ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Coca-Cola has introduced a line of juice beverages meant to enjoyed with or without alcohol. The Simply Mixology beverages come in three flavors—Strawberry Guava Mojito, Lime Margarita and Peach Sour.
“We know that Simply has been a favorite mixer for 20 years,” said Alex Ames, creative director, nutrition, Coca-Cola North America. “With Simply Mixology, we wanted to find a way to simplify and elevate the at-home drinking experience with great-tasting, natural solutions that are not only amazing mixers but also stand on their own as ready-to-drink mocktails.”
Coca-Cola says that several intersecting consumer trends inspired the launch of the dual-proposition offering, including the surge in alcohol consumption at home and a boom in booze-free movements like Dry January and sober curiosity.
“We always try to follow where the consumer is going while also delivering a variety of offerings that stay true to the Simply brand ethos,” said Josh Kroo, nutrition category lead, Coca-Cola North America. “The power of this brand—and what’s becoming our legacy—is how we deliver the goodness of fruit in the simplest way possible to meet a range of occasions throughout the day.”
Consumer insights drove the development of the three Simply Mixology flavors, according to Coca-Cola. Margarita is currently the most popular cocktail at bars and restaurants; online searches for whiskey sour recipes have doubled in recent years; and consumption of beverages made with lime and mint was up almost 50% in 2021.
Coca-Cola’s Simply brand is approaching $2 billion in annual retail sales, and it recently entered the flavored alcoholic beverage category through an agreement between The Coca‑Cola Company and Molson Coors for Simply Spiked Lemonade, which launched last summer. Also last summer, Coca-Cola partnered with Brown-Forman to release a Jack & Coke ready-to-drink cocktail.
According to the International Food Information Council, nonalcoholic beverage options are growing in popularity as more consumers abstain from alcohol. Factors include physical health, emotional wellbeing and spiritual reasons. Sales of non- and low-alcoholic beverages were up 15% last year, according to an IWSR report.
Molson Coors Beverage Co. recently launched its first nonalcoholic cocktail, available as a direct-to-consumer product. The mocktail, called Roxie, comes in three flavors: Ripe With Passionfruit, Forbidden Pineapple and Lost in Mango.
Other beer companies, including Heineken, Budweiser and Sam Adams, have released nonalcoholic alternatives in the past five years. In November, Keurig Dr Pepper took a minority stake in nonalcoholic craft beer maker Athletic Brewing Company, investing $50 million. The deal was Keurig Dr Pepper’s second move into the nonalcoholic segment after acquiring Atypique, a nonalcoholic ready-to-drink cocktail brand.
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