No need to spike that summer watermelon with vodka, Smirnoff has done it for us. The company put watermelon in its vodka in a new version of Smirnoff Twist, its top-selling flavored vodka. And for those who prefer strawberry, there’s that, too.  

Smirnoff Twist Watermelon and Strawberry flavored 70-proof vodka are available nationally. The new flavors are meant to add more variety to the summer fruit cocktail scene.
Smirnoff Twist Watermelon and Strawberry
Diageo North America Inc., Stamford, Conn.
Internet: Diageo.com
Telephone: 203/359-7100
Distribution: National

Shake, don’t stir Rose’s Cocktail Infusions with one part vodka and ice to make fool-proof martinis. Rose’s – best known for its lime juice and grenadine – recently added Cocktail Infusions to its mixing cupboard. Rose’s Cocktail Infusions are flavored martini mixers that streamline the martini-making process.

The colorful trio of mixers includes Sour Apple for Appletinis, Cranberry Twist for Cosmopolitans and Blue Raspberry Mix for Raspberry Martinis. That’s just the basic line-up, with a little imagination and some spirits, consumers can create their own signature martinis. Rose’s Cocktail Infusions are packaged in wavy glass bottles that fit together to create a display piece. The Infusions retail for $4.99 each, and are available nationally.
Rose’s Cocktail Infusions
Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, Stamford, Conn.
Internet: Rosesinfusions.com
Telephone: 877/467-6778
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Sour Apple: Water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulfite (preservatives), Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Chai lovers can now imbibe without the sugar. Oregon Chai debuted two chai tea latte concentrates: Sugar-Free Original and Vanilla. The Sugar-Free Original is sweetened with sucralose and has no calories and no carbohydrates. The Vanilla rendition is certified organic and has an extra dollop of vanilla, accentuating its sweet, spicy flavor profile. Both new flavors come in Oregon Chai’s traditional, 32-ounce aseptic packaging. The recommended retail price is $3.99.
Oregon Chai Sugar-Free Original and Vanilla
Oregon Chai, Portland, Ore.
Internet: Sellchai.com
Telephone: 503/221-CHAI
Distribution: Across North America
Ingredients: Sugar-Free Original – Water, organic black tea, sucralose, organic vanilla, organic spices, citric acid, organic ginger and organic natural flavors.

‘Tea’ and ‘revolution’ may spark thoughts of unfair taxation, but in this case one’s thoughts should turn to thirst quenching. Revolution is a brand of ready-to-drink white teas from Tempe, Ariz.-based Revolution Tea. White-T ready-to-drink iced tea is made from premium white tea and a splash of fresh fruit — no calories, carbs, sugars, sweeteners or preservatives. White-Ts include White Tea with Raspberry, White Tea with Key Lime, White Tea with Blackberry and White Tea with Tangerine. Suggested retail prices range from $1.99 to $2.39 per bottle.
Revolution Ready to Drink White-T
Revolution, Tempe, Ariz.
Internet: Revolutiontea.com
Telephone: 480/731-9555
Distribution: Online and rolling out nationally through the end of the year.
Ingredients: Purified water, select white tea, natural caramel color, citric acid and natural flavor.

It’s a merger of sorts. Nestlé – in what one might view as long overdue – has re-branded its Taster’s Choice coffee with the Nescafé name. The Nescafé brand is ubiquitous in markets worldwide except for the United States. Now that oversight has been remedied.

Along with the new name, Nescafé Taster’s Choice got new packaging – the glass jar has been replaced by an ergonomically designed, plastic container.  While the new plastic package still ensures coffee freshness, it’s easy-to-hold, spoon-accessible and lighter to handle than the old glass jar. There are three varieties: Regular, Decaf and Gourmet Roast, available in 7- and 10-ounce packages.
Nescafé Taster’s Choice
Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif.
Internet: Tasterschoice.com
Telephone: 800/505-2876
Distribution: Nationwide

Apparently, the critical ingredient in a dirty martini is olive brine. The creators of Dirty Sue, a twice-filtered brine made from premium olives, who not-so-coincidentally are former bartenders, hope their former colleagues will see the value of olive brine in bottle and make it a staple on bar shelves everywhere. Dirty Sue eliminates the need to dip into olive jars to extract the juice. It offers convenience, consistency, cleanliness and cost efficiency. The 750-ml. bottle is available to the trade for around $3.50. Dirty Sue will be sold at retail beginning in September.
Dirty Sue
American Mixers Inc., Los Angeles
Internet: DirtySue.com
Telephone: 323/939-2850
Distribution: Select markets with national distribution expected by Oct. 2004
Ingredients: Water, salt, lactic acid and traces of benzoate as a preservative.

