Britvic launches dark spirits mixer

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Perfect match: Britvic has released a spiced orange mixer for busy bartenders to use with rum

Soft drinks maker Britvic has developed a mixer to be used with dark spirits, which have been billed as a growing trend in the sector.

The new product is spiced orange flavoured with notes of caramel and vanilla and works best with rum, according to the brand.

It will be stocked behind the bar at partnering venues from 27 November before becoming more widely available in February 2020. 

Britvic director of foodservice and licensed Adam Russell said the design of the drink had taken into account the busy nature of the trade.

He said: “The November launch will help create demand for the product and also give us the chance to gain valuable operator feedback before we make it more widely available in the new year.” 

Busy bartenders

Russell added: “We know bartenders are busy and don’t have time for guesswork and we’ve, therefore, added the ideal dark spirit pairing on the neck label of the distinctive gold bottles – a first for mixers in the UK.

“We will be supporting the launch with our ‘Sensational Drinks’ website, offering operators free cases of the product alongside materials, including recipe cards, bar merchandise and outlet PoS, to help with the smooth running of their outlet.”

Rum has been dubbed as the next big thing in the spirits sector, with analysis by CGA predicting that golden rum’s sales growth will overcome that of gin by 2020.

The Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) said rum sales surpassed £1bn in 2018 in the WTSA Market Report earlier this year.

Gold and dark rums are driving the category’s sales in the on-trade, with 2018 seeing golden rum sales worth £374m, representing an increase of 7% on the previous year.