Five Products: Signaling What’s Next for Alcohol
For a category steeped in heritage, alcohol is undergoing a quiet transformation, one that isn’t driven by trend-chasing, but by a deeper cultural shift in how people want to feel when they drink. In fact, MMR’s latest Growth Spaces Quarterly eBook reveals that drinking occasions are no longer about simply “having a drink”. Consumers are looking for mini pleasures at home, moments of sensory escape, format-driven interaction, and more inclusive, emotionally intelligent design that responds to how they want to socialize, experiment and unwind today.
For the world’s brewers and distillers, the stakes are high. As Andrew Wardlaw, Chief Ideas Officer at MMR Research, points out: “Alcohol has competition that goes way beyond other liquids. People are searching for new forms of connection, new rituals, and even new identities through what they choose to drink. Playing it safe has become the biggest risk of all.”
In Growth Spaces Quarterly: What Next for Alcohol, Andrew and the experts at MMR, highlight new growth territories, from Home Elevation, which calls for upgradeable, hands-on moments, to Discovery Drinking, where limited editions are fueling cultural momentum.
With the stakes this high, we've scanned recent launches in the alcohol category to spotlight five products signaling what could be next for the category.
1. Strongbow Assistive Technology (U.K)
Strongbow has recently introduced a packaging update that sets a new benchmark for inclusive design in alcohol. The cider giant has added NaviLens assistive codes to its cans and bottles, which can be scanned from several meters away without needing direct focus on the camera. This technology allows blind and visually impaired shoppers to access product information through audio, including ingredients, ABV, and responsible drinking guidelines. Developed in partnership with inclusive agency Purple Goat, this launch expands beyond compliance and into sensory accessibility, an area often overlooked in alcohol packaging. Strongbow frames this as the first step in a long-term move toward inclusive design, signalling a wider shift: packaging is no longer just about aesthetics, it’s a tool for experience equity.
2. Alcoholic Popping Boba (U.S.A)
Bubble tea went global, and now alcohol is borrowing its favourite textural moment. Recently launched in the U.S., Alcoholic Popping Boba lets consumers add flavour-infused, alcohol-loaded pearls to cocktails at home. Available in spirit-inspired variants including vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey and rum, the product blurs the line between drink and edible garnish. While RTDs and seltzers delivered convenience, this launch offers convenience with theatrics. It transforms a standard drink into a sensory event, tapping into consumer appetite for interactive, customisable drinking rituals.
3. SAYSO Dirty Martini Stick Pack (U.S.A)
SAYSO recently added a Dirty Martini flavour to its range, but in a format the category rarely explores: single-serve infusion sticks. Unlike traditional cocktail sachets that require steeping, this one simply pours in and stirs through, delivering olive and Himalayan salt notes without artificial additives. It sits alongside other flavours in their range such as espresso martini, skinny spicy margarita, and skinny hibiscus cosmopolitan, designed for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic formats. What’s clever here is how SAYSO treats ritual as a design tool. Rather than stripping away the ceremony of cocktail-making, the brand reimagines it for modern life, fast, no fuss, but still an act.
4. Smirnoff Electric Guava (U.S.A)
Smirnoff announced the launch of their Electric Guava as a limited-edition addition to its flavour portfolio, following the hype-driven success of Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind. The new flavour blends tropical guava with ginger heat and joins Smirnoff’s growing roster of bold, culturally expressive flavour drops. Limited-time releases have become a strategic lever in alcohol, not just to boost sales, but to build cultural relevance. With Electric Guava already earning accolades at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the L.A. Spirits Awards, Smirnoff reinforces a bigger truth: Novelty and a sense of urgency now function as crucial emotional cues, driving social talkability and demand.
5. Greenbar Distillery Conscious RTD Range (U.S.A)
Greenbar Distillery has recently unveiled a new line of carbon-negative RTDs, spanning both alcoholic and non-alcoholic formats. Each alcoholic product has a twin product created through reverse distillation to maintain flavour without alcohol content. What makes this launch standout isn’t just the sustainability claim, it’s the proof of impact. For every 24 cans sold, a tree is planted, and each can remove more CO₂ than it produces. This is sustainability with receipts, paired with inclusivity for moderation-conscious consumers who don’t want to be pushed into a different visual or brand world when opting for alcohol-free choices. Flavours in the range include the Hibiscus Spritz / UnSpritz and Gin + Tonic / UnGin + Tonic
Across these five launches, a new blueprint for alcohol innovation is emerging. It's a fundamental shift from a single-minded pursuit of a new flavour to innovating across the entire experience. The winning brands are moving beyond the liquid itself, challenging conventions in packaging, texture, format, and distribution strategy. Equally, the most forward-thinking players are also embedding their values directly into the product itself.
The next phase of category growth will be defined by brands that shift their focus from what people are drinking to how they want to feel and what they want their choice to say about them. Consumers are not just buying a drink; they are investing in a moment, an identity, and a set of values. By tapping into these emotional and cultural needs, from a desire for connection to a demand for accountability, brands can unlock renewed relevance and drive innovation that excites.
Interested in being a part of this shift? Let’s make your next launch the one that defines where the category goes next.
Get in touch with us today!