BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater, Oh My! Why We Can’t Get Enough of Boozy RTDs

The alcohol industry can’t stop talking about Gen Z.

Gen Z isn’t drinking. Well, Gen Z is drinking, but they’re sipping cannabis. OK, so Gen Z is drinking alcohol, but gravitating toward no-and-low or premium offerings to imbibe without overdoing it. Wait, maybe Gen Z is actually drinking as much as older generations are. The media and the trade just can’t seem to pin down this new generation of consumers, and it’s in large part because of one simple fact: Roughly half of Gen Z is still under 21. As such, there’s simply no all-encompasing data on these consumers to report yet.

Despite the incomplete, constantly evolving data, industry professionals have attempted to identify the reasons behind this potential generational shift. The primary driver most point to? Moderation for health reasons. While wellness is an entirely plausible explanation, it’s certainly not the only one — nor does this Gen Z author think it’s the main one. Gen Z is the generation that brought us the BORG (Black Out Rage Gallon), after all, and that’s a concoction diametrically opposed to all things moderation.

While college students might still be bottling up colorful vodka punches in empty gallon jugs, we’ve mostly entered the post-BORG era. And in this current epoch, there are new boozy beverages on the block that have curried favor with the generation at large: BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater.

Packaged between 7 and 15 percent ABV and retailing for around $5 a pop, offerings from these brands are everywhere right now. They’ve inundated liquor shops, convenience stores, and social media feeds all around the world, and they’re selling like hot cakes.

Together, these brands have kickstarted the party in a generation that’s almost constantly lambasted for its inability to have fun. In many ways, BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater are proof that it’s perhaps not the health-driven temperance trend that’s causing younger generations to pull back on consumption — it’s affordability. And when they can afford it, they won’t just purchase it — they’ll make a viral moment out of it.

Be Ready When the Right Moment Strikes

BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater might be all the rage right now, but none of them are actually anything new.

Packaged in vacuum-sealed, tennis ball-inspired, plastic spheres, BuzzBallz is the oldest of the bunch, established in Texas in 2010 by schoolteacher Merrilee Kick. Designed to meet Kick’s desire to enjoy a strong cocktail in an unbreakable container, BuzzBallz is also the booziest of the three, with its 6.5-ounce cocktails (spirits-based), chillers (orange wine-based), and mixed drinks (malt-based) all arriving at a sturdy 15 percent ABV. Initially, Kick started out with just a few flavors, each already familiar to consumers, things like the Margarita-inspired Tequila ’Rita or the Cosmopolitan-adjacent Cran Blaster. After year one in business, BuzzBallz had already turned a profit.

“BuzzBallz is a special brand, female-founded by a Dallas school teacher who envisioned a real, cocktail-strength drink in an iconically round shape that would be all about unapologetic fun,” remarks BuzzBallz president Jess Scheerhorn. “What’s been exciting in recent years is how naturally consumers have discovered it and adopted it as one of their go-to brands.”

“The cheeky personality of BuzzBallz naturally invites sharing, and Gen Z has completely run with it. We view our social media platforms as a two-way street; we don’t just post, we participate.”

A large part of the company’s success comes down to where it’s available for sale. BuzzBallz has placements in all 50 states and, by offering the same flavor with various alcohol bases, the brand is able to skirt state-by-state restrictions on where certain products must be sold. In Pennsylvania, for example, you’ll be able to track down BuzzBallz cocktails at liquor stores, but you’ll find the chillers and mixed drinks from beer distributors and at convenience stores. Despite the varying alcohol sources, all three are bottled at the same ABV and available in the same flavors, thus increasing the brand’s opportunities for purchase.

By the time BuzzBallz introduced its large-format Biggies around 2020, it had already crossed 1 million cases sold. That’s precisely what made it such an attractive target for Sazerac, which completed its acquisition of the brand in May 2024 for an undisclosed sum.

