Coca-Cola Keeps a Lid on the Recipe for Its First Alcoholic Drink
Coca-Cola launched its first ever alcoholic drink on Monday in Japan — a fizzy, lemon-flavoured concoction laced with spirits that seek to capitalize on the growing popularity of "chuhai" alcopops.
Although the US group dabbled in the wine business in the 1970s, the experiment in Japan was "unique" in the company’s 125-year history, said Coca-Cola Japan president Jorge Garduno.
From Monday, three new Lemon-Do drinks — containing 3%, 5% and 7% alcohol — will be available in the southern Kyushu region of Japan.
A 350ml can will set you back ¥150 ($1.40).
"This is a pilot project in the region, which has a sizable market," Masaki Iida, spokesman for Coca-Cola’s Japanese unit, told AFP.
He declined to reveal the exact spirits in the drink, as the recipe is a closely guarded secret.
Coca-Cola product developers got the idea after visiting Japanese-style "izakaya" pubs, where they discovered that lemon-flavoured drinks are very popular, according to the firm’s website.
The popular "chuhai" drinks — which contain vodka or a distilled, grain-based spirit called shochu — come in a range of flavours such as grape, strawberry, kiwi and white peach.
They range in strength between 3% and 9% and are particularly popular with young drinkers, especially women.
Coca-Cola is wading into an already competitive market, where major Japanese companies such as Suntory, Kirin and Asahi dominate the shelves.
Read More at Source: BusinessDay
