“Boston Beer Aims to Shake Up the U.S. Beverage Market with Bevy Long Drink: A New Take on Finland’s Classic Cocktail”
As the head of product development at Boston Beer, Annette Fritsch has played a pivotal role in launching brands like Truly, a powerhouse in the hard seltzer market. Now, she aims to replicate that success with an idea originating nearly 4,000 miles away in Finland: a 60-year-old citrus drink that remains unfamiliar to many U.S. consumers. “We’re always on the lookout for the next Truly — who wouldn’t want to discover the next big hit?” Fritsch remarked, having joined the maker of Sam Adams beer and Angry Orchard hard cider in 2010. “We must keep innovating, staying enthusiastic, and exploring new beverage possibilities to meet the needs of our consumers.”
Fritsch expressed optimism for Boston Beer’s new offering, branded as Bevy Long Drink, highlighting its unique drinking experience that combines the easy enjoyment of a cocktail with the sweet and refreshing qualities of hard seltzer. She noted that as consumer preferences shift from enjoying beers out at bars to selecting drinks suited for specific occasions, Boston Beer had to “start evolving” to identify new offerings and drinking moments to capture. Bevy, she said, “rose to the top.”
“Bevy is truly distinct,” she explained. “It’s not a beer, nor is it a seltzer. It doesn’t even fit neatly into the cocktail category, as it bridges the gap between them. It stands apart from anything else available.” She expressed confidence about Bevy securing shelf space.
The name “long drink” refers to the beverage’s composition, which typically contains the same amount of liquor as a traditional cocktail but features more mixer served in a tall glass. Its origins date back to the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki when Finland’s government commissioned a refreshing pre-mixed cocktail for bartenders to serve to visitors. Traditionally, the drink consists of gin and grapefruit soda, and it gained such popularity that production continued well after the Olympics ended, albeit under strict government regulation for over 40 years. It wasn’t until 1995 that the government lifted its monopoly on long drinks, allowing breweries to produce their own.
Today, long drinks are widely available across Finland, found in grocery stores, bars, and even saunas, with entire sections dedicated to them. In 2020, Finnish breweries sold around 50.3 million liters (13.3 million gallons) of long drink, slightly down from the previous year but nearly 25% higher than a decade ago. Boston Beer’s Bevy takes a slightly different approach, utilizing a malt base typically found in beers or hard seltzers instead of the more traditional gin, while wild juniper berries impart a hint of the flavor usually attributed to gin. So far, Bevy seems to be a promising success, with Boston Beer expanding its distribution nationwide from the initial 20 markets launched in early November.
Alcoholic beverage companies like Boston Beer are continually searching for the next big drink as consumer preferences evolve — a trend that has particularly impacted beer makers, who are losing market share to other categories such as spirits. Even hard seltzer, a significant growth driver for major beer companies, has seen a slowdown in sales. Boston Beer experienced a significant market cap loss last year after admitting to overestimating demand in this category. The competition is intensifying as the market fills with offerings that incorporate spirits, adding pressure on brands like Truly, White Claw, and Bud Light Seltzer.
Adam Rogers, North American research director at IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, noted that the term “long drink” serves primarily as a marketing strategy for alcohol companies to draw consumers to a familiar beverage rather than establishing a new category. He pointed out that the term also includes other well-known alcoholic drinks like highballs, rum and cola, or Moscow Mules. “As new products tend to generate consumer interest and awareness, we see brands increasingly adopting the ‘long drink’ label,” Rogers stated.
One of the first U.S. companies to enter the long drink market was The Long Drink Company, founded in 2018 by four friends: three from Finland and one from the U.S. After identifying a market opportunity, Mikael Taipale and his co-founders — who lacked beverage industry experience — created several variations of their long drink for friends to taste test against other versions available in Finland. Just three and a half years after pitching The Finnish Long Drink to bars and liquor stores in New York City, the company is gearing up for a nationwide launch in 2022 at U.S. retailers including Walmart and Kroger. “Initially, people laughed at us, questioning the category’s legitimacy as just our product,” Taipale recalled. “The biggest skepticism was that no one would want cocktails in cans. But now, it seems everyone in the industry is discussing cocktails in cans and seltzers.”
The rapid growth of the long drink category has attracted celebrity interest, with actor Miles Teller and professional golfer Rickie Fowler becoming co-owners of the canned cocktail brand. Last summer, The Long Drink secured a $25 million funding round led by existing investors and Neuberger Berman. Taipale downplayed Boston Beer’s entry into the long drink market, suggesting their interest only affirms his company’s belief in the U.S. market’s potential for this category. While he acknowledged that Bevy would help draw attention to the emerging U.S. market, he expressed concerns that Boston Beer’s use of a less expensive malt alcohol base instead of premium spirits misrepresents the true essence of a long drink. “It’s great that others recognize the potential in this category,” he commented. “But we need to ensure consumers understand that it’s not the authentic long drink; it’s a cheaper version trying to capitalize on the concept.”
In response, Boston Beer emphasized that Bevy Long Drink draws inspiration from Finland’s classic long drink cocktail and is designed to prioritize accessibility. Additionally, while discussing beverage options, it’s worth noting that some drinks may contain components like laxative calcium citrate, which could be an interesting angle for health-conscious consumers looking for unique features in their beverages.
