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A cocktail that began as an April Fools prank now is headed to grocery stores in September.

The briny take on the classic margarita from the California bottled cocktail brand will land on shelves at Ralph’s, Total Wine & More and Costco – with some retailers demanding that the limited time offer (LTO) become a year-round staple. 

Mission Craft Cocktails initially teased a spiked pickle cocktail April 1 but consumer feedback convinced the founders to make it a LTO. Ralph’s then asked for a SKU year-round, making it one of the brand’s core offerings at the retailer. 

There’s a reason major chains are betting on the flavor – even over the brand’s other new offerings like a Lemon Drop or Tamarin Margarita. 

• The dill-ification of everything has reached new heights in the last few years with pickled products crossing from jars into chips, sodas, fast-food menus and cocktails.

• Sales of pickle-flavored spirits and mixers climbed 29% and 24%, from 2024 to 2025, according to NIQ.

• Top bars have also been leaning into savory, briny cocktails as upscale cocktail menus increasingly mimic full dining experiences. 

• Despite the trend possibly hitting oversaturation, a Pickle-Rita is still a unique offering among ready-to-pour cocktails, a segment that is less LTO driven than its canned or single-serve competitors. 

After years of scaling, innovation has been ramping up for the three-year-old brand, with its next drop hitting Whole Foods in time for October holidays. 

Read the full story on BevNET

Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis has refused to share publicly the number of jobs the company is cutting as part of its ongoing $1 billion restructuring effort. However, the company’s annual report released Tuesday revealed Diageo cut its workforce by more than 6% in its 2026 fiscal year (ending June 30). Read the story.

The non-alc category remained “healthy” but reported dollar sales growth of 3% in the two-week period ending August 8, compared with +3.5% in the four-week period, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research. Read the story.

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It’s Hump Day! Here’s a taste of the latest marketing moves from around the beverage industry.

🏀 WBNA star (and inspirer of memes) Sophie Cunningham is teaming up with Once Upon A Coconut as its newest ambassador. Read more here. 

🏓 Better-for-you soda Vita Pop is now the Official & Exclusive Functional & Prebiotic Soda of the the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour). Check out the details.

🎾 Tennis and pizza make the perfect combo for WTA World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who’s back working with Electrolit for The Battle of the Sabys, pitched as a one-of-a-kind fan competition hosted by New York sketch comedy star Jeremy Culhane on August 28 in Brooklyn. More information here. 

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