
Malt Beverage Additions
Anheuser-Busch added to its portfolio of
flavored malt beverages with Bacardi Silver Mojito and Michelob Ultra Fruit
Infused Beers. Bacardi Silver Mojito is inspired by the mint and lime taste
of a muddled mojito cocktail as well as its cloudy-white appearance.
Bacardi Silver is available in 12- and 24-ounce clear bottles as well as
12-ounce slim cans. The company also released Michelob Ultra Fruit Infused
Beers, light pilsner-style beers with a hint of real fruit and 4.2
percent alcohol per volume. Available in Pomegranate Raspberry, Lime
Cactus and Tuscan Orange Grapefruit, Michelob Ultra Fruit Infused Beers are
available through Labor Day nationwide in 12-bottle variety packs or
single-flavor six-packs.
Bacardi Silver Mojito and Michelob Ultra Fruit Infused
Beers
Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis
Telephone: 314/577-2000
Internet: anheuser-busch.com
Distribution: National
Juicy water
PepsiCo sweetened its new
water line with a little Tropicana fruit juice. Each 8-ounce serving of
Tropicana Fruit Squeeze contains 20 calories, creating a low-calorie
beverage that hopes to help consumers reach the recommended goal of
drinking 9 to 13 glasses of water per day. Fruit Squeeze is offered in four
flavors — Summer Lemon, Tropical Tangerine, Lime Raspberry and Pink
Grapefruit — and is packaged in 20-ounce bottles for $1.49 and $3.99
for a six-pack.
Tropicana Fruit Squeeze
PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.Telephone: 914/253-2000
Internet: pepsico.com
Distribution: National
Internet: pepsico.com
Distribution: National
Fortified for tweens
White Hat Brands LLC
created Dog On It!, a line of multi-vitamin-fortified,
mid-calorie juice beverages specifically formulated with 80 calories per
bottle to help combat childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes among
pre-teens. Dog On It!, available in Barkin’ Berry and Tail
Waggin’ Orange flavors, contains calcium, minerals and vitamins A, B,
C, D and E in addition to no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors.
Packaged in 8-ounce servings, the drinks retail in a six-pack for $3.99 to $4.99.
Dog On It!
White Hat Brands, Atlanta
Telephone: 800/747-0912
Internet: getyourdogon.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Tail Waggin’ Orange: Fruit juice blend from concentrate
(contains apple, pear, carrot and orange), sugar, calcium lactate
pentahydrate, natural flavor, citric acid, pectin, ascorbic acid, gum
Arabic, potassium sorbate, glycerol ester of wood rosin,
dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, pyriodoxine
hydrochloride, vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, choleciferol and cyanocobalamin.
Spring water plus alcohol
Diageo North America
combined spring water with alcohol for a new premium malt beverage called
Smirnoff Source. At 3.5 percent alcohol by volume, the malt beverage, with
a hint of citrus flavor, has fewer calories and lower alcohol by volume
than most popular domestic beers. It is being marketed as an ultra-premium
alternative to light beer. Smirnoff Source is bottled in single-serve
16-ounce glass bottles and 16-ounce four-packs, with a suggested retail
price of $2.49 per single serve bottle and $9.49 per four-pack. The drink
is available at select locations in the Northeast.
Smirnoff Source
Diageo North America, Norwalk, Conn.
Telephone: 203/359-7100
Internet: diageo.com
Distribution: Northeast
Energy for women
Del Monte Foods debuted its
first energy drink, Bloom Energy, which is formulated for women. The drink
contains fruit juice is lightly carbonated and is available in Wild Berry,
Cran Raspberry and Mango Passion-fruit flavors. The drinks are packaged in
individual 10.5-ounce cans for $1.99 or four-packs for $6.99. A can
contains 100 calories, and offers a full serving of fruit and vitamins and
nutrients, including calcium, vitamin C and D, and five B vitamins. Bloom
Energy is caffeinated with white tea extract.
Bloom Energy
Del Monte Foods, San Francisco
Telephone: 415/247-3000
Internet: drinkbloomenergy.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Flavor options
XS Energy LLC created XS
Energy Drink without sugar or carbs. Available in the flavors consumers loved as a child, but can’t afford,
calorie-wise, as an adult, the drinks are available with caffeine and
caffeine-free options, and contain B vitamins. XS offers 11 varieties:
Cranberry-Grape Blast, Citrus Blast, Tea Berry Blast, Tropical Blast,
Electric Lemon Blast, Cherry Blast, Rootbeer Blast, Cola Blast, Tropical,
Cranberry-Grape and Rootbeer. Cranberry-Grape and Rootbeer are
caffeine-free versions that include folic acid and vitamin C. The drinks
are sold in cases of 12 cans that retail for $23.99.
