Over the past few years, celebrity-backed liquor brands have enjoyed an undeniable cultural moment—and tequila is currently the hottest drink in the game. Just ask Hailee Steinfeld.

This February, the Academy Award-nominated actress partnered with Premium Beers Group, a leader within the alcohol industry in Mexico, to launch her own tequila cocktail brand called Angel Margarita. At the Fast Company Innovation Festival on September 16, Steinfeld told audiences that the brand is all about creating something that feels “real” and “authentic” in a beverage industry full of other players. 

Steinfeld is the latest in a series of celebrities to debut her own tequila brand, joining George Clooney’s Casamigos (which sold for $1 billion in 2017), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Teremana, Matthew and Camila McConaughey’s Pantalones Tequila, and Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila. 

Unlike those brands, though, Angel Margarita is not a pure spirit, but rather a premixed cocktail that comes in lime, grapefruit, ranch water, and wild berry flavors. It signals that, as ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails hit the mainstream, they’re poised to become the next trend in celebrity beverage collaborations.

Why RTD cocktails will be the next celebrity alcohol fad

According to Jordi Zindel, the CEO of Angel Margarita, the brand was inspired by Steinfeld’s own margarita recipe, which she perfected after moving into a new home with a bar. 

“I was, like, ‘I can’t have a great bar and not be able to be behind it and make a house cocktail,’” Steinfeld said. “The go-to was a margarita, because I felt I could nail a classic margarita. With a lot of trial and a lot of error, Angel Margarita was born, and I now have the perfect cocktail that I can pour over ice. After everybody loves it and enjoys it, I tell them it’s from a can.”

There’s a reason why Steinfeld might have opted for a ready-to-drink beverage over a plain tequila: According to the spirits trade association Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, RTD sales were up 27% in 2023, making them the fastest-growing spirits category by revenue. 

Building on the earlier success of hard seltzer companies like White Claw and Truly, brands like Captain Morgan, Jack Daniel’s, and Bacardi have all jumped onto the RTD trend. Meanwhile, companies focusing exclusively on canned cocktails—like Cutwater and On the Rocks—are taking off with Gen Zers and millennials. 

Steinfeld announced at the Innovation Festival that Angel Margarita is set to launch in New York next week. As the brand begins to expand its reach, it’s only a matter of time before other public figures pick up on the growing RTD market as a new way to reach fans.