New year, same us—and our passion for testing the latest trends has led us to trying and talking about two very popular beverage breakouts. We mean ready-to-drink functional beverages and mocktails. Watch Kevin and his daughter Caroline (yes, Gen Z!) dive into the best of these bevs.
Ready-to-Drink Functional Beverages
From poppi to OLIPOP, the future of functional beverage is more than colorful—it’s bright. Here are the facts. According to Datassential, 53% of consumers are more likely to choose a food or beverage with immediate, short-term benefits, and 47% of consumers are more likely to choose a food or beverage with long-term benefits for the future. That must be why Wellness Drinks was named a top trend in NRA’s “What’s Hot in 2025.”
Some other brands to try this year include Unwell, Juni and Alani Nu.
Ready-to-Drink Mocktails
If you’ve been to a restaurant in the past few months, you’re sure to have seen the increasingly popular non-alcoholic mocktails—both handmade and in ready-to-drink formats. Since 2019, mention of mocktails on menus has increased 37.4%, including a 9.6% increase in 2024 alone. That’s according to Technomic’s Ignite Menu data. RTD mocktails are also conveniently available for retail purchase from brands like AF Drinks, featuring Afterglow™ to mimic the warm sensation of alcohol, and Mingle Mocktails, a women-owned company and low-calorie alternative to traditional alcohol drinks.
If you’re interested in trying other RTD mocktails, some additional brands include Recess Zero Proof, Free Spirits and Ghia.