The Bar Journal

In this episode we want to consider two thriving trends within the contemporary drink industry: RTD (Ready to Drink) and RTS (Ready To Serve) categories. 

In the last few years you might have noticed a larger number of pre-made drinks populating the shelves of supermarkets, small convenience shops, e-commerce and social media platforms. These hundreds of colorful cans or tetra packs catch consumers attention representing a more convenient, cheaper and portable option: thanks to their smaller size RTD beverages permit consumers to ‘have a taste’ of flavours they didn’t try before, without spending additional costs on a bottle-size drink that they might not even enjoy.

Providing an opportunity to consume drinks of people’s favourite bars and restaurants while relaxing or cooking at home, RTD options have established their own credibility also thanks to the low ABV levels. Take for example White Claw, a blend of seltzer water, triple distilled spirit, with a hint of fruit flavour: as suggested by the three waves profiled on the can, the Hard Seltzer is actually a simple and refreshing drink easy to consume and carry around. 

In fact, using a fresh and appealing design, RTDs particularly address the young generations who enjoy a ‘drink-to-go’ format much more than mature consumers. 

Immediately popular among the drink lovers in the US, the RTD trend quickly spread overseas: Australia, UK, Europe and Russia have already followed very similar practices, but how big is this trend and how long will it last? 

According to the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, in 2018 the global RTD category grew 5% by volume compared to 2017, and is expected to grow by 23% between 2019 and 2023. The US and Japan remain the biggest RTD markets with a forecast of 52% over the next five years in the Americas. 

Next to their immediate and intense popularity, RTD beverages are also accompanied by the emerging ‘ready to serve’ (RTS) trend: despite the slow but steady growth, a small selection of pre-made drinks is carving a new space within the more sophisticated consumers’ industry.  

Available in bottle-size formats, RTS drinks differ from the RTD essentially because you require a glass ‘to serve’ the liquid. Providing pre-made cocktails in a larger quantity has the advantage of producing a better quality combination of spirits, which can be also stored preserving their original taste better than any regular bottle of wine. 

Defined by a clear, simple and elegant design RTS beverages introduce curious consumers to determinate types of cocktails, while at the same time growing a brand’s image and strategy: as demonstrated by the different range of Primo Aperitivo, a new appeal to customers’ awareness is demonstrated in the attempt to evaluate a specific drinking moment (namely, the Aperitivo time) with original ‘ready to serve’ drinks. 

However, if we consider the long history of various types of beverages (wine, beer and spirits in particular), we might well think of the traditional ‘whiskey flask’ as the primordial RTD, while including casks, kegs and barrels as part of RTS options: from these a new type of packaging concept, the Bag-in-Box (BiB) developed as a container for the storage and transportation of liquids (juice, beer, wine..) which consists of a strong bladder or plastic bag, seated inside a fiberboard box. Although the BiB drinks remain available in small numbers, their convenience in multiple measures must not be underestimated for both alcoholic and non-drinks.

Envisioning a bright future for both RTD and RTS categories, we must not forget the potential risks of environmental contamination when thousands of cans, tetra packs and plastic drink flasks are released into the international markets each day: a responsible consumption of both content and containers is extremely necessary especially in these times of global awareness. 

Now, watch out for RTD and RTS base type of spirits and the packaging category: what’s the successful drink that catches your attention and satisfies your tastes?

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