Sunny D releases alcoholic drink

Harvest Hill, the brand behind the classic 90s drink, announced their new line yesterday, with the beverage expected to hit US stores from March 11 onwards.

According to Chief Marketing Officer Ilene Bergenfeld, people had been ‘asking’ for the product for some time, inspired by the fact they often used Sunny D as a 'mixer'.

"So, we looked at the hard seltzer category, and thought, good, but we can do better. And SunnyD Vodka Seltzer was born." she added.

With the same insanely sweet orange taste, the new drink has around 4.5 percent alcohol and is also sold in 4-pack of 12oz (354ml) cans, Food & Wine reports.

The new drink, which will retail in a pack of four for $9.99 (£8.44), contains real fruit juice, sparkling water, natural orange flavor, and vodka.  

According to Sunny D's taste testers, the drink had a "great color, texture, and aroma. Great after taste, very refreshing and easy to drink."

"We have developed something we know adult SunnyD fans and hard seltzer enthusiasts alike will be proud to enjoy." Bergenfeld said, adding that they were 'looking forward' to hearing what the fans think.

There is no date set for a UK release at the moment.

Many social media users reacted to the news with nostalgic joy, with one writing: "They've got my attention as well. Millennial nostalgia marketing has proven a success!" 

Another wrote: "I definitely used to mix Sunny D with vodka many years ago, and add a splash of cranberry when I was feeling fancy. Broke 18-year-old days."

A third added: "The perfect drink doesn't exi...."

Sunny Delight burst onto the British market in the nineties with a series of TV commercials critics dismissed as a cynical attempt to exploit children's "pester power" over their parents.

The ads featured happy youngsters in sun-lit kitchens enjoying the drink with the slogan "the great stuff kids go for."

The drink tried to give the impression it was a healthy fruit juice, but actually contained just five percent juice and a huge 10 percent sugar.

There seems to be a real trend of soft drinks launching alcoholic lines, with Monster Energy having also released their own alcoholic range.

Related links:

• Billboard goes up in flames outside Burger King to tease new collaboration
• ‘What’s not to like?’: Sausage Trifle is now officially a thing
• Waitrose food pairing suggestion for Strongbow Dark Fruits gets ruthlessly mocked