XS Energy Drink
XS Energy LLC, Redmond, Wash.
Telephone: 425/882-8500
Internet: xsgear.com
Distribution: Online
Ingredients:
Cranberry-Grape Blast: Carbonated water, taurine, l-glutamine, citric
acid, cranberry juice concentrate, adaptogen blend (eleutherococcus
senticosus, panax ginseng, panax quinquefolium, schisandra, astragalus and
reishi), natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, caffeine, sodium benzoate,
potassium sorbate, sucralose, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine HCL, Red
40 and cyanocobalamin.
Lime and salt
Miller’s Miller Chill
is an alternative in low-calorie beer. Based on the Mexican chelada, the
American-take on the specialty is a light beer with a hint of lime and
salt. The beer is formulated to pair well with spicy and flavorful foods.
Miller Chill
Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee
Telephone: 414/931-2000
Internet: millerchill.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Natural teas
The Pepsi-Lipton Tea
Partnership rebranded its Lipton Original line,
which is now called Lipton PureLeaf. With all-natural ingredients, new
packaging and updated graphics, Lipton PureLeaf contains no artificial
flavors or colors. The regular versions are sweetened with sugar, and the
two diet varieties are sweetened with sucralose. The 11 varieties are
available in Green, White and Black teas, including Green Tea with Honey,
White Tea with Tangerine, Black Tea Sweetened, Black Tea Unsweetened, Black
Tea with Lemon and Black Tea with Raspberry, and are packaged in 16-ounce
glass bottles.
Lipton PureLeaf
PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
Telephone: 914/253-2000
Internet: pepsico.com
Distribution: National
Telephone: 914/253-2000
Internet: pepsico.com
Distribution: National
Cherry red
Hobarama LLC launched Bawls
Guarana Cherry, the company’s first beverage flavor addition to its
product line. The drink’s cherry flavor is blended with guarana-based
caffeine. Available in 16-ounce cans, the package is designed to change
color once the beverage is cold enough to enjoy. A red bumped glass bottle
is scheduled to launch this summer.
Bawls Guarana Cherry
Hobarama LLC, Miami
Telephone: 305/531-9708
Internet: bawls.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Carbonated
water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, artificial
flavor, caffeine and natural guarana extract.
Organic kids’ drink
Honest Tea released a
children’s line called Honest Kids. Packaged in a 6.75-ounce pouch,
each variety is certified organic and contains less than half the sugar and
calories of other kids’ drinks on the market while providing a
day’s supply of vitamin C. Honest Kids is available in three flavors
— Berry Berry Good Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness and Tropical Tango
Punch. Honest Kids pouches are packaged in eight-count boxes and can also
be sold individually.
Honest Kids
Honest Tea Inc., Bethesda, Md.
Telephone: 301/652-3556
Internet: honesttea.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Berry Berry
Good Lemonade: Purified water, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice
concentrate, organic cranberry juice concentrate, lemon extract, vitamin C,
natural berry flavor and purple carrot juice.
Compact energy
Liquid Lightning released
Boltz Liquid Lightning Energy. The 2-ounce berry-flavored shots are sugar-free and contain hoodia extract. The compact drink
is equal to two cans of the Original Liquid Lightning energy levels, the
company says. The shot retails for $2.99.
Boltz Liquid Lightning Energy
Liquid Lightning, Pompton Lakes, N.J.
Telephone: 888/822-3143
Internet: liquidlightningenergy.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Coffee soda
JavaPop Inc. released its
organic, Fair Trade-certified coffee soda nationwide. A carbonated,
non-dairy, 100 percent natural coffee drink, JavaPop is sweetened with
organically certified cane juice. Each of JavaPop’s five varieties
— Espresso, Vanilla, Mocha, Hazelnut and Caramel — boast
socially and environmentally conscious ingredients such as Fair
Trade-certified coffee beans from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and
fresh-pressed organic cane juice. The retro-inspired bottles will be sold
individually and in four-packs at major retailers.
JavaPop Coffee Soda
JavaPop Inc., Woodstock, Vt.
Telephone: 866/689-5655
Internet: javapop.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Mocha:
Sparkling filtered water, organic evaporated cane juice, Fair Trade
certified Green Mountain organic coffee, organic caramel and natural mocha
flavors.
Summer seasonal
Miller’s Jacob
Leinenkugel Brewing Co. added a new summer
seasonal, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, to its family of premium craft
beers. The “shandy,” which is short for
“shandygaff” as it’s called in England and Germany, is a
mixture of beer and lemonade. Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy is a blend
of malted wheat and barley, lemonade flavor and a hint of Wisconsin honey,
and features a tangy citrus character. Available through August, Summer
Shandy contains 4.2 percent alcohol by volume, and is available in six-,
12- and 24-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft.
Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy
Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee
Telephone: 414/931-2000
Internet: leinie.com
Distribution: National
Naturally refreshing
Health Cola Co.’s
Health Cola was designed with the premise that a cola made with natural and
healthful ingredients should also tastes better, the company says. The
drink is made with kola nuts that give the characteristic cola taste, and
the beverage contains no preservatives or phosphoric acid. Health Cola is
sweetened with fructose, and contains vitamin C.
Health Cola
Health Cola Co. Inc., Clearwater, Fla.
Telephone: 727/446-1126
Internet: healthcola.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Ingredients: Carbonated
water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, ascorbic acid, kola nut extract,
natural flavors and colors grape and grape seed extracts, caffeine, cocoa
bean extract and stevia.
More flavor options
Uncle Matt’s Organic
introduced two new organic orange juice blends
— Orange Pineapple Banana and Orange Peach Mango — made from
100 percent juice using USDA certified organic fruit. Stocked in the
refrigerated juice aisle, the blends are available in 32-ounce bottles, and
retail for $2.99 to $3.49. The company also introduced Organic Homestyle
Lemonade made from organic lemon pulp, sweetened with organic cane sugar
and packaged in 32-ounce bottles. The lemonade retails for $2.49 to $2.99.
Uncle Matt’s Organic Juice Blend
Uncle Matt’s Organic, Clermont, Fla.
Telephone: 352/394-8737
Internet: unclematts.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Ingredients: Orange
Pineapple Banana: Filtered water, organic pineapple juice concentrate,
organic apple juice concentrate, organic orange juice concentrate, organic
banana puree, citric acid, absorbic acid and natural flavors.
Low-glycemic energy drink
The Organic Beverage Co.
created Syzmo Energy, a USDA Organic and low-glycemic certified energy
drink. Given a glycemic index rating of 30 by the Glycemic Institute of
Toronto, Syzmo is sweetened with organic blue agave syrup, and contains
organic coffee fruit concentrate, guarana extract, green tea extract and
yerba maté extract. Syzmo also is fortified with antioxidants and
vitamins C, B2, B6, B8 and B12, and contains no preservatives or artificial
colors. The energy drink is lightly carbonated and offers 80 mg. of
caffeine. The 12-ounce drink — available in Original, Prickly Pear
and Passion flavors — is packaged with a bilingual nutritional panel.
Syzmo Energy
The Organic Beverage Co., Austin, Texas
Telephone: 512/637-8800
Internet: syzmo.com
Distribution: National
Sportier image
Smucker Quality Beverages
revamped its R.W. Knudsen Recharge family. To reflect the beverage’s
sporty nature, Recharge’s packaging has been updated to recyclable
16-ounce and 32-ounce plastic bottles, which features new labels. The
all-natural Recharge line contains 50 percent juice, water and sea salt for
essential electrolytes, and is offered in Lemon, Grape, Tropical, Orange
and Organic Lemon varieties. The line retails for $1.29 to $1.49 for the
16-ounce size, and $1.99 to $2.49 for the 32-ounce bottle.
R.W. Knudsen Recharge Smucker Quality Beverages
Inc., Chico, Calif.
Telephone: 530/899-5000
Internet: knudsenjuices.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Grape: Filtered water; Concord grape, white grape and apple juice concentrates; natural flavors and sea salt.
Telephone: 530/899-5000
Internet: knudsenjuices.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Grape: Filtered water; Concord grape, white grape and apple juice concentrates; natural flavors and sea salt.
Art bottle
Diageo made a minority investment in Nuvo, a new ultra-premium
effervescent blend of French vodka, French sparkling wine and exotic fruit
nectar created by Raphael Yakoby of The London
Group LLC. The pink colored, carbonated spirit
is packaged in 200-ml. and 375-ml. bottles with a design inspired by
perfume bottles. Nuvo rolled out in New York and Miami, with additional U.S. cities to follow.
Nuvo
Diageo North America, Norwalk, Conn.
Telephone: 203/359-7100
Internet: diageo.com
Distribution: Select
markets
Spirits add flavor
Spirits companies have
introduced their latest flavor sensations in time for the summer months.
Barcardi USA, Miami, added
Bacardi Peach Red as its newest flavor. Named for the part of the peach
closest to the core, where the richest flavor is found, Peach Red contains
the essence of California freestone peaches coupled with Bacardi Rum.
Packaging for Bacardi Peach Red will include the peach icon on the label in
colors graduating from the pinkest skin to the reddest core, with the theme
extending to the peach-colored cap. The spirit will be available in 50-ml.,
200-ml., 375-ml., 750-ml., 1-liter and 1.75-liter proprietary bottles.
