The return of alcopops: sales are booming – and the reason is worrying
Age: About 30 years old, give or take.
Appearance: Brightly coloured, bottle-shaped.
Like alcoholic drinks, but for kids? That was the worry when alcopops rose to prominence in the 1990s. Sweet and luridly hued, with 'fun' names including Two Dogs, Hoopers Hooch, Tilt, Lemonhead and WKD, they seemed designed especially to appeal to young drinkers.
I remember now. Whatever happened to them? Alcopops were the subject of a moral panic that led to bad publicity, duty rises and bans from major pub chains and supermarkets. But mostly they succumbed to a sharp decline in drinking by young people.
So they just disappeared? Almost completely. Sales plummeted and brands vanished. Even the Bacardi Breezer was discontinued in 2015.
RIP Alcopops – you taught a whole generation to throw up in every colour of the rainbow. Not so fast. Reports of the death of alcopops have proved premature.
You mean … they're back? That's right – the fabled Bacardi Breezer is hitting the shelves again this summer – now known simply as Breezer – in zingy flavours including orange, lime and watermelon.
Yuck. 'RTDs are booming,' said Steve Young, Bacardi UK's business unit director, back in May.
RTDs? Ready-to-drink beverages, the preferred name for alcopops among those that market them. See also FABs (flavoured alcoholic beverages).
Is it just Breezers? Nope. Drinks giant Diageo has launched a new campaign across 20 countries to restore the fortunes of Smirnoff Ice, amid a near doubling in RTD sales over the last decade, fuelled by new brands including BuzzBallz.
How have these RTDs managed to overcome the inexorable decline in alcohol consumption? Gen Z have started drinking again.
They have? A recent study showed that in March 2025 the proportion of UK gen Z consumers who drank alcohol in the last six months was 76%, up from 66% in 2023.
That seems pretty worrying … Who cares? The sector is saved!
I'm really not ready for a whole new era of Technicolor sick. Relax. While gen Z may drink more frequently than they once did, they're not necessarily drinking more. And alcopops have slyly adapted to their new habits.
How? In part by being less alcoholic. In their original formulations alcopops mostly hovered around 5% alcohol. The new Breezers are just 3.4%.
Do say: 'The return of alcopops is just the latest attempt to monetise 90s nostalgia.'
Don't say: 'Drink responsibly, but more often.'
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