{"id":322834,"date":"2026-08-17T02:28:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T02:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/322834\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T02:28:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T02:28:23","slug":"why-gen-z-is-obsessed-with-tiny-4-blackout-pregame-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/322834\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gen Z is obsessed with tiny $4 ‘blackout’ pregame drink"},"content":{"rendered":"

They\u2019re known for being sober-curious<\/a> \u2014\u00a0but a bite-sized new booze trend reveals that Gen Z hasn\u2019t quite fully broken up with alcohol<\/a> just yet. <\/p>\n

As the cost of going out on the town climbs ever higher, Zoomers who love the nightlife have found a new way to pregame affordably \u2014\u00a0they\u2019re turning to tennis ball-sized Buzzballz canned cocktails for a potent, 15%-20% ABV punch that only costs them between $3 and $4.50.<\/p>\n

Why nurse a $20 cocktail when you can efficiently chug a small jug of \u201cBerry Cherry Limeade\u201d before your Uber arrives? <\/p>\n

The trendy drinks, typically found by the cash register in liquor stores and gas stations, deliver a lot in a tiny package, can be downed in a couple of sips and they cost far less than an equivalent-strength drink at a bar.<\/p>\n

The bright-colored drinks on display at a liquor store. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

And as a generation that embraces fitness and wellness<\/a>, these youngins aren\u2019t willing to waste calories unless they feel the effects. <\/p>\n

Despite not being a Gen Zer, content creator Gizzelle Cade understands the hype, describing the buzzy drink as an \u201celite pregame drink and chaser\u201d after feeling drunk from just one of them in a viral TikTok video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be real, the economy is crap,\u201d she told The Post. \u201cSo it\u2019s better to pre-drink instead of getting cocktails at an event. I was skeptical at first, but they really do get you buzzed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed out that each flavor \u201calmost has a personality, which makes them really fun and memorable. The flavors and colorful packaging make them perfect for social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cade is among a slew of people online helping fuel the drink\u2019s popularity, which was founded by a Dallas schoolteacher in 2009, by filming taste tests, ranking flavors and chugging them before a night out.<\/p>\n

One creator jokingly shared a video<\/a> of himself sitting in a stool while holding a BuzzBallz with overlay text that reads, \u201cPreparing for my Netflix documentary about why I love BuzzBallz so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other videos show <\/a>fans of the colorful drinks standing in a liquor store trying to convince their friends to buy an entire case for a day at the beach. <\/p>\n

The most popular BuzzBallz flavors include Berry Cherry Limeade, Choc Tease, Strawberry \u2018Rita and Tequila \u2018Rita. BuzzBallz<\/p>\n

High ABV aside, Jess Scheerhorn, president of BuzzBallz, thinks young drinkers are drawn to the ready-to-drink cocktail because of the brand\u2019s marketing strategy. <\/p>\n

Scheerhorn told The Post that Buzzballz gets its consumers\u2019 attention through retail, seasonal activations, paid media, PR and social.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt its core, BuzzBallz has always been about authenticity, bringing people together and unapologetic fun,\u201d she told The Post. Despite the binge-drinking trend, the brand \u201cencourages responsible enjoyment.\u201d<\/p>\n

BuzzBallz on sale at a liquor store for less than $3 each \u2014 a bargain, especially in this economy. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

Sure, the brand knows a thing or two about marketing. But the obsession with these boozy drinks points to a bigger issue, as Gen Z is doing away with \u201ccasual drinking\u201d and instead drinking to \u201cblackout,\u201d or in more mature words, get inebriated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A 2023 Gallup survey<\/a> found that adults under 35 engaging in drinking dropped from 72% in 2001-2003 to 62% in 2021-2023. <\/p>\n

But statistics also show that high ABV drinks, particularly ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, have surged in popularity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gen Z\u2019s commitment to high-alcohol content has been consistent, from the rise of BORGS<\/a> (Black Out Rage Gallons), where liquor and food dye are mixed in a gallon jug, to the surge of canned cocktails like Cutwater \u2014 another viral ready-to-go cocktail offered in over 29 flavors with ABVs as high as 13%.<\/p>\n

Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails made up 20% of the distilled spirits market<\/a> in 2024 and their revenue is projected to grow from $903 million to $2.11 billion by 2030. <\/p>\n

Cutwater has been ranked as the No. 2 spirits-based canned cocktail brand in the U.S., after High Noon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Top Cutwater favorites include the Espresso Martini and Lime Margarita cans. Cutwater Spirits<\/p>\n

Their growth, much like BuzzBallz, is fueled by the hype around high-ABV drinks with lower price and smaller size.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Gen Z can\u2019t resist a viral trend, especially the \u201cCutwater Challenge\u201d that requires chuggers to finish a four-pack. <\/p>\n

The canned cocktails are being coined the modern-day Four Loko, a boozy brand that debuted in 2005 and contains 12% to 13.9% ABV \u2014 the equivalent of drinking about five to six standard beers at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I could handle something that\u2019s in a can. You get a pack, thinking you are going to be so chill, and everything\u2019s going to be fun, but after 4 of them, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on,\u201d influencer Gage Briney posted<\/a> after completing the \u201cCutwater Challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Briney told The Post, \u201cAfter about 3 (Cutwaters) I\u2019m ready to throw my ass in a circle and after 4 I\u2019m ready to crawl upstairs to order Taco Bell, but hoping I don\u2019t pass out before I remember I ordered that Taco Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cutwaters were created with the intention to be diluted with water, hence the name, but that doesn\u2019t seem to resonate with drinkers. <\/p>\n

\u201cI need my Cutwaters pure so I can get drunk on less. It\u2019s called economics,\u201d a content creator commented.<\/a> Memes of intoxicated people are going viral as well, with the caption \u201cme after one Cutwater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho told you to put pain and agony in a can?\u201d said another user<\/a> who reportedly blacked out after drinking two. <\/p>\n

And the \u201cBBC Challenge\u201d has taken high-content drinking to an even scarier level, where young drinkers challenge themselves to chug a BuzzBallz, a Beat Box, a juice-based alcoholic drink that can go up to 11% ABV, and a Cutwater all at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to drink this whole thing and be back in an hour,\u201d one creator said in a viral video<\/a>, later showing herself feeling the effects of the drink, as she put it simply: \u201cMy head is banging, don\u2019t do it. <\/p>\n

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