News

Will this canned cocktail hit three trends in one?

28 March 2024 By Jessica Mason

Tequila, hard seltzers and RTDs are three of the drinks trends soaring right now. With this in mind, Mark Anthony Group’s release of White Claw Tequila Smash, a hard seltzer made with Tequila and juice rolling out to the US and Canada echoes everything consumers want.

Speaking to the drinks business, about the rise in popularity of Tequila as well as RTD cocktails and seltzers, Mark Anthony Group chief story officer Tyler Gray explained that: “Tequila has never been more popular, but even people who love it shoot it down with salt and lime or hide it under heaps of sugar in Margaritas. That’s because Tequila has a unique taste that makes it challenging to blend with most fresh fruit flavours.”

Mark Anthony Group has stated that it originally began its research into a new kind of Tequila drink more than three years ago and sourced its Tequila from Jalisco, Mexico from non-GMO blue weber agave which has been grown on a family-owned organic farm and aged for at least six years. Discussing the launch, Gray told db that “as the creator of the nation’s number one-selling hard seltzer, White Claw has a deep expertise in flavour. So we took on the challenge”.

The launch, which could be viewed as a savvy one from Mark Anthony Group, follows recent hard seltzer forecasts showing the category continues to grow in value. Alongside this, the RTD category is predicted to be worth US$21.1 billion in sales by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate of almost 15%. Additionally, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US said in its annual economic report last year that spirits increased their market share in the US over beer and wine for the second year in succession, with Tequila being among one of the fastest-growing spirits categories by revenue, showing that the category is thriving.

According to Gray, Mark Anthony Group “started work on a more refreshing-tasting, even more inviting Tequila drink more than three years ago” and revealed that, as a result, “that challenge and our research led us to White Claw Tequila Smash” which he insisted is “a combination of iconic White Claw flavours our fans know and love plus secondary notes from tropical fruits”.

The new 5% ABV launch, will be available in four flavours: White Claw Tequila Smash Strawberry Guava, White Claw Tequila Smash Pineapple Passion Fruit, White Claw
Tequila Smash Mango Tamarind and White Claw Tequila Smash Lime Prickly Pear.

Gray added: “Our flavour experts chose these specific flavours because they pair perfectly with Tequila, creating a light and refreshing tasting drink like nothing you’ve ever had, especially in a can.”