Francais | English | Espanõl

Alcopop

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Alcopops)
Jump to: navigation, search

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 RTDs (Ready To Drink), because they are already pre-mixed, FABs (Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages) or FMBs (Flavoured Malt Beverages).

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] History

These drinks emerged onto the 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 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-flavoured 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 tabloid press associated alcopops with underage drinking which damaged sales and would lead to off license to withdraw 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 carefully investigated ads, product placement, and internal company marketing documents after an anti-alcohol activist group filed a complaint. The commission determined that ads for the beverages don't target minors and that the products aren't marketed to them. It also found that the majority of alcopop consumers in the U.S. are over age 27. (Federal Trade Commission, 2003, Bloomberg News, Melillo).

Nevertheless concern remains. As a result 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). Other sweet alcoholic beverages that had been around for years, such as cider, wine coolers, and liqueurs, escaped this concern.


The Federal Trade Commission found that the typical consumer of "alcopops" drinks the beverages instead of, not in addition to, beer. Additionally, the typical alcopop drinker consumes no more than two or three per occasion. This is because their sweetness makes them more filling or satisfying (Federal Trade Commission, 2003). Therefore, it has been hypothesized that if alcopops became much more popular, heavy drinking would decrease [1].

While the amount of beer being sold worldwide has dropped, the sale of alcopops has increased.

[edit] List of drinks

Some of these drinks are currently available; others have been discontinued.

Creator Base Cola Ginger Ale Lemonaide Cirtus America Australia UK Discontinued
Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey Yes Yes No No No Yes No No
Jim Beam Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey Yes Yes No No No Yes No No
Jack Daniels Jack Daniels Bourbon Whiskey Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No No
Bundaberg Rum Bundaberg Rum Rum Yes Yes No No No Yes No No
Lemon Ruski Stolichnaya Vodka No No No Yes No Yes  ? No
Vodka Cruisers Kristov Vodka Vodka No No No Yes No Yes  ? No
Black Douglas Black Douglas Scotch Whiskey Yes Yes No No No Yes  ? No

[edit] References

  • Federal Trade Commission. Alcohol Marketing and Advertising: A Report to Congress. Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission, 2003.
  • 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Alcohol
Ethanol | History of alcohol | Brewery | Health | Alcohol advertising | Drugs | Drinking culture | Drunkenness | Breathalyzer | Hangover | Homebrewing | Winemaking
Fermented beverages
Wine | Beer | Ale | Rye beer | Corn beer | Wheat beer | Sake | Sonti | Makkoli | Tuak | Cider | Apfelwein | Perry | Basi | Pulque | Plum wine | Pomace wine | Mead | Kumis | Huangjiu
Distilled beverages
Wheat, corn, & rye Whisky | Corn whiskey | Rye whiskey | Rice: Shochu (Japan) | Soju (Korea) | Baijiu (China) | Fruits: Brandy | Cognac | Gin | Pisco | Rakia | Apples: Cider | Apfelwein | Applejack | Calvados | Sugarcane / Molasses: Rum | Cachaça | Aguardiente | Falernum | Guaro | Agave: Tequila | Mezcal | Plums: Slivovitz | Ţuică | Palinka | Pomace: Grappa (Italy) | Trester (Germany) | Marc (France) | Zivania (Cyprus) | Tsipouro (Greece) | Rakia (Balkans) | Anise: Absinthe | Arak | Ouzo | Pastis | Potato: Vodka | Aquavit | Brennivín | Milk: Araka
Other beverages
Cocktails | Alcopop
de:Alkopop

es:Alcopop fr:Prémix nl:Alcopop no:Rusbrus nn:Rusbrus sv:Alkoläsk

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Alcopop"
Personal tools