British beverages company Anglo Drinks has launched four new pre-mixed alcoholic drinks.

The drinks, Gin and Tonic, Vodka and Orange, Vodka and Tonic and Rum and Cola, have been launched under the brand name Crystal Camel.

According to Anglo, the drinks have been introduced to meet the growing demand for more sophisticated and premium alternatives to the declining alcopops market.

Available in 250ml cans each with 6 per cent a.b.v., Anglo claims Crystal Camel meets the rising demand for single-serve drinks to suit a range of different tastes at parties and barbecues.

Crystal Camel is also the perfect addition to the backpack for festival goers or to the cool bag for fans of picnics and camping, the Colchester-based firm added.

"Two years ago the pre-mixed, single-serve canned alcoholic drinks category was almost non-existent in most major multiples and existed only as a very small section in specialist retail outlets such as Threshers," Anglo said in a press release.

"Now, the average supermarket is giving more shelf space to a growing number of different pre-mixed products in single-serve formats.

"Crystal Camel offers a high-quality and authentic range of pre-mixed alcoholic drinks at competitive prices to other brands."

First listed as single units in selected Tesco stores nationwide from June 2008, the range will also be sold as a four-pack in selected Aldi stores from August 2008 and the company is in discussions with a number of other major retail outlets.

Anglo Drinks was co-founded by Andy Howe and Stuart Davis in 2000 building on their experience and expertise as drinks industry executives.

The Crystal Camel range was fine-tuned over a rigorous 12-month new product development (NPD) process including sampling.

And according to Mr Howe, managing director of Anglo Drinks, the mixers took the most work to get right.

He said: "Taste tests were a vital part of the NPD process. We pride ourselves on the quality and taste of all of our products.

"We conducted our own tasting panels and Crystal Camel was also put through Tesco taste tests. Some of the products were tweaked more than 10 times to get it absolutely right."

Gin and Tonic is the best-selling flavour of the four, followed by Vodka and Orange and Rum and Cola.

Anglo says initial reports from Tesco are extremely positive and indicate that the seasonal expectations relating to heightened sales during summer are accurate.

Mr Howe predicts sales will be fairly seasonal over the year, with peaks during the summer months, at Christmas and New Year.

He concluded: "The off-trade alcoholic drinks market is moving towards convenience and away from bulk purchases. Buying a 75cl bottle of gin and a big bottle of tonic just isn't as attractive, particularly as people pull ever tighter on the purse strings.

"Kitchens and fridges are over-run with gadgets and food going to waste. When it comes to organising a party or carrying a huge cool bag or backpack to the nearest field, beach or campsite, there just isn't enough room for huge bottles.

"When organising a party everyone likes different things and it can be an expensive task trying to please everyone. Single-serve cans mean you can offer a range of drinks to suit individual tastes. Simply crack open, pour into a glass over ice and add a wedge of lemon."