What are the practical options for getting RTD canned cocktails into the French market given the combined alcohol duty and sugar tax?

France's combined alcohol duty (€0.23 per unit) and sugar tax (€1.31 per unit) effectively closed the RTD canned cocktail market almost overnight—it was a deliberate policy to target youth drinking. Retail viability is extremely difficult under current taxation, but members identified a few approaches others have attempted:

- **Desperados** — the primary successful RTD retail brand in France; uses a tequila base, suggesting spirit-based positioning may help navigate the tax structure - **Féfé** — another visible RTD brand, though category presence remains minimal - **Reformulation to malt-based or sugar-free**: Members suggest swapping sugar for sweeteners (referenced as a tactic Britvic uses) or moving to a neutral malt base to reduce tax exposure. One member offered to help with reformulation and can share ingredient suppliers if needed - **Increase ABV**: One experienced producer noted "up the abv is the only way" - **Contact Aston Manor**: They have a parent company in France and produce high-sugar-content perry and cider-based cocktails; worth approaching for market-entry insights

**Important caveat**: The market is heavily constrained. Members noted that RTD cocktails "barely exist" in France at present. The category has been largely replaced by flavoured beers (mango, raspberry, etc.), which sit in a different tax bracket. France remains "a nightmare for the category" overall.