“Since joining Sazerac’s portfolio, the heart of the brand has remained consistent. We are not changing the brand’s DNA, we’re simply making it easier to find and more top of mind,” Scheerhorn says. “By showing up wherever Gen Z is socializing and buying our products, we ensure that BuzzBallz is part of the cultural conversation.”

For the similarly flashy BeatBox, the path to success looked a little different. The brand was founded in 2011 by Justin Fenchel, Aimy Steadman, and Brad Schultz, who met while attending the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. The trio regularly attended music festivals together and were frustrated by the lack of shareable drink options there and at parties, so they decided to create their own.

Early versions of BeatBox hit the market in 2013, but they looked much different from the single-serve product on the market now. Rather than the 16.9-ounce Tetra Paks available today, orange wine-based BeatBox was first packaged in the same bag-in-box format as other boxed wines. But it’s not the skin-contact wine you’re probably thinking of that serves as the drink’s primary alcohol source (and some versions of the product are made with a malt base).

The orange wine used to power BeatBox is made from fermented citrus peels, placing the brand in the Other Than Standard (OTS) wine category, an important distinction that allows BeatBox to remain affordable, even at 11.1 percent ABV. Initially, the founders had planned on using vodka as the base spirit, but quickly realized alcohol laws forbid distilled spirits from being packaged in the 5-liter boxes BeatBox originally came in. The OTS category proved to be an ideal workaround. When classified as OTS, a wine can be up to 21 percent ABV without any spirit involved, thus lowering its excise tax and changing where it can be sold in certain states. While spirits are federally taxed at $13.50 per gallon, wines up to 16 percent ABV have a tax rate of just $1.07 per gallon.

A year after launching, the three co-founders appeared on “Shark Tank” seeking a $200,000 investment for a 10 percent stake. They ended up walking away with a million-dollar investment from Mark Cuban, who took a 33 percent stake in the company — and it still wasn’t enough to push the brand into the mainstream. BeatBox just wasn’t in the right places. So in 2017, the decision was made to switch distribution networks.

Rather than continuing to work with wine and spirits wholesalers that primarily focus on placing brands in liquor stores, bars, and restaurants, BeatBox pivoted to beer distributors, which tend to prioritize groceries, c-stores, and concert and festival venues. According to BeatBox SVP of global marketing Zech Francis, once the brand fully made the transition, it sold more cases in the first two months of 2018 than it had in all of 2017.

Further helping increase the brand’s sales at this time was the strategic decision to introduce 500-milliliter Tetra Pak cartons, which were first distributed in addition to the party box. These resealable containers made the product even more portable, broadened opportunities for consumption, and lowered the cost per SKU. From there, sales continued to skyrocket. In 2020, BeatBox shipped 380,000 cases. The next year, that number multiplied to 850,000. And in 2022, the brand hit almost 2 million cases shipped. But it’s still nothing compared to 2025, which saw the brand move almost 8 million cases and receive an 85 percent acquisition from Anheuser-Busch (ABI).

“My initial impression of BeatBox was that it was like a new Four Loko, but thank God it doesn’t taste like one.”

Spirits-based canned-cocktail brand Cutwater has also been performing spectacularly well as of late, despite making its debut in San Diego over a decade ago. Originally created as an offshoot of Ballast Point, it rebranded to become the independent Cutwater Spirits in 2016 and quickly became a canned-cocktail category leader. In 2019, ABI acquired the brand for an undisclosed sum, marking the beer conglomerate’s first move into the world of spirits. The move drastically expanded the brand’s distribution reach, bringing its lineup of 20-plus cocktails into ABI’s networks. By 2023, Cutwater was selling over 3 million cases per year, making it the No. 2 spirits-based canned cocktail in the U.S. behind High Noon.

While showing up in the right places is essential to a brand’s success, it’s only part of the equation. Convincing a generation that’s so discerning with its spending that it’s actually worth the price is another. That’s where social media virality comes into play because, at the end of the day, there’s nothing Gen Z hates more than FOMO.

