Britain’s canned cocktails market is booming, with shoppers reportedly trading traditional spirits for convenient, premium serves that cost a fraction of the price of a drink in a bar.

UK consumers bought more than three times as many ready-to-drink cocktails in 2025 as they did five years earlier, as the category shed its association with cheap alcopops and moved firmly into the mainstream.

Off-trade sales of ready-to-drink products reached £704m last year, rising 17 per cent by value and 12 per cent by volume. By contrast, the wider UK spirits category lost around £40m in sales, suggesting canned cocktails are actively taking share rather than simply benefiting from growth across alcohol.

The surge has been driven by brands offering recognisable cocktails such as margaritas, negronis, spritzes and espresso martinis, packaged in brightly designed cans and marketed around quality ingredients and convenience.

Premium and above ready-to-drink products grew by more than 15 per cent globally during 2025, while total category volumes rose three per cent at a time when every other major alcohol segment declined.

Ready-to-drink products have now overtaken vodka by global value, following compound annual growth of 8 per cent between 2019 and 2025.

The format has proved particularly popular during the summer, with shoppers buying cans for picnics, festivals, sporting events and train journeys.

A typical canned cocktail costs between £3 and £5, compared with £12 or more for a similar serve in a bar, giving consumers an affordable way to recreate an out-of-home drinking occasion.

Major grocers have responded by significantly expanding their ranges. Marks & Spencer, which introduced canned cocktails around four decades ago, now stocks more than 40 varieties and sells roughly 150 cans every minute during summer weekends.

The category’s appeal also extends across age groups. Millennials account for 40 per cent of buyers, followed by adult Gen Z shoppers at 26 per cent and Generation X at 24 per cent. More than half of purchasers are women.

However, the market is increasingly split between premium cocktail brands and sweeter, higher-strength products such as BuzzBallz, which has become one of the biggest players in the US ready-to-drink sector.

The growth suggests canned cocktails are no longer viewed simply as a convenience purchase, but as an established drinks category capable of competing directly with bottled spirits, wine and the traditional bar occasion.