The document describes a bracket-style tournament between different hard seltzer and canned cocktail flavors to determine America's favorite ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage. Pina Colada defeated Mojito and advanced to the finals against Lemonade. In the final matchup, consumers voted for Lemonade over Pina Colada by a margin of 54% to 46%. The document also provides insights into flavor trends and preferences for different regions.

1. 16
32
64
#14 Pina Colada has
captivated consumers
that long for a cold drink
on a beach sending #1
Mojito back to the bar.
SYMRISE FLAVOR NORTH AMERICA
NATURAL
GOODNESS
HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE
AMERICA’S FAVORITE READY-TO-DRINK ALCOHOL
Our 64 team single elimination style bracket features hard seltzer flavors on
one side and canned cocktails on the other. The teams were selected based on:
The flavor match-ups were selected by 5,000 category consumers across
the U.S. through our online consumer intelligence platform in real time.
The top 50 flavors in
each category
The fastest growing
flavors in food service
Flavors from the Symrise
TrendScope® research
These are some of the most notable
regional marquee match-ups:
These are some of the most notable
regional marquee match-ups:
THE FIRST
ROUND
THE ROUND
OF 32
THE
SIPPING 16
#14 Pina Colada
upsets #3 Rum
and Coke
#10 Whiskey Ginger
beats a fan favorite
#2 Old Fashioned
#9 Pineapple wins
vs #4 Lemon with
59% vote
This falls in line with one of our Emotional Discoveries subtrend
“Bold Excitement” where we see consumers gravitating towards
adventurous combinatory flavors. As well #14 Pina Colada follows a
recent trend of tropical flavors becoming more prevalent in beverages
doubled with the healthy halo of coconut flavored beverages.
According to Technomic, Ginger is one of the top pairings with
whiskey. Millennial consumers are very interested in brown
spirits and over index in their consumption of American whiskey
compared to other brown spirit consumers.
Citrus flavors keep advancing, specifically tropical citrus flavors –
bold, bitter and sweet in their own ways. This trend can also be seen
in Margarita vs Manhattan, Mojito vs Daiquiri, and even Pina Colda
vs Whiskey Sour.
A striking similarity with the Flavorful Four flavors, they all have some
level of acidity in their ingredients and provide a contrast of flavors.
These extras give the consumers the sensorial experiences they crave.
Each of the two finalist flavors has proven to
be battle tested; whether it is defeating a #1
seed, taking down trendy spirits that at one
point seemed like they may steal the
show or even defeating top
launched flavors in their
respective categories.
Consumers went with the refreshing, nostalgic, sweet yet sour hard
seltzer #15 Lemonade as America’s favorite canned alcoholic beverage of
2021 beating out #14 Pina Colada by a consumer vote of 54% to 46%.
If you are interested in learning more about Symrise Flavor North America’s capabilities
to quickly validate consumer concepts or about our Marketing and Consumer Insights
approach please reach out to your account manager for more information.
The nostalgic factor for
#15 Lemonade was too
much for #9 Pineapple
which fell by a margin of
15% of consumer votes.
Pineapple Lemonade Strawberry
Kiwi Strawberry Margarita Whiskey
Ginger Mojito Pina Colada
The wild ride for #10
Whiskey Ginger is over. #1
Margarita, offering taste
travel and a citrus
contrast that's on fire.
#8 Strawberry Kiwi beat
out #3 Strawberry in a
consumer vote by 2%,
with 51% of the
popular vote.
#15 Lemonade defeats #8 Strawberry
Kiwi by a consumer vote of 53% to 47%.
#14 Pina Colada wins an overtime
thriller against #1 Margarita with a
consumer vote of 51% to 49%.
This region celebrates flavor
with a focus on simple, pure
and minimalist ingredients.
PREMIUM
INDULGENCE
This region is known for its love
for detail and uniqueness with
premium flavors that deliver an
exquisite experience.
EMOTIONAL
DISCOVERIES
This adventurous region invites
consumers to explore both
authentic-ethnic and
nostalgic flavors.
This high-quality region sticks
to the standard of a guilt-free
and nutritious flavor
experience.
FLAVOR MADNESS 2021
The Teams
Regional Match-up Highlights
The Elite Eight
The Flavorful Four
The Final
The Result
LEMONADE
HARD SELTZER
HARD SELTZERS VS. CANNED COCKTAILS
REFRESHING
TASTE
CONTRAST OF
SWEET AND SOUR WINNER BY A
CONSUMER
VOTE OF 54%
NOSTALGIC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mango
Grapefruit
Raspberry
Lemon
Blood Orange
Passion Fruit
Watermelon
Peach
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Lime
Black Cherry
Strawberry
Cranberry Cherry
Lemon & Lime
Blueberry Pomegranate
Raspberry Lime
Strawberry Kiwi
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Margarita
Old Fashioned
Long Island Iced Tea
Mimosa
Manhattan
Martini
Mai Tai
Vodka Cranberry
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mojito
Gin and Tonic
Rum and Coke
Bloody Mary
Moscow Mule
Bellini
Whiskey Sour
Hard Lemonade
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Black Cherry Lime
Lemonade
Grapefruit Cardamom
Lime Lemongrass
Passionfruit Pineapple
Grapefruit Pomelo
Blackberry Hibiscus
Pineapple
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Pisco Sour
French 75
Aperol Spirits
Caipirinha
Dark & Stormy
Negroni
Whiskey Ginger
Hard Tea
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Blueberry Acai
Cucumber Watermelon
Pomegranate
Strawberry Guava
Cranberry Cherry
Strawberry Elderflower
Cranberry Lime
Hibiscus
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Hurricane
Gimlet
Pina Colada
Daiquiri
Hard Coffee
Paloma
Cosmopolitan
Mint Juelp
AMERICA’S FAVORITE READY-TO-DRINK ALCOHOL
in-sight.symrise.com
49% VS 51%
54% VS 46%
53% VS 47%