Why Every RTD Tastes the Same (And Why That's About to Change)

Walk into any liquor store today and you'll see what appears to be endless choice. Pineapple. Mango. Lime. Peach. Cherry. Watermelon. Hundreds of colorful cans line the shelves, each promising something different. But crack them open, and many deliver a surprisingly similar experience. That's because most RTDs compete by changing the fruit on the label—not by fundamentally changing the drink itself. If you've ever thought, "These all kind of taste alike," you're not imagining it.

Most ready-to-drink cocktails are built using nearly identical formulations. Many rely on a single flavor profile, high carbonation, and a light-bodied structure regardless of what's printed on the can. The result is a category filled with different names but remarkably similar drinking experiences. While one can may say Pineapple and another says Watermelon, the underlying structure often remains the same. Consumers deserve more than simply swapping one fruit flavor for another—they deserve drinks with genuinely different personalities.

At Biza, we approached the category differently by asking a simple question: What if consumers choose drinks the same way they choose wine? Wine lovers don't simply order "red" or "white." They choose a light-bodied Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied Merlot, or a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon because body and mouthfeel shape the entire drinking experience. Through extensive consumer testing, Biza found that body style is just as important as flavor when people choose a cocktail. That insight led to the development of three distinct drink body styles—light, medium, and full-bodied—giving consumers a broader range of experiences than most RTDs offer.

Flavor was only part of the equation. Instead of relying on a single fruit, every Biza cocktail pairs a primary dominant flavor with a carefully selected complementary secondary flavor to create more depth and balance. Think Coconut Pineapple instead of simply Pineapple. Passion Fruit Peach instead of just Peach. Raspberry Mint instead of Raspberry alone. This two-flavor formulation system creates layered cocktails that feel more like something a skilled bartender would craft than a typical canned beverage, while remaining approachable and familiar.

The RTD category doesn't need another can with a different fruit on the label—it needs more meaningful choices. As consumers become more selective and drink less often, they're looking for beverages that deliver something memorable, not just something different in color. The future of RTDs isn't about creating the next trendy flavor. It's about creating distinct drinking experiences. Because when every can is built the same, every drink starts to taste the same. At Biza, we believe consumers deserve more than another flavor—they deserve a better way to experience cocktails.