Coca-Cola is to produce the first alcoholic drink in its 132-year-history, with plans to launch an alcopop in Japan.
The world’s biggest soft drinks company said it would start making a version of “Chu-Hi” – canned sparkling flavoured drinks that include a local spirit called shochu.
The company, famous for its red label and secret Coca-Cola recipe, hopes to capitalise on the increase in popularity in Japan of Chu-Hi alcopops.
Coca-Cola’s latest contains only 3 to 8 percent alcohol per can, alongside some additional flavouring. This pits the refreshment in direct competition with pub mainstays like beer.
The low alcohol content is also an attempt to bait female consumers, who apparently prefer their spirits and other beverages to be less stiff than a man’s drink.
However, this isn’t the first time the company has produced an alcoholic beverage. Throughout the late 1970s, Coca-Cola indulged in a bit of viticulture, selling wine that was made from vineyards in California and New York. The bottled drink was once available on United Airlines flights, but quickly dissipated not long afterwards.
Coca-Cola has been soliciting new customers with products geared towards specific audiences. They recently introduced four new Diet Coke flavours in an attempt to appease the more health-conscious millennial consumer who is typically not fond of carbonated pop.
