Major Beverage Companies Are Betting the Drink of the Summer Will Be… Canned Vodka Lemonade

Across the country, major beverage companies are betting big on RTD vodka lemonades to blow up as the buzzy drink of the summer.

On Tuesday, Spirit of Gallo announced the launch of Lucky One Lemonade, a new vodka-based, non-carbonated lemonade created in collaboration with Miss Peaches, Barstool founder and crucial High Noon promoter Dave Portnoy’s rescue pit bull. This is just the latest in a string of hard lemonade launches, and the trend is primed to take over beach coolers this summer.

The booming popularity in the category can undoubtedly be traced back to Surfside, which got the ball rolling in 2022 when it launched a lineup of vodka-spiked hard teas and lemonades. In Surfside’s first year on shelves, the company experienced explosive 563 percent growth. Its 2023 case sales blew past the 1 million mark, earning it the title of America’s fastest growing RTD. The growth prompted the brand to launch two new hard tea flavors (Green and Raspberry), along with three new hard lemonades, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Black Cherry.

2024 was another impressive year for Surfside, with the brand expanding case sales from 1.2 million in 2023 to 4.9 million. It was enough to solidify its positioning as America’s fastest-growing alcohol brand off-premise, according to Impact Databank. And while Surfside’s hard teas previously accounted for a large portion of sales, the tides are turning.

In an interview with Beer Business Daily, Surfside’s vice president of national accounts Bobby Bilicki revealed that the brand’s variety pack of vodka lemonade could become the top selling SKU among all Stateside Brands’ (Surfside’s parent company) offerings. “We can easily see [Surfside] Lemonade VP 8pk become Stateside’s #1 SKU in the country by July 4th based on the early chain depletions we are seeing in emerging markets outside the core Northeast region,” he expressed.

But they aren’t the only brand hungry for a slice of the canned vodka lemonade pie.

In early April, Anheuser-Busch announced their newest innovation: Skimmers, a lineup of non-carbonated iced teas and lemonades made with Cutwater vodka. Two weeks later, Boston Beer Company announced that Sun Cruiser, their lineup of vodka-spiked hard teas, would be launching a lemonade extension complete with four flavors. And just this week, E. & J. Gallo tossed its hat into the ring with Lucky One.

Lucky One Lemonade is available for purchase in four flavors, Original, Peach, Blueberry, and Raspberry, with both single flavor 4-packs and 8-pack variety boxes. Ahead of the launch, Lucky One Lemonade partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and LifeLine Animal Project, the organization that originally rescued Miss Peaches, pledging to raise $1 million for the non-profits as a part of the “Our Pack Gives Back” initiative.

“Hard lemonade is having a moment — and we saw an opportunity to bring something new to the table,” Spirit of Gallo’s vice president Brandon Lieb said in a press release. “With vodka lemonade on the rise and malt-based options losing steam, Lucky One Lemonade is our answer: a premium, spirits-based RTD that delivers on flavor, fun, and cultural relevance.”

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