Mountain Dew Just Announced A Boozy New Product. Here's What We Know So Far
If you're someone who has long resisted jumping on the hard seltzer bandwagon and instead stuck with the old-fashioned alcohol-soda combos, we have some news for you: you can get the best of both worlds. Soft drink giant PepsiCo just announced it's teamed up with Boston Brew (aka the manufacturer of Truly hard seltzers) to form a drink designed to satisfy soda lovers and hard seltzer fans alike: alcoholic Mountain Dew. The brand teased the news via a social media post on their official Twitter by retweeting a photo of three newly-designed black cans from an account called @hardmountaindew, with a caption reading: "something's coming..."
The new boozy Dews are set to be the first alcoholic beverage for Mountain Dew, which is best known for its line of citrusy, chartreuse-colored sodas and everyone's favorite Taco Bell beverage, the Baja Blast. It's likely this will prove to be a smart move on part of the brand, especially since the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR) reported this year it's estimated that 55% of people in the U.S. who drink alcohol opt for a hard seltzer at least once a week. Per Reuters, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said during a business call last year that the company had "considered" adding a line of boozy beverages to their roster in an effort to compete with other manufacturers who entered the alcohol market, like Coca-Cola. So what exactly can fans expect from the new Dew?
The new alcoholic Mountain Dew will come in three flavors
As of now, there's no word yet on how much the new alcoholic Mountain Dew will cost, or whether PepsiCo will sell the new HARD MTN DEW line as individual cans, or in 6 and 12-packs, like Truly. But what we do know from a press release is that consumers of legal drinking age will be able to choose from three flavors of the new alcoholic Dew: traditional (which we assume tastes like their signature citrusy flavored soda), black cherry, and watermelon. In the words of PepsiCo North America CEO Kirk Tanner, each can boasts the "bold, citrus flavor fans know and expect." And unlike many other hard seltzers, they're all totally sugar free. As for how much of a buzz you'll get from drinking these, each can contains 5% alcohol by volume (that's about the same as the standard domestic bottle of beer per the National Institutes of Health). In other words, they're pretty much perfect for catching a buzz during a summer barbecue, camping trip, or even an afternoon spent watching sports with friends.
There's just one catch — you'll have to wait a few months before you can get it. The HARD MTN DEW line isn't expected to hit shelves until February 2022, which means they'll be here just in time for spring break (per CNBC). In the meantime, if you want to know what your favorite soda tastes like with a bit of a buzz, we recommend heading over to your local Red Lobster for a Dew Garita.