Are Spiked Seltzers a Summer Fad or Here to Stay?

Spiked seltzers are convenient, refreshing, and all over social media, especially now that Four Loko’s upping the ante. We notice this trend with our members, as White Claw emerges as the 4th most purchased alcohol brand among our members uploading receipts in the past 30 days. But is “no laws when you’re drinking Claws” a summer state of mind or will people still reach for a spiked seltzer once the weather cools? 

We surveyed 1,608 of our proprietary panelists aged 21 to 54 (evenly split by gender) to see if they’ve gone all-in on the spiked seltzer trend. Four-in-ten drink hard seltzers at least once a month (led by those under 35), with another 23% also drinking them, albeit less frequently. 

The good taste is by far the top reason for drinking spiked seltzers (69%), with black cherry the overall favorite flavor, though females equally prefer black cherry and raspberry. Secondarily, spiked seltzer drinkers view them as a “good summer drink” (50%), portable/easy to carry around (44%), a nice alternative to beer (37%) and low-calorie (37%).

When asked whether spiked seltzers are a year-round refresher or something to imbibe in the summer, our panelists were a bit mixed. Males were more likely to view them as a summer drink (58%), while the slight majority of females would reach for a cold one regardless of the season (53%). Region also played a role in this debate, with respondents in the Midwest and Northeast most apt to consider hard seltzers a “summer” drink (55-57%) and those out West most open to drinking them any time of the year (53%).

Should hard seltzer brands craft seasonal flavors to ensure continued sipping once the sun has set on another summer?

What is your favorite flavor of spiked seltzers? Do you drink them year-round or only in the summer?