Diageo is expanding its line of pre-mixed cocktails with the addition of Ketel One vodka and Tanqueray gin products to the range.
The ‘Cocktail Collection’ includes pre-mixed cocktails Ketel One vodka espresso martini, Ketel One vodka cosmopolitan and Tanqueray gin negroni. The line will be available in two formats, 350ml and 750ml, with an average abv of 20%.
The three RTDs are expected to hit shelves in autumn in a US-based release. Further region rollouts have not yet been disclosed.
Last year, Diageo aimed to capitalise on the trend towards making cocktails at home in the US with the launch of two pre-mix cocktails from its Kentucky whiskey brand Bulleit. The range consisted of Bulleit manhattan and Bulleit old fashioned.
“Cocktail culture continues to flourish, so it's only natural that consumers are looking to bring elevated drink experiences into their homes. But making cocktails at home, and doing it well, can be challenging for the less experienced bartender,” Diageo brand director Nikhil Shah said. “The Cocktail Collection is here to alleviate those concerns with convenient, bar-quality cocktails from trusted brands.”
In a similar release in 2021, the London-headquartered brewer and distiller released a line of three ‘sharable’ cocktail-focused RTDs from its Captain Morgan flavoured rum brand. That range uses the spiced rum as its base and comprises of the cocktail variants mai tai, tropical punch and long island iced tea.
Diageo indicated it will market its Cocktail Collection range as gifts and for at-home hosting.
Last year Pernod Ricard said gifting and hosting occasions presented “huge opportunity”.
Speaking last September, Pernod Ricard UK off-trade channel director Chris Shead said: “In the current economic climate, we are anticipating a significant shift to the off-trade as consumers choose to host at home and manage budgets. This presents a huge opportunity for our customers and winning in cocktails remains the key to success.”
He added: “Cocktails are very much kind of driving the energy within the spirits category.”
Many major spirit producers have released some form of pre-mixed cocktail offering in the last five years. Brown-Forman launched its The Up or Over brand in 2022, a line of four mixed cocktails – Martini, Margarita and Old Fashioned – that use the company’s spirits brands as their base.
Last year, direct-to-consumer start-up Nio Cocktails partnered with Rémy Cointreau on a premix cocktail set that featured the group’s Bruichladdich and The Botanist spirits brands.
