The Coca-Cola Company and Pernod Ricard have unveiled a worldwide collaboration, set to introduce Absolut Vodka & Sprite as a convenient, pre-made cocktail in 2024.
This beverage, known as Absolut & Sprite, will be crafted using Absolut, the renowned premium vodka brand with global recognition, and Sprite, the lemon-lime sparkling soft drink adored by people worldwide. The pre-mixed cocktail will come in variations featuring both regular Sprite and Sprite Zero Sugar. The initial release is scheduled for early 2024 and will commence in selected European nations, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany.
In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company introduced Lemon-Dou in Japan, marking its inaugural foray into the realm of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages. Lemon-Dou represented an innovative venture in Japan's rapidly expanding Chu-Hai beverage category.
This launch of Lemon-Dou also marked the company's first entry into the alcoholic beverage market since the late 1970s, when Coca-Cola had ownership of a winemaker in California.
As of today, the company maintains a modest yet progressively expanding collection of alcoholic beverages. In 202, it announced the launch of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer in partnership with Molson Coors (inside.beer, 12.8.2020; inside.beer, 29.9.2020), which was followed by the release of Topo Chico Ranch Water Hard Seltzer (inside.beer, 23.2.2022) and Topo Chico Margarita Hard Seltzer. This collaboration with Molson Coors continued successfully this year with the introduction of Simply Spiked Lemonade, drawing inspiration from the country's leading chilled juice brand, Simply. (inside.beer, 25.1.2022) and Peace Hard Tea, a fruit-forward hard tea beverage inspired by Peace Tea, renowned for its vibrant flavors and free-spirited branding (inside.beer, 13.9.2023).
Furthermore, Coca-Cola includes pre-mixed cocktails in its product lineup, such as Schweppes Pre-mixed Cocktails (first launched in 2020 in Brazil), Fresca Mixed (launched in 2022 in the US in collaboration with Molson Coors), and Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola (first launched in fall 2022 in Mexico and soon followed early in 2023 in the USin collaboration with Brown-Forman).
“We keep consumers at the center of everything we do as we continue to develop our portfolio as a total beverage company,” said James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “We are expanding in the alcohol ready-to-drink space, including products that use select brands from our core portfolio. We are excited about our new relationship with Pernod Ricard and look forward to the introduction of Absolut & Sprite.”
“This very promising and pioneering project brings together two leading companies who are committed to offering their consumers new experiences around premium products,” said Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard, a worldwide leader in the spirits and wine industry.
Vodka is one of the most popular bases for alcohol ready-to-drink products, and lemon-lime soft drinks are one of the most popular mixers in pre-mixed cocktails.
“Sprite is a wonderful pairing for Absolut, and I’m convinced that our joining forces will bring the whole alcohol RTD category to the next level,” Ricard said.
Absolut & Sprite ready-to-drink packaging will feature two of the world’s most recognizable global trademarks. Absolut was established in 1879 in Sweden. Since then, it has become a world-renowned premium vodka brand, crafted using the finest Swedish winter wheat. Sprite was established in 1959 in Germany and has grown to be one of the biggest brands in The Coca-Cola Company’s global portfolio.
Cans will include clear responsibility symbols stating that the drink is to be enjoyed only by consumers of legal drinking age. Absolut & Sprite ready-to-drink will adhere to responsible marketing practices.
The global benchmark for alcohol beverage volume (ABV) is 5% but will vary depending on the market.
