Joanna returns from vacation and while she was gone, she noticed some interesting drinking habits in her family. Most shocking to her was the fact that, despite their popularity with younger consumers, her father-in-law had never heard of hard seltzers, nor had he ever tried one. On the flip side, some younger drinkers in her family had never incorporated classic cocktails into their home mixology repertoire, despite their popularity with older generations.
For quite some time, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails and flavored malt beverages (FMBs) had a cultural perception greatly geared toward younger, perhaps more unserious, drinkers. However, with such an abundance of RTDs and FMBs on the market today, the category is expanding to include a multitude of higher-quality products that are drastically different from the Zimas and Smirnoff Ices older generations may associate with the category.
Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Joanna and Zach ponder the existence of “generation gaps” in the drinks industry and question whether differing preferences and consumption habits are tied more to the specific drinks in question or the format and relative abundance of choice within a category.
Zach is reading: How Mexico Became a Secret Bourbon Hub During Prohibition
Joanna is reading: It’s Time to Take Super-Premium Flavored Whiskey Seriously
