September 22, 2006

Liquor in the Can

All in all, we think drinking Ready to Drink cocktails (affectionately known as RTDs) is like riding a moped or making love to someone who's unattractive - it can be a lot of fun until your friends find out about it. After that, you're mercilessly made fun of and called "Mr. Hard Lemonade" until the day you die. Or at least that's how it is with our friends.

And it's not like you can be super stealthy about it usually - they're just so damned conspicuous. Everyone else in the bar is drinking beer out of a brown or green bottle, and you're there with your hand around a clear bottle full of something that looks like toxic waste.

That's probably why Diageo is finding so much success with their new canned RTDs. You shove the can in a coozie and suddenly you can pretend you're drinking Miller Lite just like all your friends, while you're really sipping down a pre-made Captain and Coke. That's real genius.

Mike over at Days that End in "Y" has the full rundown:

Rather than buying cases of beer, you may be buying cases of cocktails in the near future. Diageo has rolled out four ready-to-drink cocktails, which it's testing in Tampa: Captain Morgan and Cola, Smirnoff Vodka and Lemon-Lime Soda, George Dickel Whisky and Cola, and Seagram's 7 American Whiskey and Lemon-Lime Soda. The cocktails are 5% ABV in regular 12-ounce cans, so they sit right next to beer.

via Days that End in "Y"