Be ready to make the most of the year’s busiest season.
By Courtney Iseman
The holidays are the strongest season of the year for drink sales. 20% of a beer, wine, and/ or liquor store’s annual revenue will likely come from November and December, per Statista. It’s crucial for retailers to prepare to make the most of the substantial spike in demand.
This isn’t quite as simple as doubling down on stereotypically celebratory products like sparkling wine, though. Today’s consumer is ever evolving in their preferences. A holiday-geared selection in any store must now cater to a wider range of demographics and occasions, spanning from non-alcoholic to lower-ABV to full strength. Let’s run through the checklist of essentials for the 2026 holiday season.
1. Seasonal Beers
Seasonal beers capture the moment, stir up nostalgia, and boast the appeal that they’re fleeting. They’re commonly strong performers for breweries, building loyal followings of fans who eagerly anticipate their annual return.
Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA is a hop lover’s alternative to the more baking spice-forward winter ales of this season. Heavy Seas Winter Storm brings a bold take on the season with its English-style ESB, balancing nutty malts and earthy hops with pronounced bitterness from a mix of West Coast and UK varieties. Samuel Adams leans brighter with their Winter White Ale, a 5.7% white ale brewed with orange peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Classic, Crowd-Pleasing Beers
For every person craving the bigger, bolder flavors of seasonal beers, there’s another who simply wants their go-to. The increase in hosting for the holidays means more people need a variety of options that speak to as many guests as possible. Think familiar heavy-hitters: from easy-drinking lagers such as Corona, Modelo, and Coors to lagers that scratch the elevated import itch like Sapporo and Heineken, and other popular styles like Guinness Draught Stout.
3. Variety Packs
“The holidays are a great opportunity for variety packs,” says Origlio Beverage VP of Sales & Marketing Fred Gross. “With so many different occasions and preferences during the holiday season, a variety pack gives consumers the flexibility to bring something for everyone. Whether it’s craft beer, seltzers, FMBs, ciders, or NAs, there are more options than ever to satisfy different flavor preferences and make it easy to shop for a group.”
The Holiday Party Pack from Great Lakes Brewing for 2026 includes its iconic Christmas Ale, as well as Cran Orange Wheat, the exclusive Cookie Exchange, and new Snowscape Winter Lager. The Bundled Up Variety Pack is Sly Fox Brewing Company’s winter release, mingling something for every party guest from cozy oatmeal stout to versatile helles lager to two different IPAs. Dogfish Head gifts fans a holiday gift pack, with this year’s including Covered in Nuggs American IPA, The Steady Glow of Tended Embers doppelbock, Shelter Pale Ale, and Chicory Stout.
4. Flavored Malt Beverages
Shoppers want all their guests to feel included. That means addressing the middle space between beer and other categories like cocktails, wine, and non-alcoholic options. Malternatives, or flavored malt beverages, speak to those consumers. Classics like Smirnoff Ice, Twisted Tea, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade provide familiarity and approachability. Bravazzi Hard Italian Soda feels celebratory, comes in a wide range of fruit flavors, is gluten-free, and is just 4.2% ABV. Hard seltzers factor into this category, too; think Truly, White Claw, and Topo Chico.
5. Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
Ready-to-drink cocktails have been growing even as other categories decline. This tells us people want the experience of drinking a cocktail, but they don’t want to have to break out multiple ingredients and tools. That’s truer than ever during the holidays. Canned cocktails are a significant time-saver for the party host.
RTDs promise consistency, reliability, and variety. Cayman Jack delivers bar-inspired flavor in an easy-to-enjoy format, with refreshing takes on classics like the Margarita and Paloma, along with their higher ABV line, Cayman Jacked. Monaco offers a line of flavorful crushes; and Bombtails serves up iconic cocktails everyone knows and loves in a fun format, from the Margarita to the Pornstar Martini. And Boston Beer recently introduced Lytt Electric Coolers. Coming in at 15% ABV, they pack a punch and always stand out in the crowd as they come in light bulb-shaped packaging that glows in the dark!
6. Sparkling Wines
Something bubbly is virtually mandatory for toasts and midnight countdowns – ensure no sparkle seeker leaves empty-handed. LUC & LÉON is actually a malternative, but perfectly mimics the Champagne experience in everything from flavor to packaging, with Brut, new Bubbly Rosé, and Extra Dry options offering something for a variety of tastes. Verdi spans from classic to fresh and fruit-flavored, with a Spumante alongside Sparkletini in peach, raspberry, and strawberry flavors.
7. Non-Alcoholic Options
A robust selection of non-alcoholic options is non-negotiable. Think about checking off as many subcategory boxes as possible so no matter what someone is looking for, they find it on your shelves.
For beer, there are craft options from Athletic Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada, and Lagunitas, as well as macro brands like Guinness 0 Non Alcoholic Draught and Heineken 0.0.
TÖST white tea-based sparkling beverages are excellent non-alcoholic alternatives for NYE midnight cheers. For spirits, engage consumers’ cocktail interest without the booze via Ritual Zero Proof gin, rum, agave spirit, whiskey, and aperitif alternatives. Seedlip’s lineup also fills the spirit niche sans alcohol, still delivering on complex flavors and texture.
8. Mixers
While an increasing number of consumers reach for ready-to-drink cocktails, there is still demand for products like mixers. This is especially relevant considering the versatility of today’s mixers and how they’re used.
Classic Lemonade, Sparkling Cranberry, and Espresso Martini Mix from Owen’s Craft Mixers elevate alcoholic and alcohol-free cocktails alike. Owen’s also offers tonic and club soda, two crucial workhorse products. Craft sodas speak to shoppers who want those familiar favorite flavors but appreciate better ingredients – think Black Cherry, Root Beer, Orange Cream, and Vanilla Cream varieties from Hank’s Beverages.
Once your inventory checklist is complete, consider how to best present it to customers.
“Merchandising can be very effective during the holidays because it might be the only time that year that customers go to a specific account,” says Steve Westley, Origlio Beverage Director of Off-Premise Sales. “Attractive eye-catching displays could make a decision easier for a customer taking a product to a party.”
Products grouped by category are approachable for shoppers, but think about opportunities to elevate merchandising, introducing new ideas to customers and/ or rounding up options by occasion. For example, a New Year’s Eve end cap with standard sparkling wine alongside wine-based RTDs pulled from the canned cocktail section plus non-alcoholic options. Another display could organize alcoholic and non-alcoholic bases plus mixers together to demonstrate easy cocktail making opportunities. Communicate all of this via your social media channels and in-store activations – holiday customers are eager to learn and shop smarter for a more celebratory season.
About the Author: Courtney Iseman is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer covering craft beer and spirits for Food & Wine, Craft Beer & Brewing, Brewing Industry Guide, PUNCH, Inside Hook, VinePair, Thrillist, Wine Enthusiast, and more.