Who Let the Fizz Out? Why Bubble-Free Booze Is on the Rise

Hard tea is a bubble-free boom category filling “an unmet need;’ says Clement Pappas, the CEO of Stateside Vodka’s fast-growing Surfside rang of vodka-based iced teas and lemonades.

Last year, its 100-calorie canned cocktails were available in seven states. This year, the brand is now sold in 48 states. Two keys to that growth are low sugar and high familiarity.

“Basically everyone in America, by the time they are 8 years old, has tried iced tea and lemonade,” Pappas says. “We’ve tried to make the best version of that with premium liquid, cool branding, and a nutrition panel that will not give you diabetes.