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Deerfield, Ill., augmented its
DeKuyper brand with a Tropical line. Tropical Mango, Tropical Pineapple
Coconut and Tropical Papaya are 30-proof liqueurs available in 50-ml.,
750-ml. and 1-liter bottles. A 750-ml. bottle retails for $9.99.
Pernod Ricard USA, White Plains, N.Y., enlarged its Hiram Walker Schnapps line of premium liqueurs
with Pink Grapefruit and Pear all-natural flavors. They retail for $8.99 to
$11.99 for a 750-ml. bottle.
Stirrings, Fall River, Mass., released a super-premium
Piña Cola Mixer and Rimmer. The all-natural Colada mixer, made with
real pineapple juice and coconut cream, produces a fresh, authentic taste.
The mixer retails for $10.95.
Fusing the essence of ripe blueberries with vodka,
Smirnoff Blueberry Flavored Vodka by Diageo, Norwalk, Conn., is the 11th addition
to its flavored vodka line. The blueberry flavor lends itself to innovative
cocktail blends, the company says. Like all Smirnoff Flavored Vodka, the
Blueberry flavor is available in 50-ml., 200-ml., 375-ml., 750-ml., 1-liter
and 1.75-liter bottles. The 750-ml. bottle retails for $14.99.
American Beverage Corp.,
Pittsburgh, added Daily’s Pomegranate Margarita in a 1.75-liter
bag-in-box package for $13.99. The company also released Daily’s
premixed Mojito in a 10-ounce single-serve frozen pouch. The pouches are
packaged four to a box and retail for $6.99.
At a glance . . .
Coffee and tea
New Leaf, Orangeburg,
N.Y., added New Leaf Blue Tea Peach, an all-natural oolong tea sweetened
with organic cane sugar, to its line of nine green, white and blue teas...
The Republic of Tea,
Novato, Calif., released Ginger Peach Daily Green Tea in 50-count tins for
$9.50. The company also created Double Green Matcha Tea, a USDA-certified
organic product available in 50-count tins for $12.50. It also debuted Acai
Green Tea (50-count tins for $9.50) and Pomegranate Full Leaf Green Tea (a
3.5-ounce tin for $9.50)…
WhiteWave Foods Co.,
Broomfield, Colo., created Stok, a coffee shot meant to be added to coffee
that delivers an additional 40-mg. of caffeine…
Juice
The Coca-Cola Co.’s Simply Orange Juice Co. expanded its portfolio with
13.5-ounce single-serve carafes of Simply Orange Original, Simply Orange
Calcium, Simply Lemonade and Simply Limeade…
Beer
Boston Beer Co., Boston,
put together an assortment of six beer styles for the summer months. The
Samuel Adam Summer Styles Variety Package features three wheat beers:
Samuel Adams Summer Ale, Samuel Adams Hefeweizen and Samuel Adams Cherry
Wheat. In addition, the collection includes Samuel Adams Boston Ale and the
flagship Samuel Adams Boston Lager. A 12-pack retails between $13.99 and
$15.99…
United States Beverage,
Stamford, Conn., added Estrella Damm to its line of imported
beers…
Kona Brewing Co.,
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, this spring released its second limited-edition beer,
Wailua Wheat. The light, crisp white ale is accentuated by the citrus aroma
and flavor of passion fruit…
Shmaltz Brewing Co., San Francisco, marked its second decade of beer with the
special-edition release of three new beers, including Origin: Pomegranate
Ale (8 percent alcohol per volume). Rejewvenator will release this fall,
and Jewbelation Eleven will release this winter. The company also will
continue production of He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
throughout 2007…
Wine and spirits
Cadbury Schweppes
Americas Beverages, Plano, Texas, released
Rose’s Cocktail Mixes in plastic 1-liter bottles for foodservice. The
new bottles are available in three flavors in both lines of Rose’s
Mojito (Traditional Lime, Mango and Passion Fruit) and Rose’s
Cocktail Infusions (Blue Raspberry, Pomegranate Twist and Sour
Apple)…
Actor, producer and director Danny DeVito created
Danny DeVito’s Premium Limoncello. The lemon-flavored 60-proof
liqueur is being launched by Harbrew
Imports Inc., Freeport, N.Y. A 750-ml. bottle
retails for $23.99…
Soft drinks
Imbibe, Chicago, has been
licensed by HBO to launch a line of Italian sodas under “The
Sopranos” banner called The Sopranos Old Fashioned Italian Sodas. The
three initial flavors — Limoncello, Amaretto and Chianti —
contain no artificial ingredients, preservatives or high-fructose corn
syrup…
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