Forget choosing between coffee, cocktails and kombucha. Seattle's next drink obsession is all about how you want to feel.
Why it matters: Consumers are increasingly choosing beverages based on what they want the drink to do — energize them, improve gut health or help unwind — fueling a boom in products marketed around function rather than flavor.
The old beverage map was built around categories — soda, water, coffee, alcohol, sports drinks — while the new is about occasions and effects, Sally Lyons Wyatt of Circana told Axios.
How it works: The drinks are typically spiked with ingredients like caffeine, probiotics, vitamins or adaptogens, each marketed to deliver a particular effect.
By the numbers: U.S. functional beverage sales hit $31.3 billion over the past year, up 11% year over year and 147% over four years, per NielsenIQ.
The category reaches 91% of U.S. households.
Reality check: The science behind those promised benefits varies widely by ingredient — and what's on the label doesn't always translate into a meaningful effect.
The bottom line: Call it a different kind of Seattle buzz.
