CHICAGO — With Thanksgiving over, alcohol delivery company Drizly has again released a trends report, this one covering which adult beverages joined turkey at the table most often and how they compared to last year.
The report is based on sales on Drizly’s website.
Tequila sales grew nearly 7% over the long weekend compared to 2021, with reposado (tequila aged for at least two months in the barrel) up by 17%. This jibes with the 57% of retailers who predicted tequila gift sales will rise this year, per the findings in Drizzly’s 2022 Retail Report.
Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail sales grew nearly 40% this Thanksgiving weekend over last, “adding weight to some pundits’ home mixology bubble-bursting theories,” Drizly said. In addition, Drizly’s report found 63% of retailers expect to carry more of these portable margaritas, mules, Manhattans (and more) next year.
In addition, non-alcohol became a force, Drizly said. “Sales of non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits soared over Thanksgiving weekend, showing 39%, 20% and 100% growth respectively,” the company said. “Could Dry January be off to a head start?”
These findings tell a similar story to those in Drizly’s 2022 Retail Report, which was released a few weeks ago, the company said. In that report, the key findings are:
- Despite inflation concerns, most retailers see consumers still willing to pay for delivery
- Bourbon, tequila and less-pricey bubbly are expected to top holiday gift lists
- Alcohol gift purchases online are expected to increase
- Tequila will keep rolling in 2023, and red wine and craft beer are poised for comebacks
- New breed portable drinks are here to stay, and there’s plenty of shelf space for both RTD cocktails and hard seltzers
- Regarding retail decision making, customers speak loudest; celebrity owned is mattering more
Drizly puts out these reports around certain holidays, including Memorial Day, where tequila also did quite well, and Valentine’s Day, where 46% of sales were wine.
Boston-based Drizly offers beer, wine and spirits delivery from thousands of merchants across 1,400 U.S. cities.
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