Beverage News
The Flavors of Summer: Refreshing, Fruity, and Crisp Top Summer Drinkers’ Wish List
Summer is in full swing and while the Harris Poll recently learned that your favorite alcoholic beverage often depends on who you are and where you are, it can also depend on what season it is! According to drinking-age Americans who plan to imbibe this summer, it’s clear they’re looking for something to beat the heat – nearly two thirds (65%) say refreshing is what they’re most likely to look for in an alcohol beverage this summer.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 1,975 U.S. adults aged 21+ (1,356 who drink alcohol at least several times a year, “regular drinkers,” and 1,296 who plan to drink alcohol this summer, “summer drinkers”) surveyed online between June 27 and 29, 2016. Complete results of this study can be found here.
Endless possibilities
Following refreshing, summer drinkers are also looking for fruity (38%), crisp (33%), and sweet (30%) beverages, with about a quarter also aiming for something citrusy (25%), or frozen/slushy (24%).
According to Danelle Kosmal, Vice President of Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice, “During the summer, consumers are often looking for specific qualities in their adult beverages to help satisfy their summer thirsts. Beverage alcohol manufacturers have introduced a crop of new products that perfectly align with consumers’ summer drinking preferences. This season, the newest products quickly gaining attention across the country include wine in a can, catering to the ‘on-the-go,’ outdoor summer lifestyle, and refreshing hard sodas and seltzers.”
However, flavor preferences do differ by gender. Women are more than twice as likely as men to seek something fruity (51% vs. 24%), and they’re also more likely to prefer:
- Sweet (38% women vs. 22% men);
- Citrusy (29% vs. 20%);
- Frozen/slushy (34% vs. 13%); and/or,
- Bubbly (20% vs. 11%).
Men, on the other hand, are more likely to desire something natural (23% vs. 14% women) or handcrafted (18% vs. 9%). While less popular in total compared to other characteristics, men also preferred spicy, smoky, or bitter drinks more so than women.
Cheers to the great outdoors
When it comes to the summer season, there’s no shortage of outdoor places to enjoy a drink. Nearly 6 in 10 regular drinkers (58%) are more likely to “day drink” in the summer than any other season and 8 in 10 (80%) say they enjoy drinking outdoors at this time of year. An overwhelming 9 in 10 adults who plan to drink this summer plan to do so outside in any number of settings, the most popular of which is at a barbeque (65%), followed by a picnic (43%), around a pool (41%), or at the beach (39%). About 3 in 10 will be tipping it back at a patio bar (32%) or sporting event (30%), with around 2 in 10 each looking forward to a beverage at a concert/theater (23%) or a festival – beer related (18%) or not (18%). Even outdoor locations that are fewer in number overall were mentioned, such as beer gardens (17%) and rooftop bars (14%).
Some locations are particularly popular among Millennials (aged 21-34), including:
- BBQs (76%);
- Beaches (56%);
- Around a pool (56%); and/or,
- Sporting events (40%).
Summer favorites
Summer drinkers’ favorite alcohol beverage to drink between May and August is beer, followed by spirits/cocktails, while some just want “something fruity” or “anything cold and tasty.”
Among those who drink each type of alcohol at least several times a year, substantial percentages of adults 21+ are more likely to enjoy the following during the summer compared to other times of the year:
- Flavored malt beverages (47%);
- Craft beer in a bottle (45%);
- Hard cider (34%);
- Hard soda (33%);
- Hard seltzer (27%); and
- Rose’ wine (20%; rises to 38% among females 21-34).
To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit their website.
Source: The Harris Poll
