Why Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Keep Growing In 2026
Key takeaways
- Spirits Why Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Keep Growing In 2026Alcohol sales are under pressure, but ready-to-drink cocktails keep finding consumers.
- Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.
- U.S. spirits supplier sales fell 2.2 percent in 2025 to $36.4 billion, according to DISCUS.
Spirits Why Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Keep Growing In 2026Alcohol sales are under pressure, but ready-to-drink cocktails keep finding consumers. Their edge is simple. They make cocktails feel less like a project. By Noel Burgess,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I’m a journalist, content creator, and speaker living in California.Follow Author May 22, 2026, 02:18pm EDTUpdated May 22, 2026, 02:18pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Ready-to-drink cocktails remain one of alcohol’s strongest growth areas in 2026 as consumers seek convenience, premium canned cocktails, lower-ABV options and bar-style drinks at retail.GettyReady-To-Drink Cocktails Keep Growing As Alcohol Sales SlowThe alcohol industry has a growth problem. Canned cocktails keep escaping it. Ready-to-drink cocktails are doing something many alcohol brands would like to do right now. They are growing. RTDs have been helped by convenience, lower-ABV drinking and the migration of bar culture into retail. They are no longer coasting on pandemic-era habits or leftover hard-seltzer momentum. In 2026, they are benefiting from something more durable. People still want cocktails, but they want them with less work, lower commitment and, often, less alcohol.
The rest of the market looks different. U.S. spirits supplier sales fell 2.2 percent in 2025 to $36.4 billion, according to DISCUS. The trade group also reported that premixed cocktails, including spirits RTDs, reached $3.8 billion after growing 16.4 percent year over year. The Spirits Business likewise reported that ready-to-drink cocktails were the only major spirits segment showing growth as the broader U.S. spirits market declined.