Japan’s cult tipple, Suntory’s Strong Zero, has finally launched in Australia. The punchy blend of shochu, vodka, and soda has arrived in the form of the Minus 196 Double Lemon.
There is nothing more romantic than a Japanese convenience store. After-hours spent gallivanting around the neon-soaked streets of Tokyo, refueling on 7-Eleven onigiri, and topping up your levels with a Strong Zero. For all those that share a yearning for those blurry Japan evenings, the introduction of Minus 196 won’t completely fill the void, but it might just blunt the longing.
If you don’t know Strong Zero, it’s a shochu, vodka, soda blend. The -196, which is now available in Australia, is a lemony sucker punch to the face. Each can contains a whole lemon frozen in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C, it is then pulverized and soaked in alcohol. It’s refreshing, a little naughty, but lacking that weird grotty feeling of downing a premix Woodstock.
“Aussies who’ve traveled to Japan show a genuine love for one of the country’s biggest and fastest-growing brands -196 ֯C Strong Zero, and we’re excited to launch our very own -196 Double Lemon in Australia. We want Aussies to feel like they’re enjoying the real deal straight from the fridge of a convenience store in Tokyo. Unmistakably Japanese, we can’t wait for this next-level refreshment to hit Aussie shelves,” says Beam Suntory Director of Innovation, Kay Oh.
Each can contains only 0.3 grams of sugar, with 122 calories per can. I don’t know about you but after last summer’s blowout, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to down another seltzer again. Pre-emptively nominating the -196 Double Lemon as SS21’s new replacement.
The -196 Double Lemon (ABV 6%) is available at liquor stores nationally; priced at RRP $22 (four-pack) and $47 (10 pack).
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