In the first baller move from Coca-Cola since the drinks juggernaut toyed with the idea of a cannabis-infused health drink (and of course, that time it had actual cocaine in it), one lucky country is getting an alcoholic beverage from the brand.
Coca-Cola spokesperson Scott Leith told CNN today that after a successful test run in Japan, the company will launch the Lemon-Do alcoholic soft drink in October.
The launch of Lemon-Do marks a first for the 133-year-old company. However, the company did own a winery from 1977 to 1983.
The plan is to sell the product, which comes in three varieties ranging from 3% to 7% alcohol, to supermarket and convenience store chains in Japan.
During the testing phase in February, Coca-Cola did add a 9% version of the drink (watch out wine mums). They called it “oni-lemon,” or “ogre-lemon”.
All drinks will retail at about US$1.50 for a 350mL can. Amazingly, the drinks don’t include any Coke.
Lemon-Do was inspired by the country’s local beverages known as chuhai, which are made by mixing flavoured soda water with a distilled grain-based alcohol called shochu.
Don’t expect the bevvy to hit Australian shores though. In February 2018, Coca-Cola Japan business unit president Jorge Garduño said the drink is likely to be Japan-exclusive.
