Passoã crowns passionfruit spritz as the drink of the summer

• Passoã’s new brand focus taps into the growing demand for spritz’s with Passoã Spritz – made with Passoã, prosecco and a dash of soda
• Passoã is driving awareness and targeting the 64% of Gen Z who love passionfruit through influencer activity and targeted social media advertising
• New serve designed to help retailers and operators capitalise on growing consumer demand for spritzes and allow Passoã to own conversations around the most sought-after cocktail flavour this summer – passionfruit flavour

As part of the new brand strategy, Passoã is entering the spritz category to help retailers and operators tap into one of the fastest-growing drinks trends. The move will be supported by a summer programme of activity showcasing a lighter, refreshing way to enjoy the world’s best-selling passionfruit liqueur.

The brand officially unveiled the Passoã Spritz at Taste of London. The simple serve combines 50ml of Passoã with prosecco and a dash of soda and a lime wheel garnish, to create a refreshing and easy-to-serve tropical drink. Reinforcing Passoã’s positioning as the brand that effortlessly takes consumers from day to night Passoã utilised the event’s predominantly 21–35-year-old audience as an ideal platform to introduce the serve to consumers at the heart of summer drinking.

The launch plays to the explosion in popularity of spritz serves such as Aperol and Hugo. Pub operator Greene King reported a 12% year-on-year increase in its spritz sales last summer, to account for 45% of all cocktail volumes. The same report also notes that the Hugo Spritz, saw a significant boost with over 300% growth year-on-year, highlighting customers’ desires to try new spritz flavours outside of the classics within the growing drinks category^[1].

As the brand behind one in every two passionfruit liqueurs sold globally – Passoã is well placed to capitalise on growing consumer demand for the flavour. Passionfruit is now the UK’s third most popular cocktail flavour^[2], while 64% of Gen Z consumers say they love passionfruit, the demand is projected to grow by more than 15% over the next four years^[3]. The serve offers retailers and operators a compelling way to tap into both the spritz trend and consumers’ appetite for tropical flavours.

The launch will be supported by a programme of consumer marketing activity designed to drive awareness and trial both in and out of home. This includes influencer partnerships, targeted social media activity and geo-targeted digital advertising throughout the summer.

The brand is also investing in on-trade visibility for the Passoã Spritz, encouraging operators to add the serve to summer drinks menus and capitalise on growing Gen Z demand for spritzes and passionfruit-flavoured cocktail.

Abby Tasker, Trade Marketing & Brand Manager of Passoã, said: “Spritzes have become one of the defining drinks trends of summer, and the Passoã Spritz offers a fresh, fruity alternative for consumers looking for a lighter, refreshing serve.

“As the world’s best-selling passionfruit liqueur, Passoã is uniquely placed to bring authority to this growing trend. By combining the popularity of spritz serves with one of the UK’s favourite cocktail flavours, we believe Passoã Spritz offers a compelling opportunity for both retailers and operators throughout the key summer trading period. It has all the ingredients to become the drink of the season.”