Iconic 90s alcopop makes comeback after a decade

Many of us have hazy memories of downing, clinking and spilling Bacardi Breezers on euphoric dance floors. Now this champion of alcopops is returning to England with listings in major retailers. db takes a trip down memory lane. Classed as an alcopop when it first launched in 1990, the Bacardi Breezer officially relaunches in the UK next month, only this time rebranded as an RTD and with three new flavours. For those of us who were around and of drinking age during the Bacardi Breezer's heyday (it entered the UK market in 1993), there are hardwired associations with cigarette burns on dance floors, and the ever-present waft of CK 1 in one's nostrils. The brightly coloured drinks exploded onto the British nightlife scene the same year that Jurassic Park and Mrs Doubtfire dominated the box office, and Whitney Houston took the charts by storm with her hit single I Will Always Love You. The perfect hangover TV after one Breezer too many was Beavis and Butt-Head, while new series The X-Files had everyone talking about paranormal activity...and David Duchovny's brooding stare. Bacardi Breezers were around before Oasis playing Knebworth (1996) and the Nokia 3210 phone was released (1999), and were still going strong when we learned about a curious new piece of tech called the iPod (2001).

A lot of love

“We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer,” says Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland. “RTDs are booming. However, the category could do with a bit more excitement... The early response from our trade partners has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone is excited to see Breezer back for the summer.” db can confirm that Bacardi has already secured three major listings for its Breezers, with the drinks to be stocked in B&M stores from July, in Aldi from August and in Sainsbury’s from September. It will be available in three flavours: Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime and Crisp Watermelon. However, while the drinks aren't hitting English shelves until next month, Scotland has been enjoying a Bacardi Breezer renaissance since it relaunched there first late last year, with convenience stores quick to snap up orders. Londis Solo Convenience sold through its first pallet of Breezers (1,584 bottles) in less than 24 hours, and had to order more. “Breezers are another example of nostalgic trends that have taken off,” Natalie Lightfoot, who runs Londis Solo Convenience, told Scottish Local Retailer. “The day [they landed] ended up being busier than our busiest ever Christmas Eve and the guys [staff] are a little bit traumatised about it!”

Sign of the times

Having been a staple on UK shelves for 22 years, the Bacardi Breezer was discontinued in 2015, presumably due to dwindling sales. It hadn't exactly had the smoothest of rides, garnering negative press attention after UK retailer The Co-op banned Breezers in 1997 following activists' claims that the drinks were "designed specifically to appeal to young people who cannot legally buy them". Partially as a result of this, UK Health Secretary at the time Patricia Hewitt urged Chancellor Gordon Brown to ramp up the tax on alcopops by 40% in a bid to make products like the Bacardi Breezer less affordable for underage drinkers. A 2019 rebrand of the range largely flopped, perhaps due to the drinks being packaged in cans rather than in bottles, therefore lacking that all-important sense of familiarity and nostalgia. Then in 2023 the Bacardi Breezer was given a full visual rebrand by London based creative agency Knockout, with a view of coming back with an expanded collection of nine flavours including strawberry, blueberry, mango, peach and blood orange. However, the offering has since been stripped back to just three flavours, and Bacardi is confident it has hit on the winning formula to replicate the product's 90s success. It will no doubt be helped by the fact that we are currently living in what analysts are calling "the age of the RTD".

Lighter in alcohol

Interestingly, at 3.4% ABV, the new Breezer is slightly lighter in alcohol than the original product's 4%, no doubt to cater to Gen Z's frequent preference for lower-alcohol products, as well as navigate import tariffs determined by alcohol strength. The new Breezer will be available in 27.5cl glass bottles in bars and stores. Spirits giant Bacardi will be hoping that UK consumers get behind the product with the same ferocity as they did when it first landed on English shores 32 years ago, though it will have competition from other global brands using retro appeal to their advantage. Estrella Damm's new summer campaign, for example,  invokes the 70s era, with the mantra: “No matter what changes, may what matters never change.”