Functional Drinks – Drinking with Meaning – Decoding Consumer Need States

This report is a collaboration between KAM Insight, Club Soda, and the Functional Drinks Collective. It explores consumer views on functional drinks.

At Club Soda, we’ve always said the future of drinking isn’t about what’s missing – it’s about what’s possible. As the lines blur between wellness, socialising, and self-expression, a new generation of drinks is rewriting the rules. Functional and feel good drinks are no longer fringe curiosities for wellness devotees; they’re becoming part of how people socialise, relax, and express themselves.

Because occasions still matter. We drink to mark moments, to connect, to celebrate, to switch off. And right now, the evening moment is wide open. Nearly half of consumers say they’d choose a functional drink at home to unwind, and six in ten want their alcohol alternatives to still help them feel good.

Forget the clinical language of “wellness” and “performance”. These drinkshave real cultural potential: they give people something to hold, something to talk about, and something that actually changes how they feel, without the after-effects. With adaptogens, nootropics, and botanicals doing the heavy lifting, they offer a new kind of sociability that fits modern life.

The data tells us that people are actively searching for drinks that deliver more meaning and better moments. Alcohol used to own that space. Now, functional drinks are stepping in, not as substitutes, but as serious contenders. The brands and venues that recognise this shift won’t just follow a trend; they’ll redefine how we drink, together – creating spaces and rituals that match how people actually want to live now.