Challenge Culture in a Chronically Online Generation

Gen Z is widely known as the internet generation, with members living just as much of their lives in the digital realm as in the real world. According to a 2024 study conducted by OnePoll, 46 percent of Gen Zers report feeling as though they live a “double life” online versus in person — and they’re averaging 6.6 hours per day online. So where the fear of missing out for older generations may have been more about feeling left out of in-person events, for Gen Z, FOMO is just as prevalent when it comes to online trends.

Creators of apps like TikTok understand this, which is why the platform was designed around engagement. It started with lip-sync videos to popular songs in the late 2010s before transitioning to viral dances that were enough to catapult some creators to Dunkin’ collaboration-level fame. TikTok is an app that begets virality, and virality begets participation — even if it’s just for participation’s sake. So when videos starring BuzzBallz started going viral, it’s no wonder members of Gen Z immediately wanted in.

The brand began to take off on TikTok around 2023, though it experienced a massive surge in 2025 when the sharable-sized Biggies took over FYPs. Families were passing them around at gatherings and drinking straight from the bottle. Couples were using them to predict the gender of their baby. Across the platform, consumers were posting about their hunts for specific flavors, stocking up on multiple bottles when they managed to track down a rare one. Challenges were a part of the moment, too, with consumers daring themselves to drink a whole 8-10 serving Biggie just to see what would happen.

“We love that the brand is highly social and associated with fun, but we are also very intentional about our role in promoting responsible consumption,” Scheerhorn says. “We let our consumers lead. The cheeky personality of BuzzBallz naturally invites sharing, and Gen Z has completely run with it. We view our social media platforms as a two-way street; we don’t just post, we participate.”

While BuzzBallz has a tendency to lean into its social media virality where appropriate with meme-based content of its own (always marketed to those over the age of 21 consuming responsibly), Anheuser-Busch couldn’t be distancing itself from the #CutwaterChallenge more than it is right now. The challenge, which involves drinking four Cutwaters and not much else, started in July 2025, and pretty soon it was everywhere.

People tried it with the brand’s Espresso Martinis. Some modified the challenge and set it to Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” to see how much Cutwater (sometimes more than one can’s worth) they could chug before Wap says “1738” for the first time. Others might not have participated in the challenge, but after just one, some certainly felt like they had. “After you have four of them, you don’t know what’s going on,” one TikTok user said. “Before you know it you’re floating on a unicorn floatie in the pool hollering, screaming, causing a scene.”

“ABV-wise, going for a BeatBox is much more cost effective,” Nagy explains. “It being resealable is also amazing, it feels a lot safer in a huge crowd. It makes it pretty hard for anyone to unsuspectingly drop something into my drink.”

“Had one during a haunted house…I got into the skeleton,” a fellow TikTokker commented. “4 Cutwaters is 3 too many. Speaking from experience,” remarked another. “Have you ever been personally victimized by a Cutwater?” one pondered before concluding “Yes, yes I have.”

The current discourse surrounding Cutwater is inherently tied to overconsumption, which is undoubtedly the very reason why ABI hasn’t commented on the phenomenon. For this article, a spokesperson for the conglomerate declined to comment.

TikTok Challenge Culture’s Final Boss

If you thought BuzzBallz Biggies or the #CutwaterChallenge were beasts in isolation, allow me to introduce you to a spectacular devil: the BBC Challenge. That’s BuzzBallz, BeatBox, Cutwater to you, and yes, it’s exactly what you fear it is — a full serving of each combined into one terrifying elixir.

“BuzzBallz. BeatBox. Cutwater.” It’s how every video begins before TikTok posters start pouring their flavors of choice into various vessels for consumption. While one might prefer Berry Cherry Lemonade BuzzBallz, Blue Raspberry BeatBox, and Lime Margarita Cutwater, others might opt for Green Apple BuzzBallz, a Fruit Punch BeatBox, and a Lime Margarita Cutwater.

