Southern Comfort launches premium, ready-to-serve drinks to meet growing demand

Research by Nielsen finds that the premium ready-to-serve category is growing more than 72 percent compared to 3.4 percent for the overall ready-to-serve category. To meet consumer demand for premium, premixed drinks, Southern Comfort launched two ready-to-serve cocktails—Hurricane Cocktail and Sweet Tea Cocktail. “Whether it's for an indoor or outdoor party, for a big or small group of friends, these cocktails take the hassle out of mixing cocktails all night,” says Campbell Brown, vp, director Southern Comfort Americas. “They're simple and delicious. All people have to do is grab a glass of ice, pour and enjoy.”

Both flavors capitalize on Southern Comfort's origins. The Hurricane is an iconic cocktail that shares a long tradition with Southern Comfort, and brings a little piece of New Orleans and Mardi Gras to any occasion. Hurricanes can be daunting to make at home because of the many ingredients and recipe variations. The Southern Comfort Hurricane Cocktail is as delicious to drink, but much easier to make, than the original party blend.

Sweet Tea originated at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis; the same fair where New Orleans bartender M.W. Heron won a gold medal for his Southern Comfort. The mix of the lighter taste of Sweet Tea with Southern Comfort delivers an extraordinary drinking experience for any at-home entertaining experience.

The Southern Comfort ready-to-serve cocktails are available in the U.S. in a 1.75-L size with a suggested retail price of $19.99. Bottles for the new cocktails are supplied by O-I (www.o-i.com). Labels are supplied by Fort Dearborn Co. (www.fortdearborn.com), and closures are supplied by Berry Plastics Corp. (www.berryplastics.com).