Film buffs may recognize Suntory whisky from the movie, “Lost in Translation,” wherein Bill Murray plays an actor shooting commercials for it, saying, “For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.” Now Suntory International hopes to broaden the audience for its whisky by bringing its Yamazaki 18-year-old Single Malt whisky to the United States and expanding the distribution of its 12-year-old version beyond Japanese restaurants in the United States.

 These single malt whiskies have a smooth, honeyed flavor. The 18-year-old Yamazaki has notes of prune, toffee, marmalade, mandarin orange, honey and strawberry, and tastes of sherry, butter cream and spice. As one would expect, Yamazaki is a perfect complement to sushi and other Japanese food.
Yamazaki 18-year-old Single Malt Whisky
Suntory International Corp., New York/Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine North America
Internet: Suntory.com
Telephone: 212/891-6600
Distribution: Initially, major metropolitan markets , with gradual expansion nationwide.

No self-respecting tea aficionado would drink bagged tea — it has to be loose. The problem with that is it’s just not very convenient. California-based Te Teas addressed that tea lover’s inconvenience with the launch of its new line of premium teas called Chaa. Every Chaa tin of whole leaf loose tea comes with a stainless steel tea infuser inside the lids. Organic, Scented, White, Green Oolong and Black teas are offered in the Chaa line. Chaa is being positioned as a premium tea at an affordable price — $9 to $12 for a 3-ounce tin. Each tin brews 40 to 120 infusions. It’s available in select specialty stores, health food stores, Filenes Department Stores and Super Targets nationwide.
CHAA Teas
Te Teas, San Carlos, Calif.
Internet: Teteas.com
Telephone: 650/592-3108
Distribution: National

Carving out a healthy niche for itself, Philadelphia-based Wild Fruitz Beverages introduced a line of lightly carbonated fruit beverages that it says is in response to recent studies indicating a strong correlation between the rise in esophageal cancer and increased consumption of highly carbonated beverages. Wild Fruitz drinks contain 60 percent less carbonation than most popular soft drinks. The beverages contain 25 to 38 percent fruit juice, natural flavors, no preservatives and are sweetened with cane sugar. Flavors include Apricot/Peach, Cranberry, Huckleberry/Blueberry, Lemonade, Orange/Mango, Raspberry and Watermelon.
Wild Fruitz
Wild Fruitz Inc., Philadelphia
Internet: Wildfruitz.com
Telephone: 888/688-7632
Distribution: Regional
Ingredients: Huckleberry/Blueberry flavor: Sparkling filtered water, cane sugar, huckleberry juice concentrate, blueberry juice concentrate, pear juice concentrate, plum juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors.

Designed for today’s health-conscious consumer, all natural juice drinks – Low Zone and XLC – are lightly sweetened with certified organic cane sugar and or malitol. The naturally low in sugar, low in carbohydrate drinks are spiked with bio-active vitamins such as A, C, E and B complex.

