7 April spirits launches chased cans, agave and daytime drinking

Campari Group put Aperol Spritz into a 250 ml slim can at 5% ABV, according to The Spirits Business on May 11, 2026. The move was not subtle: the Spritz had already done the hard work in bars, and the can simply chased the park, train platform and kitchen-counter version.

In bar terms, this sat closest to the way Dante in New York made the Spritz feel legitimate again: low-proof, bitter, built for daylight. I do not mind the can; I mind pretending the can replaced the room.

De Kuyper expanded its RTD line into 200 ml cans in April, with Passion Fruit Martini and Amaretto Sour at 8% ABV and Espresso Martini at 10% ABV, reported Global Drinks Intel on April 10 and The Spirits Business on May 11. That proof mattered; these were not soft seltzers dressed up as cocktails.

The Espresso Martini reference point remained the bar, not the beach cooler. At Swift in London, the drink still worked because texture, chill and speed were treated as one job.

Stock Spirits Group used April to move Sierra into a 100% agave tequila range: Blanco, Reposado and Anejo, made with Blue Weber agave from the Sierra Madre, according to The Spirits Business. The Blanco and Reposado sat at 35% ABV; the Anejo at 40% ABV.

The commercial signal was louder than the liquid note. Sierra had long belonged to party shorthand; this range chased the Paloma and Margarita rails where bars such as Cafe Pacifico in London kept agave approachable without turning it precious.

Suntory Global Spirits announced On The Rocks Sparkling Watermelon Margarita on April 21, 2026, as a permanent canned addition made with tequila, triple sec and cane sugar. Its companion, Passion Fruit Margarita, landed as a limited bottled release.

The named bartender attached to the build was Joaquin Simo, whose Pouring Ribbons years still mattered because balance was his language before RTD became a boardroom category. The bar reference here was simple: a Margarita lives or dies on acid, dilution and salt, even when the bartender has left the frame.

Post Meridiem added Skinny Margarita and Spicy Margarita to its 100 ml canned lineup on April 8, 2026, according to RTD Magazine. The Skinny Margarita was built from tequila, lime juice and agave nectar at 40 proof; the Spicy Margarita added orange juice and jalapeno at 45 proof.

That ingredient list was the useful part. A Margarita does not need more furniture. At Superbueno in New York, the lesson has been the same: agave drinks can be playful, but the build still has to hold.

Four Pillars released Three Peach Gin in April at 37% ABV, with quandong, yellow peach and white peach among the botanicals, The Spirits Business reported. The distillery framed it for brunch drinks: Peach Gin Spritz, Charlie Chaplin and Bellini-style serves.

This was the lighter-occasion idea with better tailoring. Peach can flatten a drink fast, but Four Pillars had form in bars such as Maybe Sammy in Sydney, where Australian gin was poured with enough wit to avoid smelling like a candle aisle.

Ammos launched in April as a 42% ABV vodka made with fresh Vakhalou lemons and dry-cured black olives, macerated in British wheat-grain spirit before vacuum cold-distillation, according to The Spirits Business. It was pitched for Martinis, which at least gave the bottle a real job.

The Martini bar test was severe. At Dukes in London, the drink had never forgiven vague vodka. Olive and lemon could work, but only if the distillate stayed dry enough to let dilution do its quiet work.