Bacardi Breezer
'Alcopop' is a term coined by the popular
media to describe bottled alcoholic
beverages that resemble drinks such as soft drinks and lemonade. In the
alcoholic beverage industry they are known as 'RTD's ('Ready To Drink'), because they are already pre-mixed, 'FAB's ('Flavored Alcoholic Beverages'), 'FMB's ('Flavored Malt Beverages'), 'PPS's ('Pre-Packaged Spirits'), "'Bitch Beer"', or "'Chick Drink"' because of its perceived appeal to females.
Description
These drinks, such as alcoholic
lemonade, tend to be
sweet and are served in small
bottles (typically 200–275
ml in Europe and 12
fl oz or 355 ml (the normal size of a soda/pop can) in the US and Canada), and between 4–7%
alcohol by volume. In Europe and Canada, alcopops tend to be pre-mixed spirits, including vodka (e.g.
Smirnoff Ice) or rum (e.g.
Bacardi Breezer). In the United States, alcopops are generally
un-hopped beers with added sugar, coloring and flavoring; these drinks are legally classified as beers and can be sold in outlets that do not or cannot carry spirit-based drinks.
History
These drinks emerged onto the US market in the mid-1990s with the launch of
Merrydown's
Two Dogs and
Hooper's Hooch.
Zima, introduced in 1994, was the first widely known and widely purchased alcopop in the US and was marketed under the title of "malternative beverage". Many more have followed, as the drinks became increasingly popular. Later,
Mike's Hard Lemonade was released in the United States, with humorous commercials depicting what they called "violence against lemons".
Smirnoff also came out with another
citrus-
flavored
malt beverage in the United States in the late 1990s called
Smirnoff Ice, which promoted itself with flashy commercials, usually involving trendy young people dancing in unlikely situations and places. (In the UK, Smirnoff Ice is marketed by
Diageo as a
PPS.)
Some have expressed concern that such drinks might appeal to children as they tend to be sweet and brightly coloured. Many
alcopop advertising campaigns have been criticised as trying to make alcopops appeal to young drinkers. In the United Kingdom, that led to a media outcry during the mid-1990s as the
tabloid press associated alcopops with under-age drinking which damaged sales and would lead to
off-licences withdrawing them from their stores. The drinks would become popular again in 1998, when
Bacardi introduced the
Breezer using an adult-specific marketing strategy.
The
Federal Trade Commission investigated ads, product placement, and internal company marketing documents after a direction from the Conferees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. "The Commission’s investigation found no evidence of targeting underage consumers in the marketing of FMBs. Adults 21 to 29 appear to be the intended target of FMB marketing and the products are popular among adults, including those over 27."(
[Federal Trade Commission. ''Alcohol Marketing and Advertising: A Report to Congress''. Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission, 2003.], p22)
Nevertheless concern remains. In
December 2003,
Ireland raised the tax on alcopops to equal that of spirits, (the second highest in
Europe). While
Germany has imposed an extra duty of 0.80 to 0.90
euro per bottle effective
August 1,
2004. Some now carry a warning stating that they are not for consumption by minors (under 18 in the UK and 21 in the United States).
The Federal Trade Commission report states, "Further, industry-conducted research on consumers over the age of 21 who use FMBs shows that these consumers generally view the FMBs as substitutes for beer, ... This research also concludes that consumers are not likely to consume more than two or three FMBs on any occasion because of the products’
sweetness.(
[, p5) Therefore, it has been hypothesized that if alcopops became much more popular, heavy drinking would decrease [1].]
Law
California's state assembly recently passed AB 346, a bill which requires manufacturers of alcopops to carry a 'warning' label stating "ATTENTION: THIS DRINK CONTAINS ALCOHOL." [1] This bill has been praised by anti-youth drinking groups[2], since these drinks are favored by young people due to their flavor and alcohol content.
List of drinks
Some of these drinks are currently available; others have been discontinued.
★ Absolut Cut
★ Vodka Cruiser
★ Vodka Cruiser Black
★ Bacardi Breezer
★ C.C.&G (Canadian Club and Ginger [Ale])
★ Hooch
★ Jack Daniel's Country Cocktail
★ Johnnie Walker and Cola or Dry
★ Jim Beam and Cola or Dry
★ UDL
★ Gordon's Gin and Tonic
★ Skyy Blue
★ Lemon Ruski
★ Stoli Black Russian
★ Doc Otis (discontinued)
★ K Ice
★ L'ush
★ Metz (discontinued)
★ Ceasar (produced by Mott's and The Keg)
★ Mike's Hard Lemonade
★ Reef
★ 'S'pirit, 'H'op 'A'nd 'G'rape Co. (outlawed by the Portman Group – rude)
★ Spoof (discontinued by the Portman Group - marketing 'too young')
★ Smirnoff Ice
★ Smirnoff Ice Triple Black
★ Smirnoff Twisted
★ Twisted Tea
★ Two Dogs
★ V Ice
★ Vikingfjord
★ WKD
★ Coast
★ Joose (new "energy" hybrid containing stimulants: caffeine, ginseng, taurine)
★ Sparks (new "energy" hybrid containing stimulants: caffeine, taurine)
★ Tilt (new "energy" hybrid containing stimulants: caffeine, guaraná and ginseng)
★ TVX
★ D/C = discontinued
★ Jack Daniels markets several alcopops in the US under the name "Country Coolers". They are all malt beverages. Flavours include "Black Jack Cola" and "Lynchburg Lemonade," among others.
References
1. http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm
2. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-08-2007/0004604913&EDATE=
★ Bloomberg News, "FTC Says Alcohol Type Not Aimed at Minors". ''Los Angeles Times'', June 5, 2002.
★ Melillo, W. "FTC: Ads for 'Alcopops' Not Aimed at Teens". ''Adweek'', June 6, 2002.
See also
★ Alcoholic beverage
★ Alcoholism
★ Drunkenness
★ Hangover
External links
★ Spin the Bottle: A Consumer's Guide to Alcopops
★ Portman Group
★
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