Fool-Proof Firewater

The last year has brought a burst of collaborations that combine savory food flavors with alcoholic beverages in offbeat pairings. A few years ago, these novelty spirits would have turned out to be April Fool’s jokes. In today’s landscape, however, they are real products that are released throughout the year. And, while the purpose is usually as much about generating publicity as anything else, they are often received positively by reviewers and consumers, with comments often running along the lines of “This is the product you never knew you needed.”

Recent releases have involved a wide spectrum of savory flavors and alcoholic beverage categories:

• Tombstone Pizza, a Kraft-Heinz company, paired with New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger to create a limited-edition pizza-flavored IPA, in a deal announced last month. The 7% ABV ale, whose branding combines the skeleton motifs used by both brands, will be available starting on April 7, National Beer Day. A contest gives consumers a chance to win a free four-pack, which will retail for $49.99.

• In December 2023, Frito-Lay’s Doritos brand partnered with Danish company Empirical Spirits for an 84-proof clear liquor that reportedly tastes much like the Pepsico-owned brand’s Nacho Cheese flavor. Some reviewers compared the liquor, which was distilled from a base of pilsener malt, to a flavored vodka. The limited edition beverage retailed online and in select markets in New York and California for a premium $65 per bottle.

• Two local Oregon companies, Rogue Creamery and the Crux Fermentation Project, got together to create a limited lambic-style ale brewed with Rogue River blue cheese. Released in November 2023, this was the sixth release in Crux’s Coolship fermentation program. The flavor was described as balanced, with notes of caramel, tawny port, and dried fig and a slight hint of tart blue cheese on the finish.

• Morton Salt combined with Alter Brewing last October for a limited edition Hazy Gose India Pale Ale called Pure Joy, named after Morton Salt founder Joy Morton. The release was timed to the salt company’s 175th anniversary. The beer maker said at the time of the product’s debut that the flavor was sweet and citrusy with a noticeable punch of salt. The ale was available in four-packs and on draft at the three Alter Brewing locations, as well as in limited distribution in the Chicago area and at the Morton Arboretum’s Ginkgo Restaurant and Café in Lisle, Illinois.

• Kellogg’s Eggo brand collaborated with Sugarlands Distilling Company of Tennessee in August 2023 for Eggo Brunch in a Jar Appalachian Sippin’ Cream, a 20-proof cream liqueur with the flavors of waffles, butter, syrup, and bacon. It is available year-round at select retail stores and online in some states. The product is a follow-up to 2022’s Eggo Nog Appalachian Sippin’ Cream, a cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced cream liqueur released as a seasonal limited edition. Corporate research has shown that adults enjoy consuming Eggo waffles after the kids have gone to bed, thus the birth of these adult-only treats.

• Also in August, KFC and Dead Man’s Fingers, a U.K.-based brand owned by Halewood Artisanal Spirits, released a rum featuring the flavors of KFC original fried chicken’s 11 herbs and spices along with caramel, vanilla, treacle toffee, and nutmeg. The secret spices remain unnamed, although it was noted that the product included black and white pepper. A pop-up in Margate, England, offered chicken and cocktails to promote the rum, which was sold through Amazon and The Drop Store, a U.K. online liquor shop, for £25 ($32).

• Grillo’s Pickles worked with Two Robbers Seltzer in June 2023 for a craft hard seltzer made from the former’s pickle brine, with the flavors of dill, garlic, vinegar, and sea salt. The 5.2% ABV product was available at retail for a limited time at grocers such as Whole Foods, Wegmans, Giant, and Weis Markets, retailing for $11.99, and was inspired by the fact that consumers tend to keep the brine and use it to flavor other foods and beverages after the pickles are gone. The initiative marks the first-ever collaboration for Two Robbers. Grillo’s has worked in the past with both Down the Road and Lord Hobo Brewing for beer, among several other food and beverage partnerships.

• In July 2022, Kraft Heinz’s Velveeta brand paired with BLT Restaurant Group for the Veltini, a martini made with Velveeta cheese-infused vodka, olive brine, and vermouth, garnished with a skewer of shell pasta and Velveeta-filled green olives. The drink was available for a limited time at five BLT-owned restaurants across the U.S. as well as in kit form from national delivery service Goldbelly. Described as “unexpectedly upmarket,” the cocktail retailed for $15, while the Veltini kits, which included two glasses, a cocktail shaker, two Velveeta coasters, a jar of olives, cocktail picks, a box of Velveeta Jumbo Shells & Cheese, Velveeta cheese sauce, a brick of Velveeta, and a recipe card, went for $50.

Unusual savory flavors have also found their way into partnerships involving other types of IP, beyond food brands, as when Caleb Pressley, a comedic content creator and interviewer for Barstool Sports, paired with Piermont Brands last month for Chica~Chida, a tequila-like agave spirit flavored with peanut butter. They have also made appearances in non-collaborative liquors, such as Tamworth Distilling’s Saison de Frai trout-flavored brandy, released in November 2023.

And the trend touches non-alcoholic beverages as well, such as when 7-Eleven announced last week it had paired with Miracle Seltzer for a sparkling water branded to and flavored like the retailer’s Big Bite hot dog (with ketchup and mustard) as part of its 7-Select store-brand. The companies said availability would be announced later today (e.g., April 1), leading to speculation that this one may indeed be an April Fool’s joke.