The Low Zone line has a lower sugar level (50 to 60 percent) than traditional juice drinks, and it’s sweetened with certified organic cane sugar. Low Zone comes in Orange Carrot Mango, Berry Lemon, Prickly Pear Soft Lemonade and Passion Fruit Green Tea varieties. The XLC drinks are very low sugar and low carbs (2 to 4 grams), sweetened with a mixture of organic cane sugar and maltitol. They are available in Vanilla Macadamia Nut, Cherry Cream, Mandarin Lemonade and Orange Cream Mist flavors. Pomegranate blends will be added to the line this month, and by the fall, 18 flavors will be offered, appealing to regional taste variations. The juice drinks are priced from $0.99 to $1.29 per bottle.
X 24/7 Low Zone & XLC
New Attitude Beverage Corp., Los Angeles
Telephone: 310/414-6501
Distribution: Select markets in the United States and Canada
Ingredients: Cherry Cream with vitamin A, B, C, E group 5 percent juice – filtered water, maltitol and or erythritol, skim milk, certified organic cane sugar, cream, white grape juice concentrate, mango puree, citric acid, natural flavors, lactic acid, pectin, beta carotene, ascorbic acid, magnesium, niacinamide, pantothenic acid, macadamia nut extract, pyridixine hydrochloride, vitamin A palmitate, cyanocobalamin.

Two new milk products from Bravo! Foods are more than just your ordinary cow juice. The first — Slim Slammers is a 1 percent milk product with half the carbs and half the calories of regular milk and a third more calcium. It has no added sugar and will be available in Chocolate Fudge and French Vanilla flavors. The drinks are packaged aseptically, giving them a six-month shelf life. An added feature is an endorsement by the Diabetes Research Institute.

Pro Slammers — milk with an attitude — is a protein drink that will also start shipping this month. It’s fortified with 50 percent more protein than milk. The 2 percent milk with protein has 25 percent less sugar than most flavored milks. Three flavors — Vanilla, Chocolate and Mocha Cocoa — will be available in extended shelf life bottles. Pro Slammers is linking itself with extreme sports athletes to give it ‘attitude’.
Slim Slammers / Pro Slammers
Bravo! Foods International, North Palm Beach, Fla.
Internet: Bravobrands.com
Telephone: 561/625-1411
Distribution: Expected to be nationwide
Ingredients: Pro Slammers Chocolate – Reduced fat milk, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, milk protein isolate, high fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial flavor, whey protein concentrate, cellulose gel, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, sucralose, salt, acesulfame potassium, biotin, vitamin A, palmitate, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin D3, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin B12.

Natural energy is the promise from Greenergy Double Brew Tea and Juice. It’s a ready-to-drink green tea with fruit juice. Available in 16-ounce bottles in four flavors, each bottle of Greenergy is kettle-brewed with the equivalent of four green tea bags and sweetened with cane sugar. Antioxidant–rich Concord Grape, Cranberry, Blueberry and Pomegranate juices were mixed with the green tea for their health-promoting benefits.
Greenergy Double Brew Tea & Juice
Tradewinds Beverage Co., Cincinnati
Internet: Doublebrew.com
Telephone: 513/357-5200
Distribution: Nationwide
Ingredients: Pomegranate Green Tea – Kettle-brewed tea (filtered water, green tea leaves), cane sugar, pomegranate juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavor.

Quick Loss drinks promise to burn fat and boost energy, so you get more out of your workout. The drinks are supposed to enhance the metabolism to help one burn fat more efficiently. There are four flavors: Tropical Breeze, Passion Fruit, Kiwi Strawberry and Mandarin Orange. Each 20-ounce bottle is $2.50.
Quick Loss
Nutrient Science, Largo, Fla.
Internet: Nutrientscience.com
Telephone: 888/777-1223
Distribution: Gyms and health food stores
Ingredients: Kiwi Strawberry – water, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, potassium sorbate, potassium benzoate, and Red 40.

New Product Introductions by Category
CATEGORY	SKUS YTD 7/31/04	SKUS YTD 7/31/03	PERCENT CHANGE
ALCOHOL BEVERAGES	549	554	-0.9%
COFFEE & TEA	698	490	42.4%
DAIRY DRINKS & ALTERNATIVES, HEALTH DRINKS	208	230	-9.6%
FRUIT & VEGETABLE DRINKS	422	474	-11.0%
OTHER DRINKS SOFT DRINKS, SPORTS	229	258	-11.2%
DRINKS & BOTTLED WATERS	392	319	22.9%
TOTAL BEVERAGES:	2498	2325	7.4%
Source: Productscan Online (www.productscan.com)