinks are available in three flavors—Cranberry Peach Bellini, Cranberry Sangria and Tropical Citrus Paradise. The mocktails can be consumed as-is or mixed with sparkling water, wine or liquor.
- "We wanted to create something totally new with a more sophisticated flavor experience that consumers can enjoy any time of day," Clark Reinhard, vice president of global innovation at Ocean Spray, said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
The Winter Fancy Food Show in January showed more manufacturers are creating high-end mixers to capitalize on the demand for premium spirits made popular by the TV show “Mad Men.” A recent FONA International survey showed millennials are consuming more spirits than older generations, and many are drawn to higher quality craft and premium labels. This has helped the distilled spirits industry post 18-straight years of growth.
Advertising Age released a study that found consumers have a preference for spirits in premium glass packaging as it conveys a high-end look and feel, so more high-end brands are gravitating toward this kind of design.
Clark Reinhard, vice president of global innovation at Ocean Spray, said the company was looking to create a beverage with a more sophisticated flavor experience, and early marketing indications are that it is aiming its mocktails at millennials. Ocean Spray is wise to try and cash in on the craze. Its mocktails will attract both those old enough to consume alcohol and those on the peripheral who want to feel grownup. Expect more companies to try to catch the same wave.