(Photo: Sazerac)
BuzzBallz is now the best-selling brand in the wildly lucrative ready-to-drink cocktail market — and the spherical fan favorite shows no signs of slowing its roll anytime soon.
According to recently released data from Circana, BuzzBallz sales increased by 65.6% to $569.3 million over the past year. The brightly-colored drinks now account for over a fifth of all premixed cocktail sales in the United States. It’s trailed by an over $250 million margin by the Anheuser-Busch-owned BeatBox, which recorded $312.5 million in sales. Cutwater, Surfside and Sun Cruiser ranked as the third, fourth and fifth best-selling brands, respectively.
Market leader High Noon was omitted from the ranking, as it’s classified as a spirit-based seltzer, not a ready-to-drink cocktail, in the Circana database.
The ballooning popularity of BuzzBallz is a rare bright spot within an alcohol industry that’s braced against declining sales, inflation and trade tensions since 2022. The brand’s recent success is all the more remarkable given that it has been on the market for nearly two decades. Invented by former high school teacher Merrilee Kick in 2009, BuzzBallz charted a slow but steady ascent over the years before sales grew exponentially in 2025.
The lion’s share of that success can be attributed to spirits giant Sazerac, which acquired the brand for over $500 million at the beginning of 2024. Beyond high-end whiskey staples like Buffalo Trace and Pappy Van Winkle, Sazerac is best known as the owner of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Southern Comfort, Parrot Bay and Svedka. The company has a track record of cultivating cheap, flavorful and widely available party shots, and its distribution network likely helped accelerate BuzzBallz to never-before-seen heights.
In addition to its over 20 permanent flavors, the brand has earned consistent shoutouts in the headlines thanks to its rotating cycle of limited-edition releases. Recent viral hits included a collection of FIFA-themed “SoccerBallz” cocktails, a 116-ounce drinkable basketball and a one-off Maple Syrup Sundae drink themed after the 2003 Christmas hit “Elf” (we weren’t a huge fan of that flavor, but preferences may vary).