In the beverage world, both alcohol and wellness products have seen an astronomical increase in their sales this past year. A large portion of these categories is a result of the global pandemic that has re-routed the lives of consumers’ daily living. Many took this virus as a wake-up call to reassess their health by exercising more and consuming healthier foods and beverages. 

Can We Have Our Alcohol and Our Health Too?

Wellness beverages often create a positive impact by supplementing our body with extra nutrients, and when it comes to the alcohol category, healthified versions of our favorites wines, beers, and spirits are making their critical mass debut.  With these healthier alcohol options, those of us who love drinking and also love being healthy are able to have our cake and eat it too. 

Over the past few decades, food and beverage companies have emerged, bringing in non-dairy milk, alternative sugars and even plant-based “meat.” If we can do this with our daily food and beverages, we should apply this concept with alcoholic beverages - and they did. In 2020 alone, the consumption of RTD cocktails increased by 43% (globally). Many of these companies already have popular-selling products, but filled with carbs, sugar and additives, needed a new plan for the new trend. So why now in the last few years does it seem that everyone is trying to healthify their alcoholic products? 

Alcohol Consumers are Becoming More Health Conscious 

Co-founder of tequila-based seltzer brand, Volley, claims, “Consumers are looking more now for what’s in products, what they’re putting into their bodies. The health and wellness movement is playing out in the alcohol space.” Low calorie, sugar-free, natural cocktails in the convenience of a can is what consumers have been buzzing about and is what has had the market while valued at $4.4 billion back in 2019, continuing to steadily increase. It’s not just about the RTD anymore, though. Some of these products are being used to create drinks like hard kombucha, a beer with added electrolytes and even liquor infused with CBD. 

Harpoons Brewery in Massachusetts is one company that wants consumers to consider drinking even after a workout. They don’t just add sea salt for electrolytes to their beer, but also include ingredients such as chia seeds, whole-grain cereal with buckwheat and both minerals and B vitamins. Sufferfest Beer Co. (owned by Sierra Nevada Brewing) has a pale ale that has 96mg of electrolyte-replenishing sodium (as much as standard sports drinks) and contains Vitamin C-packed black currants which the brand claims to boost both gut and kidney health.

The Best of All Worlds is Balance - Healthy Beverages All Around

Consumers want to explore all of the new health trends of their favorite cocktails, beers, and seltzers, but at the end of the day, alcohol is still alcohol and should still be balanced out with proper hydration. Don’t drink a case of beer packed with electrolytes and expect not to have a hangover the next day. If you want a solution to your hangover problems that will truly be effective, order some Drinklyte. This is not to say that we shouldn’t drink alcohol or that making healthier choices is a bad idea, but rather the best of both worlds is balance - healthy drinks all around.