This vodka powerhouse has a bone to pick with the ready-to-drink bandwagon.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka unveiled a new product online this week, dubbed “Tito’s in a Big Can.” The stainless steel, 128-ounce keg is built to hold drinkers’ vodka-spiked creations. As for the liquid inside the $200 container? It’s actually… nothing.
“In a world where pre-mixed, pre-flavored canned cocktails have crowded shelves and filled fridges, Tito’s is resisting canformity,” the brand says on its website. “It’s time to liberate your libations, because we don’t make canned cocktails, pre-mixes, or seltzers, you do.”
This bit of trolling isn’t without some precedent, of course. In August 2022, the Texas-based company released an RTD product called Tito’s in a Can. The empty can, which the brand marketed as being “full of opportunity,” aimed to poke fun at the rapid rise of RTD brands.
In the past several years, sales of canned cocktails have soared. In mid-2020, Nielsen reported a remarkable 90 percent growth year-over-year on off-premise sales of RTDs.
While Tito’s is asking customers to put more effort into making their drinks, they’re willing to offer a little bit of help. The cheeky new promotional item comes with a variety of recipes, including classics like a vodka soda with lime and a twist on the Gimlet.
In short: Don’t expect any actual canned concoctions from Tito’s anytime soon.
