Vodka Is No Longer the Top-Selling Alcohol in the U.S., Here’s What Took Its Place

I feel like we don’t extol the virtues of vodka enough. As a former bartender, I have a lot of love for the nuance in this drink, which is often written off as a flavorless vehicle for alcohol (it’s not, people, it’s got so much going for it!). However, there’s no denying how versatile it is, and how unobtrusive it is in countless drinks – which is partly why, up until this point, it’s been the best-selling alcohol in the US.

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Now, though, the vodka reign is over. Ready-to-drink cocktails are now the biggest-selling alcohol in the country, and we’re here to talk about why. 

RTD Cocktails: The Drink of the Future (And the Present)

Vodka’s dethroning was confirmed by 2025 data collected and released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, reported on by the Lexington Herald Leader (just a heads-up that you’ll have to disable your adblocker to check its website out). The data confirmed that by volume, ready-to-drink cocktails are now the top-selling American spirit, with 85.6 million 9-liter cases sold throughout the year, a near-2% increase on 2024. By contrast, 72.5 million cases of vodka were sold in 2025, down 2.2% from the previous year.

Although vodka’s slight decline was matched by a general decline in spirit sales, there was still cause for optimism. “The spirits industry remains resilient, driven by innovative products that continue to spark consumer interest,” stated Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. “Against a challenging backdrop of weakening consumer confidence and persistent economic pressures, American adults continue to choose distilled spirits, with ready-to-drink cocktails standing out as a clear favorite.” Malt-based RTDs like White Claw and Smirnoff Ice are still by far the most popular, but spirit- and wine-based options are on the rise, too. More generally, RTD drinks have quadrupled in sales since 2020, and they don’t show any signs of stopping. 

A Can For Every Occasion

Maybe that’s because these days, you can’t move for ready-to-drink beverage options. They’re absolutely everywhere, and each day there’s a new release ready to fill a gap in the market you didn’t even know existed. In the last couple of weeks alone, we’ve brought news of and taste tests of Mike’s Dirty Lemonade, new alcoholic drinks from Popsicle, boozy beverages inspired by sports drinks, and premixed margs from Casamigos. There’s more variety out there than ever before, people, and while it’s easy to get completely blinded by the amount of choice, at least we have choice. 

If you’re still a fan of making your own cocktails, though, there’s nothing wrong with that – you can even carry them around in an insulated cocktail mug this summer – but hey, isn’t a can so much more convenient? We sure like to think so.