The latest Drinks News Digest captures a category in full swing, with brands across alcohol, soft drinks, coffee and functional beverages pushing flavour innovation, tapping into wellness trends and expanding into new consumption moments.

From RTDs and fruit beers to prebiotic launches and sugar‑free infusions, the roundup reflects a market where differentiation increasingly hinges on lifestyle alignment, health cues and bold flavour development.

For manufacturers, the breadth of activity signals continued fragmentation — and opportunity — across both premium and everyday drinking occasions.

Segmented drinks overview

Alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks

• Brothers Cider pivots to ‘in-between moments’
• Pernod Ricard launches West Coast Cooler RTD
• Suntory enters UK alcohol market With -196
• Molson Coors taps into fruit beer surge
• Freixenet shakes up the alcohol-free market

Soft drinks & flavoured waters

• Radnor Splash adds new flavours
• Lipton launches new sugar-free Infuse range

Functional & wellness drinks

• Living Things expands prebiotic line-up

Coffee

• Cupper’s Journey brings African coffees to UK

Flavour innovation (cross‑category)

• CCEP doubles down on flavour innovation

To submit an item for inclusion, please contact Rodney Jack at [email protected] or Inês Coutinho at [email protected].