Ready-to-drink drinks have moved well beyond supermarket chillers and festival fridges. Across a market where much of beverage alcohol is under pressure, the category is still expanding, with IWSR describing RTDs as the segment to watch and reporting 2% volume growth in 2024 across 10 leading markets. Reuters-style industry reporting has increasingly framed the shift as evidence that RTDs are no longer a pandemic-era anomaly, but a more durable part of how consumers drink.

Australia offers one of the clearest examples of that momentum. NielsenIQ says RTDs generated AU$2.5 billion in the country’s on-trade in 2025, up 12% on the previous year and 35% on 2023, with the category now accounting for 15% of every dollar spent on drinks out of home. Draught formats are moving especially fast, and vodka-led serves continue to dominate, helped by younger adults seeking lighter, more sessionable drinks that sit somewhere between a cocktail and a beer.

That appeal is also helping RTDs win over operators. Brands such as BuzzBallz and Moth are pitching convenience, speed of service and visual impact as reasons for bars and restaurants to list them, while also pointing to the category’s social-media-friendly packaging and, in some cases, aluminium’s recyclability. For food-led venues, the product can be positioned as an easy pairing rather than a cocktail replacement, and brands are finding room on menus at chains including Yo! as well as in casual dining and entertainment-led sites.

In bars, though, the opportunity is more selective. Ingrid Smith, founder of coconut water-based RTD brand Nirvana, says premium RTDs are increasingly being treated as a complement to cocktails rather than a threat to them, particularly in high-volume, outdoor and event-led settings. She points to industry data showing nearly a fifth of on-premise operators want to expand RTD listings, a sign that the category is gaining credibility alongside better-established drinks such as tequila.

The growth story is not limited to cans. Ready-to-serve and draught cocktails are also gaining ground as operators look for consistency, waste reduction and faster delivery. De Kuyper says its batched and draught solutions are designed to serve both the on-trade and at-home occasions, while Stateside Brands has leaned into innovation with Super Lyte, a vodka-based drink aimed at Gen Z and millennials. Across the category, the message is increasingly similar: RTDs are not replacing bars’ cocktail lists, but widening the range of occasions they can serve.

Do you produce or sell ready-to-drink cocktails here in the UK? We would love to hear from you! Take a look at our Ready to Drink & Mixed Drinks category today. Entries are still open! UK Quality Food & Drink Awards 2026 - 2026 Low, RTD & Speciality Drinks categories