Coca-Cola and Pepsi Face an Unlikely New Rival With a Unique New Drink

The beverage wars have become even more complicated and that means a lot of new choices for consumers.

For a very long time, the soft drink giants and the titans of the alcoholic beverage world stayed in their lanes. PepsiCo (PEP) - Get Free Report and Coca-Cola (KO) - Get Free Report expanded into water, juice, iced tea, energy drinks, and packaged coffee but they stayed away from alcohol.

The same thing was true in the other direction the major beer and liquor brands largely avoided the non-alcoholic market aside from dabbling in zero-proof beer. Those lines, however, have blurred in recent years and you can blame the ready-to-drink (RTD) market and hard seltzers.

Think of RTD as "cocktails in a can," those beverages that make classic (and not-so-classic) bar drinks at your disposal without requiring any mixing. And hard seltzer, of course, has been a craze that every company has wanted a piece of, which led Coke to partner with Molson Coors (TAP) - Get Free Report for a line of Topo Chico hard seltzer.

Pepsi followed by working with seltzer leader Boston Beer (SAM) - Get Free Report to produce a boozy version of Mountain Dew. Coca-Cola has also entered the RTD space by working with Brown-Forman (BFA) to offer a canned take on the rum and Coke. That was an incredibly bold step for the brand as it's one thing to offer adult Topo Chico, and another entirely to add the Coke brand to an alcoholic beverage.

And while Coke and Pepsi have been working with partners in the alcohol space, Molson Coors is making a big move on its own that's a bit of a threat to Coke and Pepsi.

Molson Coors Makes a Big Non-Alcoholic Move

Non-alcoholic cocktails have become a bit of a thing. It's a developing trend where people want to try interesting flavors, but they don't want to consume any alcohol. That trend led to Dry January, an effort to have people stop drinking for a month (which might be a good idea for some after covid-related increases).

Now, Molson Coors wants to capitalize on that market -- and provide an alternative to soda or other Coke and Pepsi products -- by introducing Roxie, a zero-proof canned cocktail.

"Inspired by craft cocktails with a twist, Roxie is packed with flavor, a hint of intrigue, and a whole lot of attitude -- without the booze. The launch of Roxie is Molson Coors' latest venture in the beyond beer space and marks their first-ever direct-to-consumer line of zero-proof cocktails," the company shared in a press release.

Consumers May Actually Want Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Molson Coors is trying to lean into a trend. The company shared that recent data from IWSR, a leading analyst of the beverage industry, shows that the non-alcoholic beverage category is expected to grow by 27.6% among 21- to 25-year-olds.

Not wanting alcohol, however, does not mean not wanting to go out or have bar/cocktail experiences.  

"Roxie is the brand that empowers people to be a part of the moment, celebrating the choice to drink and not drink alcohol," says Molson Coors Vice President Jamie Wideman "That's where Roxie shines, it packs layers of flavorful complexity, delivering a line of zero-proof cocktails built for those who want to moderate their drinking, abstain or simply sip on something fantastic."

The new drink comes in three flavors (the ridiculous descriptions are from the company):

• Ripe with Passionfruit: Bold, zesty, and so lush with passionfruit…it's almost indecent.
• Forbidden Pineapple: Juicy, tangy, and drenched in vibrant flavors that dare to go there.
• Lost in Mango: Rich and aromatic, with a full-bodied finish and a dash of intrigue.

The new line will, at least for now, only be sold online at drinkoxie.com. Each flavor is available in 4- or 12-packs.