When it comes to market share, beverage categories are always battling for the biggest piece of the pie.

Consumers have seen a number of new liquid concentrates hit the market, but now the customization trend is coming to the sweeteners segment.

With many consumers lacking the tools or know-how to reproduce some of their favorite on-premise cocktails, beverage manufacturers have found a way to deliver that same enjoyment to consumers in their own homes.

The excitement surrounding the lives of flappers and fun-seekers of the Roaring ’20s still enchant many of us almost a century later. This culture also recently inspired some interesting beverage marketing pushes, particularly following the premiere of Warner Brothers Entertainment’s “The Great Gatsby” movie last month.

Beam Inc. added four new products to its Skinnygirl line of ready-to-serve cocktails, wines and vodkas.

Beam Inc., Deerfield, Ill., reported a net sales increase by 8 percent to $577.7 million, excluding excise taxes, in the first quarter of 2013, benefiting from strong commercial performance and the acquisition of Pinnacle Vodka. On a comparable basis, net sales increased 3 percent, reflecting the comparison to the quarter from the previous year when new product introductions and route-to-market transitions helped comparable net sales increase 13 percent, the company reports.

 Beam Inc. launched Skinnyminis, a four-pack offering of the Skinnygirl Margarita ready-to-serve cocktail in 200-ml barrier polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles from Amcor Rigid Plastics.  

Beam Inc.’s Skinnygirl brand expanded upon its Margarita ready-to-serve cocktail with a new White Peach Margarita offering.

Chicago-based Technomic’s Adult Beverage Resource Group reported that the Top 250 spirits brands grew 3.1 percent in total volume in 2011, which is slightly lower than the total market’s 3.5 percent increase. Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc.’s Skinnygirl Cocktails outpaced all other brands with a 388 percent gain to break the 500,000 case mark and rank as the fastest-growing brand, according to Technomic.

Skinnygirl Cocktails, a brand of Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc., announced new additions to its line of low-calorie cocktails that will be available in May. Joining Skinnygirl Margarita, Sangria and White Cranberry Cosmo, the brand introduced Skinnygirl Pina Colada, Skinnygirl Vodka with Natural Flavors and Skinnygirl, The Wine Collection.