Epic Western Brings Vodka Lemonade Into The Can

Epic Western’s new lineup of Vodka Lemonade Cocktails

Emily Vinson

Since its debut in summer of 2021, Epic Western has helped reshape the canned craft cocktail landscape. The San Antonio startup entered the space with one of the industry’s first premium Ranch Waters offerings: tequila and soda – a Texas staple. It is now joined by dozens of competitors on shelves, in what has evolved into one of the most energized contemporary subcategories. Recent analysis suggests that the tequila-based ready-to-drinks market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion USD.

There’s one subcategory that’s stronger. It’s vodka. And today Epic Western is launching a full-fledged expansion into that frontier. Namely, with four varieties of Vodka Lemonade – each canned at a quaffable 4.5% ABV. We’ve got your exclusive first crack of the can.

Rolling out this month across most major US markets is Epic Western Mango, Blueberry, Cran-Raspberry, and Pink Lemonade. They will be sold together, two 12-ounce cans of each, in a variety 8-pack. The expressions all rely on cold-pressed citrus, alongside an unnamed “premium” American vodka, to deliver refreshing, fruit-forward and fizz-free liquids with only 90 calories per can.

“Every category we step into has to clear the same bar: does it taste as good as what we’d make at home?” says Epic Western co-founder and CEO, Adam Love. “It took hundreds of formulas to get there, but that’s the only way we know how to build a product. We want people to crack a can and be shocked by how good it actually is.”

Underscoring his point, Great Western had this product percolating in the taste lab for well over a year. The exhaustive approach echoes the way in which Love and Co. landed on that initial Ranch Water offering back in 2021; it was the culmination of two years worth of R+D.

This time they had the added complication of working with non-carbonated beverages, which can complicate shelf stability. The juice was worth the squeeze, however, as fizz-free has become an increasingly popular format in recent years. The trend is driven in large part by a new crop of Gen-Z consumers who prefer RTDs that don’t make them feel full or bloated. These drinkers have veered away from beer and traditional cocktails – longtime mainstays of the 21-30 year-old demographic.

But that movement also means that shelves are already crowded with competition. Epic Western’s first departure from its tequila-based origins is a clear signal that it feels confident in a recipe that’ll stand out. That formula is fairly simple, too: ingredient-driven, additive-free, flavor forward. Indeed, each of these new expressions tastes authentically like the fruit represented in its respective colorway. Of course, a double-digit calorie count won’t hurt their chances either.

The cans go on sale in Texas starting this week, where they will retail for $19 per 8-pack. The launch will expand shortly thereafter into Tennessee, South Carolina and Colorado. And Epic Western plans to take its Vodka Lemonade beyond these existing markets to the Midwest and Massachusetts by early 2027.