Ready-to-Drink Cocktails Got a Lot More Popular in 2025

What does the future of alcohol look like in the U.S.? That’s a wide-ranging statement, but plenty of recent trends have implications for everyone from bar owners to distillery operators — especially whether Gen Z continues to drink at lower rates than their older counterparts. It’s times like these that looking at industry data can be useful, and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States recently released its economic briefing for 2025.

One big takeaway from this report is that alcohol sales were down in a lot of categories last year, including vodka sales (down 3%) and cordial sales (down 3.2%). American whiskey sales were also down, albeit by a relatively low rate of 0.9%. The real winner, though, seems to be ready-to-drink cocktails, sales of which were up 16.8% to $3.8 billion on the year. The overall amount for sales pre-mixed drinks is still less than most spirits categories — but the scale of its growth makes it worth watching.

Among the reasons the Distilled Spirits Council cites for the growing popularity of ready-to-drink cocktails are the way it checks off a few boxes: being relatively high-quality while also appealing to people looking to drink less. “Consumers are showing a strong preference for spirits ready‑to‑drink cocktails because they’re made with real spirits, offer great convenience and flavor, and include lower‑alcohol options,” said the organization’s president and CEO, Chris Swonger, in a statement.

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Within that category, however, there were still some fluctuations in 2025. The Council notes that, within the ready-to-drink space, malt-based seltzers lost 14% of their market share last year, while spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails gained 11%. It isn’t surprising that, as more prestigious names begin working on ready-to-drink cocktails, drinkers who might have avoided them before are opting in — and that’s having a significant impact on the industry.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…