Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Hell’s Seltzer’ Proves We’ve Reached Peak Hard Seltzer

Celebrities owning liquor brands is nothing new, for better or for worse. (Hey there, Kendall.) Celebrities and hard seltzer, however, is the hype train of 2021 — the one every famous person is hopping on right now. From rappers like Travis Scott and Cacti to television chefs like Gordon Ramsay and his new “Hell’s Seltzer” boozy sparkling water, the rise of celebrity-backed hard seltzers is certainly getting out of hand. Hell, Lance Bass recently became the celebrity face for new Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer.

The appeal of celebrities selling you hard seltzer comes from the simple fact that it’s the beverage that everyone is drinking right now. While a celebrity could just as easily start up a new whiskey brand, for example, that alienates all of the fanbase that doesn’t like whiskey. However, everyone loves hard seltzer. And that’s not us saying that; that’s mathematical fact.

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Some called 2019 “the summer of White Claw” after arguably the most popular hard seltzer on the shelves saw sales go up 250 percent from the beginning of the year to the July 4 holiday weekend, as reported by Money. The hard seltzer market is expected grow at the humble rate of 16.2 percent a year — which means by 2027, it could be a $14.5 billion industry, according to Grand View Research.

Doug Shabelman, CEO of Burns Entertainment, an entertainment marketing agency, told Vinepair that celebrities are turning their attention to hard seltzer and cannabis.

“There’s just a newness to [hard seltzer] … designed and aimed at a younger audience, so it’s a natural place for celebrities to be included,” Shabelman told the publication.

When Travis Scott launched his Cacti line of agave-flavored hard seltzers, the rapper-slash-entrepreneur tapped into a fan base that would ultimately buy whatever Scott put his name on. Hard seltzer offers an almost foolproof way of getting consumers to buy product mainly because the drink seems to be so hard to mess up — it’s literally boozy flavored sparkling water.

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Scott may have little experience in the food and drink industry (lest you count his Travis Scott Meal at McDonald’s), but celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who some may forget is actually Michelin-starred, has built a brand around good food. And transferring that star power to his new hard seltzer line, Hell’s Seltzer, may assure audiences that it’s a good drink even before they’ve tried it.

Scott and Ramsay are not the only people using their fame to sell hard seltzer. Whether you like it or not, these are five celebrities have entered the hard seltzer market, and we’re pretty sure they won’t be the last.

Cacti

Cacti

Travis Scott’s foray into the hard seltzer aisle is an agave-flavored spiked seltzer called Cacti. Not to be confused with a tequila soda, Cacti is available in pineapple, lime and strawberry. Cacti is notably “harder” than other hard seltzers, with Scott’s drink coming in at 7.0-percent ABV.

Hell’s Seltzer

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Hell’s Seltzer is as aggressive in its branding as Gordon Ramsay is in his television persona. The chef’s beverages come in flavors like Berry Inferno, Knicker Twist, Mean Green and That’s Forked, each with its own combination of fruit flavors.

Two Lane

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Country music star Luke Bryan released Two Lane American Golden Lager last year with Constellation Brands, and this year he accompanied his beer with Two Lane Hard Seltzer. The 4.5-percent ABV hard seltzers are available in cherry limeade, peach tea, blueberry lemonade, and watermelon punch.

Smithworks Hard Seltzer Lemonade

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Smithworks is known for its vodka, but this year it got into hard seltzer courtesy of Blake Shelton. The hard seltzers come in classic lemon, ripe strawberry, southern peach tea and crisp lime.

Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer

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Famed craft brewery New Belgium latest endeavor is a spiked seltzer line under the brand Fruit Smash. While not owned by or made in collaboration with a celebrity, Fruit Smash tapped former NSYNC singer Lance Bass to head its inaugural campaign, “Bye to Basic,” in which people can call a hotline, “talk” to Bass and potentially win a year’s supply of the hard seltzer.

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