Coca Cola is Coming Out with a Fresca Ready-to-Drink Canned Cocktail in 2022

Coca Cola and Constellation Brands recently announced that they have teamed up to bring the world the brand new Fresca canned cocktail. Constellation Brands is well known for their Corona beers and hard seltzers, Modelo beer, and SVEDKA vodka. This brand new product will be an alcoholic version of the popular Fresca, a zero calorie, zero sugar grapefruit citrus flavored soda.

Fresca has been around since the mid-sixties, introduced as an alternative to bottled water and seltzers. Coca Cola states that Fresca is “currently the fastest-growing trademark in The Coca-Cola Company’s U.S. soft-drink portfolio”, and Fresca’s rise to prominence correlates directly with how well the grapefruit-citrus soda mixes with alcohol. Thus, it is likely because Fresca is already such a common mixer and chaser that the brand is now going to come already mixed with spirits.

What is this brand new ready to drink (RTD) cocktail called?

FRESCA MIXED!

We should see Fresca Mixed hit the shelves later this year.

Quarantinis Changed the Alcohol Industry

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about many unseen changes in America. For instance, a boom in face mask fashion pops into our heads. And, one of the biggest changes that hit the alcohol industries is that bars and clubs shut down. Drinking establishments may have shuttered their doors, but the demand for cocktails didn’t dry up. These factors are huge contributors in the fact that RTD canned cocktails are the fastest growing segment in the spirits market outside of bars and restaurants. There’s gold in those hills, and alcohol and soda companies alike are putting on their mining gear.

Hard Seltzers Paved the Way for the Fresca Mixed Ready to Drink Cocktail

According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, RTD’s recent surge in popularity can be attributed to the hard seltzer boom. Similar to RTDs, Hard Seltzer saw a surge in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hard Seltzer had already been seeing booming success when the pandemic hit. Within the first year, their sales had more than doubled. Many (including IWSR) attribute hard seltzer’s popularity with its perceived health benefits. Though many governments restrict hard seltzers from marketing their products as heathy (the UK, for instance), hard seltzers tend to have low calories and little to no carbs and sugar. Hard seltzer’s average alcohol-by-volume tends to be lower than beer, wine and liquor. Often these drinks are also gluten free and vegan. These attributes have given the drinks a reputation as a healthier alternative, whether the alcohol brands themselves can tout it or not.

RTDs have been following this trend by offering canned cocktails with low abv, calories, carbs, and sugar. These mixes are different than hard seltzers because their base alcohol is vodka, rum, or other spirits. Hence, it only seems natural that Coca Cola and Constellation Brands are jumping on this hot market with Fresca.

What’s Holding the Canned Cocktail Market Back

What’s holding the canned cocktail market back? Tax law. Federal tax laws ensure that spirits are taxed at approximately three times the rate of fermented beverages. This tax, in turn, drives up prices for consumers. So if you see a higher price tag on your canned cocktail than your hard seltzer with no difference in abv, it’s more than likely not the alcohol companies getting greedy.

Want to find your perfect hard seltzer or canned cocktail? Try our new Seltzer Finder! You can search by flavor, ABV, carbs and more to discover your ideal beverage.