Australia’s first hard juice brand – Cools – has launched and aims to fill what it calls a “huge gap” in the beverage market.

Born out of the boredom of alcoholic drinks that are big on fizz but lacking in flavour, Cools debuts with Vodka Pineapple, crafted with real, non-carbonated pineapple juice. It has no artificial flavours or added sugar.

The hard juice market is rapidly emerging in the United States and is disrupting the alcoholic beverage industry by offering a flavourful alternative to traditional hard seltzers.

In 2022, Molson Coors Beverage Company partnered with the Coca-Cola Company to create Simply Spiked, which contains Simply Beverages’ peach and lemonade juices, while New Belgium Brewing released its Wild Nectar line soon after, featuring tropical juice mixes, including strawberry guava and passionfruit lime.

Absolut Vodka and Ocean Spray recently released a canned vodka cranberry cocktail. The new product marks Ocean Spray’s first venture into the alcoholic ready-to-drink category. 

Cools Founder Dylan Hopkins said: “We set out to create a drink that is genuinely delicious and refreshing – something that’s all flavour, no fizz – and Cools delivers in every possible way.

“There’s truly nothing on the Australian market like Cools, and we’re stoked to be the ones to introduce convenient, canned, non-carbonated hard juice for the first time.”

“Gone are the days of sipping on drinks that taste like TV static with a hint of flavour. Cools is here to tickle your tastebuds with something they’ll actually enjoy.”

Cools is also planning to release bar favourite Vodka Cranberry in RTD form in mid-2024.

The brand is available at Dan Murphy’s, where Hopkins once worked part-time stacking the shelves – and independent stockists.

During a visit to the Endeavour Group support office in Melbourne, Hopkins (middle) had the opportunity to meet Dan’s Managing Director Agnieszka Pfeiffer and Sustainability Coordinator Max Mikedis.

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