Lipton to release ‘hard’ iced tea with alcohol next year

As soft drinks giants dip their toe in the waters of alcoholic beverages, it has been announced that PepsiCo-owned Lipton will next year launch a range of alcoholic malt beverages named Lipton Hard Iced Tea.

Yes, a refreshing summer favourite and the drink of choice for slightly sunburned British holidaymakers is the latest soft drink product to get an alcohol-infused makeover.

Lipton Hard Iced Tea malt beverages will come in a range of four flavours: Lemon, Half and Half, Peach, and Strawberry. The range of 5% ABV expressions will hit select retailers in the first half of next year.

The launch of Lipton Hard Iced Tea is a joint production effort between PepsiCo’s Blue Cloud Distribution and FIFCO USA, which produces Seagram’s Escapes flavoured malt beverages.

“Connecting America’s favorite tea brand with Fifco’s expertise in this hot and growing segment allows us to leverage 130 years of brand history that consumers already know and love,” said CEO Piotr Jurjewicz. “Our FIFCO USA product development team stayed true to Lipton’s high quality and great taste. And based on our consumer research, we expect a strong brand launch and great response from consumers.”