Coca-Cola Launches First Alcoholic Drink

In a bid to tap new markets and consumers, Coca-Cola has
officially launched its first alcoholic drink.
Coca-Cola has launched its first alcoholic drink, a lemon
flavoured alcopop, in Japan in a bid to tap new markets and
consumers.
In a global first for the US drinks giant, three fizzy lemon
drinks went on sale on Monday.
The product aims at a growing market of young drinkers –
especially women.
Described by Coca-Cola as “unique” in the company’s 125-
year history, the three drinks range from three to eight per
cent alcohol.
In keeping with the company’s tradition, the recipe is closely
guarded but the drinks are modelled on the country’s popular
Chu-Hi drinks, usually a mix of local spirit and a range of
fruit flavours.
Chu-Hi – an abbreviation for shochu highball – has been
marketed as an alternative to beer, proving especially
popular with female drinkers.
Local companies like Suntory, Asahi and Kirin currently
dominate the sector for canned Chu-Hi drinks.
The most popular flavours are strong citrus ones such as
grapefruit or lemon, the latter one being the taste Coca
Cola now wants a share of.
Coca-Cola says there are no plans to bring the new drinks
range to markets outside Japan.
Alcopop drinks boomed in Europe and the UK in the 1990s with
the likes of Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Breezer becoming
hugely popular.
They were controversial, with concerns they encouraged
young people to drink more alcohol because of soft drink-like
taste.