Don’t feel like choosing the flavors for yourself? Some liquor stores, like Royal Wine & Liquor in Baton Rouge, La., or Upstate Wine & Spirits Co. in Delmar, N.Y., have taken to packaging a single BuzzBall, BeatBox, and Cutwater in plastic bags for consumers to come in and easily purchase as a set. There’s one with Forbidden Apple BuzzBallz, Green Apple BeatBox, and Tiki Mai Tai Cutwater; another with Watermelon Splash BuzzBallz, Watermelon Lemonade BeatBox, and Lemon Drop Cutwater, and more. Together, the BBC Bundle retails for around $16 for a whopping 35.4 ounces of booze.

While it’s hard to point to each brand’s social media dominance as the sole driver behind their sales gains, it’s equally difficult to chalk it up to mere coincidence. In the four-week period ending Jan. 10, 2026, Cutwater, BuzzBallz, and BeatBox all ranked among the top five RTD brands by dollar growth, according to NielsenIQ, increasing sales by $35.4 million, $20.5 million, and $6.8 million, respectively.

Viral moments might introduce people to new products and encourage them to make that initial purchase, but they don’t always guarantee these same consumers will be repeat buyers. Fortunately for BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater, repeat purchasing doesn’t appear to be an issue, regardless of social media sensation. And for consumers looking to make subsequent purchases, they don’t have to go far to find each brand, given their lock on wide-scale distribution.

They Might Be Viral, but They’re Also Practical

Social media might be a major catalyst for introduction, but as Scheerhorn argues, Gen Z doesn’t engage with anything that feels forced, instead connecting with brands that are intentional, not too serious, and a fit for their lifestyle. For BuzzBallz, the product seamlessly slips into occasions like pregaming or, as one Gen Z BuzzBallz drinker who wished to remain anonymous tells VinePair, getting a vacation started early when flying Spirit Airlines, which has carried the RTD since 2017.

For Cutwater and BeatBox, consumption occasions can look a little different, with the former occupying prominent space at multiple MLB stadiums and serving as an official partner of the PGA Tour. Equally important for BeatBox are live entertainment venues. The brand has partnered with LiveNation and several music festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), Lost Lands, The Governor’s Ball, and Lollapalooza.

It was at EDC where Morgan Nagy, a Philadelphia-based festival goer in her mid-20s, first tried BeatBox a few years ago. “It wasn’t really popular when I was in high school or college, we had Four Loko,” she says. “So my initial impression of BeatBox was that it was like a new Four Loko, but thank God it doesn’t taste like one.”

While she had already been familiar with the drink from social media, it wasn’t the brand’s online popularity that convinced her to try as much as its affordability and efficiency. At music festivals, drink options, at least relatively affordable ones, typically come down to beer, hard seltzer, or RTDs like BeatBox. And while there’s obviously a fairly sizable markup, BeatBox still proves to be an attractive choice. A beer or seltzer might go for around $12, while a BeatBox sells for around $20, but at 11.1 percent ABV and with over 3.5 standard drinks inside each, the Tetra Pak offers some serious bang for your buck — key for younger consumers without a ton of purchasing power.

“At festivals, I do want to keep my buzz going, and it’s usually between a BeatBox and a beer. ABV-wise, going for a BeatBox is much more cost effective,” Nagy explains. “It being resealable is also amazing. It feels a lot safer in a huge crowd. It makes it pretty hard for anyone to unsuspectingly drop something into my drink.”

Affordable, accessible, practical, and, perhaps most importantly, boozy. It’s a four-part formula that BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater all seem to have perfected — and none of the big three seem likely to experience major sales declines in the coming years without a scandal getting in the way. Not as the latter half of Gen Z continues to come of legal drinking age. It all goes to show that Gen Z is drinking — the drinks just need to be readily available, affordable, and maybe even a little ironic.

The article BuzzBallz, BeatBox, and Cutwater, Oh My! Why We Can’t Get Enough of Boozy RTDs appeared first on VinePair.