Major fizzy drink brand launches its first range of canned cocktails

Daily Mail​

24-04-2025

A major drink brand is launching its first range of canned alcoholic cocktails in the UK this April.
The new line of ready-to-drink cocktails has been created by Schweppes, which is best known for making mixers like tonic water as well as other soft drinks.
Called Schweppes Mix, the range boasts two flavours - Gin Twist and Paloma Bliss - which come in a 250ml can and are priced at £2.29.
According to the brand, Gin Twist is a 'citrus-forward blend with a clean, refreshing finish'.
Meanwhile, Paloma Bliss features a 'bold balance of grapefruit and tequila'.
The new launch comes amid a slump for Schweppes, which has seen sales drop by almost 10 per cent over the past year, to £156.1 million.
According to the brand, with its new drinks, it hopes to attract 'new consumers into the category with its bold taste and standout style'.
It notes that 65 per cent of ready-to-drink consumption takes place at home, and adds that the cans are 'perfect for pre-party drinks', and offer an alternative to wine and Prosecco.
Speaking about the new drinks, Elaine Maher, associate director for alcohol RTD at CCEP GB, said: 'Schweppes Mix is rooted in craft and credibility.
'It's a cocktail range made with the same expertise that's earned Schweppes its place behind the bar for over 200 years.
'This is a mixologist's choice, reimagined for modern drinkers – offering bold flavour combinations, premium spirits and ultimate convenience.
'Whether it's getting ready to go out or hosting friends at home, we're helping consumers serve up the perfect start to any night with confidence.'
The range joins an increasingly crowded market, with most British supermarkets, as well as other drink companies, offering their own ready-to-drink cocktails including classic options like gin and tonics to martinis and margaritas.
Sainsbury's for example, sells own brand RTD gin and tonics and vodka lime and sodas for £1.20 each, while also offering fancier cocktails, such as MOTH premixed margaritas, for £3.85.
Ready to drink cocktails are more popular than even, but do you know how many units there are per can?
Elsewhere, Altos have introduced ready-to-drink cocktail in bigger batches, offering a 750ml margarita, roughly five or six servings, in one bottle for £15.
Many of these drinks contain more alcohol than people may think, with the bright packaging perhaps making consumers think the beverages have an alcohol content comparable to an alcopop such as Smirnoff Ice.
So it might come as a surprise to see how many units of alcohol are contained in some of these canned cocktails.
The beverages might seem innocent enough, but the units of alcohol in RTD cocktails are similar to the ones you might purchase at a bar, which can cause people to underestimate their alcohol consumption.
Britons are urged not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, but how many RTD cocktails does that include? RTD beverages vary in strength, even for the same cocktail. For example, Marks and Spencer's gin and tonic has two units while Sainsbury's own brand came in lower at 1.25 units.
The other cocktails on sale at Marks and Spencer's, including mojitos and martinis, also have two units, putting them on the stronger side of RTD alcoholic beverages.
Upscale MOTH cocktails weren't far behind, and both their margarita and espresso martini cans had 1.9 units.
White Claw's sparkling water with alcohol contained 1.5 units while Pimms had one of the lowest amounts of alcohol with 0.13 units in total.
RTD cocktails that contain around two units are on the stronger side of the premixed offerings.
The amount still comes in strong in comparison to non-premixed drinks that one could purchase at a bar, such as wine, beer, and a shot of tequila.
Marks and Spencer's gin and tonic, for example, almost equals the amount of alcohol in a glass of champagne or a pint of lager.
Meanwhile, one could consume the same amount of alcohol from an Aperol Spritz at a restaurant from a MOTH espresso martini or margarita on the go.
Likewise, sipping on an espresso martini at a bar would equal the same amount of alcohol as in White Claw's alcoholic sparkling water.
Meanwhile, non-premixed drinks such as margarita, double whiskey, and a white Russian, hold a much more potent alcohol content than RTD offerings. However, if one was to purchase a couple RTD cocktails, they wouldn't be far behind.