ALL MIXED UP

WHAT ARE MIXERS REALLY FOR?

It may seem like a trick question, but with ever more complex flavours, new liquid types and an increasing number of brands suggesting their products be drunk on their own, we ask, do mixers have an identity crisis?

In the cast list of finished drink serves, mixers have always been a supporting player. There to enhance, not steal attention from a headline spirit, their role has been to generally sit in the background. Though the rise of premium mixers over the past five or so years has brought them greater consumer attention, still, their role has been marketed as a high-quality addition to a high quality spirit. Until now.

It seems the definition of what a mixer is, what it is for and how it is to be consumed, is becoming blurred, as brands begin to market products for consumption in their own right. Furthermore, the boundaries of what types of drinks are being marketed as mixers, is also ever expanding. As drinks habits change, mixers are having to adapt and occupy a space somewhere between being a soft drink and even alcohol alternative in their own right. In short, mixers are increasingly trying to be all things, to all people, for a greater number of occasions.

WHAT IS DRIVING THESE SHIFTS?

Until recently, premium claims led when it came to marketing mixers, with a greater focus on the quality and provenance of ingredients. However, as more and more consumers look to moderate both alcohol and calorie intake, a mixer’s place as a better-for-you option that doesn’t compromise on taste is being exploited by a number of brands, through new flavours that aim to be a finished drink in their own right.

Health claims are now opening-up new opportunities in the mixer category pitting new liquids as a better-for-you alternative to standard sugary soft drinks. Brands are also beginning to add functional claims. Spirit specific mixers are emerging. And at the confluence of all of these trends, brands are pitching themselves as a solution to all needs; as both a mixer, soft drink and even alcohol alternative. So, what are they?