Missouri Monthly – August 2026

Economy Class

Gen Z consumers are moving away from premium spirits.

In an era where premiumisation has been the focus and goal of so many spirits and drinks brands for so long, how come the decidedly un-premium BuzzBallz has become one of the breakout stars of the last couple of years?

The spherical high-sugar, high-ABV RTDs can be seen littering the ground after weekends, clearly a sign of a great night out a few hours before. Between 2024-25, the brand grew by 800%, according to NIQ, and despite similar prices, consumers are searching out BuzzBallz over RTDs from more recognisable premium spirits brands. The brand’s lack of pretension is key. Young consumers, with less disposable income, want a drink that simply tastes good and gives them a tipsy ‘buzz’ without breaking the bank.

This is simply one example of the Gen Z trend towards ‘anti-premiumisation.’ The top tier is saturated, but the mass market sector is “significantly underrepresented” according to Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis. Young consumers don’t have established cultural or status associations with premium brands, and, as they frequently are choosing to drink less, they don’t feel the same need to invest in high-end spirits.

When drinking at home, Gen Z are looking for easy-drinking spirits and RTDs they can share with friends. Brands like Captain Morgan are winning with this group, while Smirnoff Ice is also seeing a resurgence, with a small but significant +4.2% growth in 2025.

Strategic takeaway: With premium spirits not a source of status for Gen Z, there is space for mass market spirits to build connections through focus on sociability and sessionability over craft and connoisseurship.

Grape Expectations

Watch out for the rise of brandy.

All cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. And thank goodness for that, says the brandy industry, as cognac saw a 16.2% decrease in volume in 2025. By contrast, brandy dropped only 1%. Made from distilling wine, brandy as a category is not beholden to the AOC rules and geographic ties that cognac is, giving brandy the breathing room for innovation in production, ingredients, origin, and story. Let’s meet some of these contenders…

Aznauri: The Ukrainian brandy brand saw 19.7% volume growth last year. Their flavour innovations, including coffee and cherry, target a younger, more entry-level consumer.

Metaxa Five Star: Made with Muscat wines from Samos and Lemnos Islands, for summer cocktails and “easy-going hangouts.”

Burnt Faith: The first brandy-specific distillery in England distils their brandy from four grape varieties and finishes it in a combination of four barrels.

Pisco 1615: Chilean traditional spirit Pisco is also a brandy. The brand heroes three different grapes, giving each SKU a distinct character.

KFC x La Vieille Ferme at Kachette

We visited KFC and La Vieille Ferme’s “Coq au Vin” pop-up wine bar at the Kachette Annex in Shoreditch, one of four days it ran over the August bank holiday weekend. The concept is exactly as daft (and brilliant) as it sounds: KFC’s fried chicken paired with French wine, with La Vieille Ferme dusting off its old “Chicken Wine” label especially for the occasion. The popcorn chicken with a glass of sparkling rosé was a deliciously good shout, while the hot wings held up nicely against the Rouge.

Cantina Libre at Mercato Metropolitano

One of the summer takeovers we were looking forward to most was the Mercato Metropolitano pop-up running through to the end of August. The team turned the market’s main bar into an all-out Latin American drinking spot, with the focus firmly on agave and making it a bit more approachable for the curious. It was a good chance to try a few names we’d not come across before, with Sagrado (billed as the world’s first sparkling agave cerveza) the standout for us, alongside pours from La Reina Mezcal and Los Locos Tequila.

Lovebug

Hard cream soda by Sazerac.

One of three recent RTD releases from Sazerac, Lovebug is a hard cream soda, spiked with vodka to a 5% ABV. Sazerac describes the brand as a ‘nostalgic twist on soda’ and a ‘category-first innovation.’ There are four flavours on launch: cherry, vanilla, peach, and cola; all dairy and sugar-free.

They say: “Lovebug is creamy, smooth, and easy to drink… [great for] daytime hangs and early-evening fun: backyard vibes, house parties, pre-game moments, and easy get-togethers.”

We like: The consumer trend for nostalgia isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so it’s smart for Sazerac to lean in. This product is an interesting contrast to many spiked RTDs which tend to lean into lighter flavours (e.g. seltzer), but as consumers are looking for micro-indulgences, it feels well positioned.

Olive Garden

Never Ending Pasta Pass.

After a six-year absence, US Italian restaurant chain Olive Garden has brought back its Never Ending Pasta Pass. On sale from the 16th July, 10,000 people will be able to buy a pass for $100 that entitles them to unlimited pasta for 13 weeks. The company claims Olive Garden sold out of 24,000 passes in “milliseconds” the last time it ran the promotion in 2019.

We love: Casual dining is suffering under the cost of living crisis and rise of delivery services. This is a great way to drive repeat business and put Olive Garden top of mind, creating brand loyalty and headlines whether consumers manage to get the pass or not.

The Odyssey

Trafalgar Square Trojan Horse.

Christopher Nolan’s latest film The Odyssey held its world premiere in London mid-July. Along with the lineup of Hollywood’s stars, there was also a life-size 8,800-pound Trojan Horse installed in Trafalgar Square. At 11m tall and standing at the base of Nelson’s Column, it was accompanied by an outdoor photography exhibition showcasing stills and behind the scenes shots from the film.

We love: The summer is the peak time for blockbuster releases, so carving out space is essential, lest movies get lost in the noise. This high production quality installation grabbed headlines.

Nando’s

PERi-PERi Saka Sauce.

Originally released in 2024, the Nando’s PERi-PERi sauce collab with England football star Bukayo Saka is back on the menu, just in time for the World Cup. With a ‘sweet, smoky flavour and a little (free) kick’ the sauce is available for a limited time, until the 30th September.

We love: There’s a lot of football ads out at the moment, but this collab with Premier League champ Saka is building from an existing relationship and feels authentic. We also like the fun design of the bottle, with its bold colours and the chillis spelling out Saka’s name.

Reddit

People are the best.

Reddit’s new campaign celebrates the “undeniable magic of raw, unfiltered human connection.” The website is championing the real humans and communities that drive their message boards, particularly in a world increasingly run by AI.

We love: As people are turning more and more to AI chatbots to answer their questions, but with often unreliable, hallucinatory results, Reddit has been a lone island of real human discussion. This campaign is a great way to highlight the magic that comes from sharing ideas, and shows off that humans are still the most interesting and creative thinkers.

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