Shaken, Not Stirred — and Maybe Non-Alcoholic: The Future of Beverages & Spirits

About this episode

The episode explores the future of beverages and spirits with a focus on Gen Z's impact on drinking culture and mindful drinking.

S6E6 Campari America's Allison Varone on mindful drinking and the new rules of beverage brand building with Gen Z Everyone keeps repeating that Gen Z doesn't drink. The data tells a far more interesting story about mindful drinking and this episode unpacks it. In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Allison Varone, Head of Marketing at Campari America, for a genuine masterclass in beverage brand building. With more than 20 years across the wine and spirits industry, Allison leads marketing for one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world: Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, Espolòn Tequila, and the newly US-launched Crodino, a non-alcoholic spritz beloved in Italy since 1965. This conversation goes beyond the headlines about the spirits industry to explore the cultural shifts, strategic bets, and marketing instincts behind some of the most recognizable drinks in the world, and what they mean for anyone building consumer brands in 2026. What We Cover • How Gen Z is redefining drinking culture, and why mindful drinking is a growth opportunity for the spirits industry rather than a threat • The "zebra…

People in this episode

Host: Ricardo Belmar

Guests: Casey Golden, Allison Varone

Topics covered

• mindful drinking
• Gen Z drinking culture
• beverage brand building
• non-alcoholic spirits
• marketing strategies
• cultural shifts in beverages

Keywords

• Gen Z
• mindful drinking
• beverage marketing
• non-alcoholic drinks
• spirits industry
• Crodino
• Campari America

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Campari America

Products: Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, Espolòn Tequila, Crodino

Places: Italy

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