Rio cocktails on display at a wine fair in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Quite often I drink alcohol with guests and clients at business banquets. People now prefer drinks with low levels of alcohol. Some fruity alcohols infused with cranberries, blueberries, plums, wax berries and even cherry blossoms are getting increasingly popular, particularly among female guests.

These liquors are regarded great ice-breakers, friendly toward everyone. You can still talk about business and contracts after the banquet without getting totally intoxicated by them," said Zhang.

Marketing experts said liquor-makers, to increase sales, must understand how young consumers get to know about a brand, and what encourages them to buy.

Ready-to-drink cocktail brand Rio must know a thing or two in this context. Its sales increased from 50 million yuan to 1 billion yuan in just three years, said Xiao Zhuqing, a liquor marketing specialist.

The brand appeared in a popular TV drama last summer, thus gaining exposure to hundreds of millions of young consumers.