08 Apr 2025 US: Coca-Cola makes another move into alcohol with Minute Maid brand

The soda giant is launching a vodka-based version of its Minute Maid lemonade and pink lemonade, looking to leverage the buzzy canned cocktail sector.….

The drinks, being managed by Coke’s alcohol subsidiary, Red Tree Beverages, have 5% alcohol-by-volume, are not carbonated and come in flavours including classic lemonade and pink lemonade.

The brand is also launching a line of Minute Maid Spike Vodka Punch, with flavours like citrus, berry and tropical punch.

The Coca-Cola subsidiary’s move into spiked lemonade comes as food and beverage giants look to expand into the RTD space by leveraging well-known brand names. Kraft Heinz earlier this month entered the alcohol sector for the first time with the release of a Crystal Light vodka refresher.

These developments also tap into the increasing demand for non-carbonated canned cocktails. Last year, Molson Coors launched Happy Thursday spiked refreshers, targeting the Gen Z demographic.

FoodDive.com insights

The latest product release from Coca-Cola’s subsidiary highlights a significant shift in the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage market, moving toward spirits-based cocktails and non-carbonated juice drinks.

The new vodka-based cocktails build upon the introduction of the wine-infused Minute Maid Spiked last year, which included flavours like Strawberry Daiquiri and the recent addition of Blue Hawaiian.

Additionally, Coca-Cola offers Simply Spiked Lemonade, a malt-based, lightly carbonated canned RTD, created in collaboration with Molson Coors.

Coca-Cola’s entry into the alcohol market has also featured collaborations with Brown-Forman on Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola (launched in SA mid 2024), and Constellation Brands on Fresca Mixed.

Several leading canned cocktail brands have gained traction by focusing on the quality of their spirits. One example is Surfside, a vodka-infused tea and lemonade brand, which became the second-best-selling spirit-based canned cocktail in 2024, experiencing a remarkable 378% increase in year-over-year sales.

Surfside’s success in the vodka cocktail market has signalled a growing preference among younger consumers for RTD drinks featuring higher-quality spirits, as opposed to the malt-based beverages that gained popularity in the late 2010s.

Source: Red Tree Beverages, FoodDive.com