The introduction of bottle coolers into drinking establishments reflects the increase in the consumption of alcopops and bottled beverages. Night clubs often only sell bottled beers, ciders and spirit mixers to avoid using glasses. This not only cuts costs by reducing monetary investment in glassware, it reduces the need to pay staff to collect and clean glasses. There is also a reduction in injuries caused by broken glass, as generally glass bottles are more robust than drinking glasses. The mark up on bottled beverages results in greater profits for a drinking establishment and their sale is therefore a popular choice by landlords over the more traditional draught lagers and ciders.



The introduction of alcopops caused great controversy as it was seen to be promoting the consumption of alcohol to young people. The term alcopop derives from the word alcohol and soda pop, and basically describes the alcoholic content in a fruit juice or soda mixer. There has been a huge influx of these drinks in recent years as the bottled product is regarded as being more convenient than a drink in a glass. The mixes available hold great favour with female drinkers, and it a cheaper sugary alcoholic alternative to cocktails and traditional spirit drinks with mixer added, such as gin and tonic.

The gain in popularity has forced requirements on establishments to invest in large amounts of bottle coolers. It is essential that these drinks are served cold, and with such a high rate of consumption, there needs to be adequate cold storage. The most popular bottle coolers for the job are glass fronted display coolers. This enables the customer to see the range of drinks on offer whilst keeping the drinks cold. Alcopops are often brightly coloured to make them more attractive to the consumer, and the glass fronted coolers behind every bar show off a kaleidoscope of acidic hues to temp the next customer.

Sales of bottled beers have also increased, and the recent marketing campaign to promote the consumption of cider has seen sales rocket and the need for bottle coolers grow further. Some of the most popular drinks to be found in high street bars and beach front clubs are Magners, Corona, Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice. Their marketing campaigns are aimed at clubbers and they promote the drinks as a sophisticated alternative to buying pints of alcohol.

Bottle coolers are often supplied by a drinks manufacturer as a promotional item and as a not so subtle way of advertising. It is just as common for a soft drink company to provide a bottle cooler as it is a manufacturer of alcoholic drinks. The soft drink industry is as big a business as the alcohol industry; giants such as Coca Cola make a wide range of drinks that are sold in shops and public houses. Coolers stocked with Five Alive, Oasis, J20, and Dr pepper are often provided by the Coca Cola corporation for the sale of their drinks exclusively. That is why you will never see a can of Fanta alongside a can of Coca Cola in a Cola branded bottle cooling fridge.

As well as drinking establishments, coolers are frequently found in commercial kitchens, workplace kitchens and even in some peoples homes. Having a few friends round for a drink and being able to offer up an ice cold beer out of a Stella Artois fridge has an element of chic elite about it, and at the end of the day makes a fancy addition to a domestic kitchen.