There’s a quiet shift happening in how big beer plays the bar cart. A splashy new push called “Mix With The Best” signals more than a catchy line. It points to a plan to own the cocktail moment, alcohol or not. My view is simple: this is a smart hedge on moderation and a bold land grab in mixers, but it will test what beer brands stand for.
“The ‘Mix With The Best’ effort expands Droga5’s relationship with Molson Coors, which has a strategic partnership with the nonalcoholic mixer brand.”
Why This Move Matters
Droga5 stepping deeper with Molson Coors is not just about ads. It’s about control of taste, mood, and the occasion. I see a clear signal: big beer wants to shape the mixed-drink ritual the same way it shaped game day.
Nonalcoholic mixers are where culture is moving. People still want flavor, craft, and ritual. They just want more choice on the alcohol. Pairing a major brewer with a mixer brand widens the net. It reaches the sober-curious, the calorie-counters, and the weekday crowd that still wants something that feels special.
This is also a channel play. Bars and stores need fewer headaches and more sell-through. A package that pairs beer brands with a trusted mixer gives them an easier story to put on the shelf and put on a menu.
The Strategy Hiding In Plain Sight
To me, the plan looks like this: own the glass, not just the bottle. If Molson Coors can live at the center of the mixed drink—highball, spritz, or soda-based mocktail—it stops being only a beer company. It becomes the default choice for the moment when people decide what to pour.
That’s where a creative shop like Droga5 fits. The job isn’t to sell a product; it’s to sell a ritual. The phrase “Mix With The Best” isn’t coy. It tries to crown a partner as the standard for anyone building a drink at home or at a bar.
What Could Go Right
This approach could make beer brands useful again in spaces they’ve ceded to spirits and seltzers. It could also align with a moderation wave that isn’t slowing. I don’t need charts to see what’s on menus and in carts: light options, clever mocktails, and take-home mixers now sit where novelty beers used to live.
- New drinkers: Mixers invite people who skip alcohol but still want flavor and ritual.
- Higher margins: Bundled packages and signature serves can justify premium pricing.
- Menu lock-in: Co-branded recipes keep bars and retailers loyal.
- Cultural fit: Moderation is social now, not a stigma.
That list points to one idea: if you win the ritual, you win repeat habit.
The Real Risks
There are trade-offs. Beer identity can blur if it leans too hard into mixology. Some loyal drinkers might shrug at the pivot and stick with the familiar. Distributors can bristle when lineups get tangled or when incentives change.
I hear the counterargument: stay in your lane. Protect the core. But that’s a slow fade into irrelevance. Clinging to one use case—crack a cold one, full stop—ignores how people actually drink now. A pairing strategy doesn’t erase heritage. It gives it new ways to show up.
Another concern: quality control. If the mixer falls flat, the whole serve fails. That’s why a tight creative platform and clear recipes matter. Signature builds, simple ratios, and training for bartenders can fix that fast.
What Success Should Look Like
I’d look for proof in how often these pairings show up without a push. If bars add a house highball featuring the mixer and the brewer, that’s traction. If retailers place the combo together and it moves, that’s progress. If social feeds show people making two-ingredient weeknight drinks, that’s habit.
- More default menu placements and simple house serves.
- End-cap displays that pair cans with the mixer.
- Clear at-home recipes that anyone can mix fast.
- Events where alcohol and zero-proof options share the same stage.
Each marker proves the same point: convenience wins when taste is good enough.
My Take
This is a savvy bet on the future of how we drink. It respects choice. It chases occasions that beer has lost. It gives creative teams a story that can run for years. If the work focuses on simple, repeatable serves—not fussy bar theatrics—it can reset habits at home and on-premise.
The challenge now is discipline. Keep the message tight. Keep the recipes easy. Make the pairing feel obvious, not forced. If that happens, the mix becomes the moment—and the brand becomes the habit.
Drinkers aren’t asking for perfection. They want taste, ease, and options. So let’s demand that from the companies shaping our shelves and our menus. Ask for clear recipes. Ask for zero-proof versions of every special. Ask for value bundles that make trying new serves easy.
The future belongs to brands that meet people where they actually sip. If this move sticks, beer won’t just be something you crack open. It will be the start of what you mix next.
