Ready to drink

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Ready to drink (often known as RTD) packaged beverages are those sold in a prepared form, ready for consumption. Examples include iced tea (prepared using tea leaves and fruit juice) and alcopops (prepared by mixing alcoholic beverages with fruit juices or soft drinks).

Contents

There are different types of RTD beverages, each serving a different purpose. Here are the most notable ones.

RTD cocktails

RTD cocktails are cocktails that have been pre-batch and bottled or canned. The benefits of having such a drink is that the customer does not need to worry about balance, technique or having multiple ingredients at home. The idea is that the customer will open the cocktail and simply pour and serve.

RTD cocktails date to the late 1800s, with Heublein selling pre-mixed cocktails under the “Club Cocktails” brand since 1892. [1] The popularity of the RTD category has varied significantly over the years and between markets, most recently growing significantly in the US from the 2010s. [2]

Alcopops

Alcopops are mainly ready made alcoholic cocktails that are carbonated and bottled under various brand names. [3] Alcopops are the most commonly consumed type of RTD in the world after iced tea. Alcopops are banned in some countries due to religious and cultural prohibitions on the consumption of alcohol. A number of studies have linked the marketing of alcopops to increased incidences[ spelling? ] of underage drinking. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

The industry term for this range of products is flavored malt beverage or progressive adult beverage. The majority sold in the United States are essentially flavored beer.

Alcopops can be based on different types of spirits and liquors, such as vodka-based or rum-based.

A notable type is Lonkero, a Finnish mixed drink of grapefruit soda and gin, introduced as an RTD for the 1952 Olympics, which has continued to be popular in Finland.

Brands

Alcopop brands are numerous and their alcoholic base vary greatly. [9] notable brands include:

Non-alcoholic beverages

Non-alcoholic RTDs can be further separated into dairy and non-dairy drinks.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcopop</span> Colloquial term for a flavored beverage with relatively low alcohol content

An alcopop is any of certain mixed alcoholic beverages with relatively low alcohol content, including:

  1. Malt beverages to which various fruit juices or other flavorings have been added
  2. Wine coolers: beverages containing wine to which ingredients such as fruit juice or other flavorings have been added
  3. Mixed drinks containing distilled alcohol and sweet liquids such as fruit juices or other flavourings
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drink</span> Liquid intended for human consumption

A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies and soft drinks. Traditionally warm beverages include coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Caffeinated drinks that contain the stimulant caffeine have a long history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smirnoff</span> Vodka brand founded in Russia

Smirnoff is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898). It is distributed in 130 countries, and manufactured locally in some, as in Illinois in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eggnog</span> Sweetened dairy-based beverage

Eggnog, historically also known as a milk punch or an egg milk punch when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and whipped egg whites. A distilled spirit such as brandy, rum, whisky or bourbon is often a key ingredient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advocaat</span> Dutch alcoholic beverage featuring eggs

Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV. Its contents may be a blend of egg yolks, aromatic spirits, sugar or honey, brandy, vanilla, and sometimes cream. Notable makers of advocaat include Warninks, Bols, Darna Ovo Liker, DeKuyper, and Verpoorten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKD Original Vodka</span> Alcopop brand

WKD also known as Wicked is a brand of alcopop produced by Beverage Brands. It is sold and heavily marketed in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the slogan ‘Have you got a WKD side?’, and also in many countries in mainland Europe. AC Nielsen ranked it as the number-one UK ready to drink (RTD) alcopop in 2006. In December 2014 to comply with alcohol tax laws and to minimise future tax increases, “Alcoholic Mix WKD” replaced the old “Original WKD”, and the old Original Mix is now no longer available in both the UK and Ireland. The small change to the alcohol element of the WKD was not intended to change the taste of the product and still contains triple distilled vodka. In addition, it contains an alternative alcohol base to minimise tax. The actual recipe remains unchanged. The WKD bottling facility in Ayrshire, Scotland closed in November 2022 due to rising costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavored fortified wine</span> Category of alcoholic beverages

Flavored fortified wines or tonic wines are inexpensive fortified wines that typically have an alcohol content between 13% and 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). They are made from various fruits with added sugar, artificial flavor, and artificial color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liqueur coffee</span> Coffee-based cocktail

A liqueur coffee is a caffeinated alcoholic drink that consists of a shot of liqueur, mixed with coffee. It is typically served in a liqueur glass, often accompanied with cream and sugar. Coffee liqueur beverages are served in different fashions and can be found throughout many countries. One of the most popular liqueur coffee beverage is commonly known as Irish coffee. Liqueur coffee beverages are largely classified as cocktails as well as digestifs which are aimed at aiding the digestive process typically after a meal.

<i>Chūhai</i> Alcoholic drink from Japan

Chūhai, an abbreviation of "shōchū highball" (焼酎ハイボール), is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canned coffee</span> Type of coffee drink

Canned coffee is a pre-brewed version of the beverage, sold ready to drink. It is particularly popular in Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere across Asia, and produced in a number of styles and by a large number of companies. Canned coffee is available in supermarkets and convenience stores, with large numbers of cans also being sold in vending machines that offer heated cans in the autumn and winter, and cold cans in the warm months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greyhound (cocktail)</span> Grapefruit juice and gin cocktail

A greyhound is a cocktail consisting of grapefruit juice and gin mixed and served over ice. If the rim of the glass has been salted, the drink is instead called a salty dog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vodka Cruiser</span> Vodka-based alcoholic premix drink

Vodka Cruiser is a brightly coloured vodka-based alcoholic drink, with an alcohol content of 5%. Sometimes described as an alcopop, this premixed drink is available in seventeen flavours, including guava, lemon, lime, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberry, and other flavors depending on location. The product originates from New Zealand, and is produced by Asahi Premium Beverages, formerly known as Independent Liquor.

Heublein Inc. was an American producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages and food throughout the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s its stock was regarded as one of the most stable financial investments, earning it inclusion in the Nifty Fifty.

This is a list of beverage-related list articles on Wikipedia.

References

  1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/intoxicating-history-canned-cocktail-180976145/
  2. https://daily.sevenfifty.com/inside-the-evolution-of-ready-to-drink-cocktails/
  3. Ready-to-drink alcohol beverages (PDF). Parliament of Australia. June 2008. ISBN   978-0-642-71932-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  4. Albers, AB; Siegel, M; Ramirez, RL; Ross, C; DeJong, W; Jernigan, DH (30 April 2015). "Flavored Alcoholic Beverage Use, Risky Drinking Behaviors, and Adverse Outcomes Among Underage Drinkers: Results From the ABRAND Study". Am J Public Health. 105 (4): 810–5. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302349. PMC   4358196 . PMID   25713955.
  5. Simon Collins (14 November 2012). "Girls take lead in teen binge-drinking - study". New Zealand Herald.
  6. Nick Harding (29 June 2013). "The demonised drink: How has youth drinking evolved 20 years since the launch of alcopops?". Independent.
  7. Tom Jenkins (20 October 2015). "This Is Why Teenagers Aren't Drinking Alcopops Anymore". Vice.
  8. Sarah Hall (14 December 2002). "New wave of 'sophisticated' alcopops fuels teenage binge drinking". The Guardian.
  9. Cocktail Times | Ready To Drink (RTD) Fact Sheet