Quarter Proof Founders Return to Low-Alc With ‘Half-Cocktail’ Strength Demi Vodka
Rohan Radhakrishnan and Fabian Clark’s first attempt at building a mid-proof spirits category didn’t go as planned. Now, they’re trying again.
Ferron Salniker
Spirits Editor
Ferron Salniker is the Spirits Editor, guiding our coverage of the spirits and RTD cocktail space. She reports for BevNET.com and Brewbound.com on everything from new subcategories in established liquor types to the growth of the craft spirits business.
Posts by Ferron Salniker
RTD Cocktails: New Releases From Salt Point, Deep Eddy, Freixenet and More
August’s ready-to-drink (RTD) releases include a Bay Area canned cocktail brand suiting up with the 49ers and a top sparkling wine brand making its RTD debut, plus several fall-themed cocktails and one controversial breakfast-flavored libation. Here’s what’s new on shelf.
Morales Beverage Group Moves In On RNDC Indiana Assets
Morales Beverage Group (MBG), the distribution arm of Mexcor International, has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) Indiana assets and operations, the companies announced today. The deal would add a sixth state to MBG’s distribution footprint.
Pernod Ricard Leans Into RTDs as It Navigates a Down Year
Pernod Ricard closed a rough fiscal 2026 with organic net sales down nearly 4% globally and 14% in the U.S., but CEO Alexandre Ricard used the company’s full-year results call to highlight where the French spirits giant is seeking growth, including ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails.
Verlaine’s Lychee Martini Tests 25 Years Of NYC Bar Cred As It Breaks Into New Markets
Verlaine, the Lower East Side bar synonymous with New York’s lychee martini, is about to see whether two decades of happy hour fame can translate into retail sales.
Gulf Distributing Hires First Spirits Director to Grow Division
One of the Southeast’s largest beer distributors, Gulf Distributing Holdings, is investing in its spirits division, pairing a newly created leadership role with its latest infrastructure investment.
The Death of Traditional ‘Trading Up’: RTDs Lead New Premiumization Wave
Ready-to-drink cocktails (RTD) carry the highest average price per serve of any category, yet are experiencing the most growth – undercutting old assumptions about what ‘trading up’ means to consumers.
RTDs Deliver 38% of Bev-Alc Innovation Dollars from Just 22% of Items
Ready-to-drink (RTD) brands are doing disproportionate work in bev-alc innovation – and the brands investing in innovation are twice as likely to grow their overall business, according to a new NIQ report.
Mission Craft Cocktails Rides The Pickle Wave From Prank To New SKU
Mission Craft Cocktails’ Pickle-Rita, a gag that was supposed to die on April Fools’ Day, is headed to grocery stores in September.
YOSHI Is Betting ‘Matchatinis’ Can Repeat Espresso’s Cocktail Success
YOSHI Matcha Liqueur is moving from a two-state test market to national distribution in under a year, testing its thesis that the popularity of espresso martinis and matcha prove there’s demand for green tea-laced cocktails.
Sazerac Acquires The UK’s Au Vodka, Adds Another RTD to Portfolio
The Fireball owner has signed a binding agreement to acquire Au Vodka, a top-selling UK RTD vodka brand. The deal continues Sazerac's two-year buying spree and marks its largest push yet into the UK market.
Adult Non-Alc In 2026: A $1 Billion Category With a Splitting Playbook
Adult Non-Alc (ANA) beverage sales passed $1.08 billion in U.S. off-premise sales in 2026, with the real number likely higher when counting on-premise and alternative channel sales. But more than halfway through 2026, that growth is slowing as the category matures, splitting into competing brand strategies, and drawing in different buyers from the industry's early assumptions.
High-ABV RTDs Are On The Rise, But They’re More Than Buzz For Your Buck
There were many kinds of party drinks before 2010, but we’d bet none of them came in colorful plastic orb-shaped containers. BuzzBallz, the Sazerac-owned ready-to-drink (RTD) party prop, doesn’t just stand out for its spherical shape, but for what it represents about how people are drinking these days: with entertaining, high-ABV, convenient formats.
After Breakthru Walks, KEG 1 Moves on RNDC’s Kentucky Business
KEG 1 River City (K1RC) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Republic National Distributing Company's (RNDC) Kentucky assets, the companies announced today. The deal follows news late last week that Breakthru Beverage Group was pulling out of its deals for RNDC’s Kentucky and Indiana operations.