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STEWART’S SPIKED SELTZER BRINGS CLASSIC AMERICAN FLAVORS TO A NEW GENERATION BY GREG COHEN
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s consumers thirst for hard seltzers and other ready-to-drink products continues to explode – the RTD category has now surpassed total spirits volume in the U.S. according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis – it’s little surprise that a number of familiar brands, many of which new to beverage alcohol, have thrown their cans into the ring. Established brands like Topo Chico and Zing Zang mixers have recently announced new RTDs, Snapple markets a spiked line in Canada, and speculation continues that we’ll soon see a hard seltzer from Monster Beverage Corp. And now the latest to launch a new product for grown-ups is Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer, inspired by the popular line of all-American Stewart’s sodas. “People trust the Stewart’s name. It’s nostalgic, it’s iconic, and it draws immediate attention,” says Peter Strahm, CEO of Stewart’s Enterprises, Inc, which owns the license to produce alcoholic beverages under the Stewart’s name. Stewart’s traces its history back to 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio, when Frank Stewart created one of the first and only licorice-based root beer recipes in the U.S. The Stewart’s soda line then grew to include about a dozen bottled
At 5% ABV, each 12 oz. slim can of Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer is 100 calories, gluten-free, and contains 1g of sugar and 1g of carbohydrates. and fountain craft sodas, from root beer to cream soda to cola. Fast forward to today, Strahm says Stewarts is bringing those classic American flavors to a new generation with the introduction of Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer. The launch will initially include four products, led by the brand’s famous Root Beer (the exact taste profile of the soda, Strahm promises), along with Orange Cream, Black Cherry, and Raspberry Lime. Stewart’s Spiked began rolling out (and quickly selling out in some markets) in February in the Northeast, where Stewart’s soda is particularly strong. Additional U.S., and possibly international, markets will follow. Strahm says that while his team has
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so far focused primarily on off-premise channels, the brand has definite plans to make a push into on-premise as bars and restaurants continue to re-open. At 5% ABV, each 12 oz. slim can of Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer is 100 calories, gluten-free, and contains 1g of sugar and 1g of carbohydrates. “At the heart of Stewart’s is the American dream – freedom, family, fun, and opportunity,” adds Strahm, whose career in the beverage industry includes leadership roles at Red Bull, Snapple, Jones Soda Company, and PepsiCo. “Our goal with Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer is to bring back the ‘good life’ with a classic taste of Americana, made modern as a hard seltzer.”
SPRING 2021
BARTENDER® Magazine
19
