Hard green tea is upon us.
Beginning today, you can buy Hard Peach Green Tea and Hard Passion Fruit Green Tea nationwide from the good people at Anheuser-Busch. The new line, called LQD Creative Liquids, is aimed at “health-conscious indulgers” and includes “hero ingredients” like coconut water and green tea. Coming soon: Hard Coconut Water.
In January we wrote about the booze industry’s extreme health kick, which involves abandoning high-calorie beers in favor of lower-sugar, ready-to-drink cocktails infused with “healthy” ingredients. (Also popular: hard seltzers.) Major breweries are scrambling to acquire and create health-conscious brands. Somehow, decaf hard green tea was not what we were envisioning. The LQD website homepage asks, “Did you ever wonder if you could make coconuts and green tea into alcohol?” No!
The new LQD cocktails also include a Hard Agave Limeade, and this summer, Hard Hibiscus Lemonade. Each has 10-12 grams of sugar per can. The American Heart Association suggests that women consume 25 grams of sugar daily, and men 36 grams.
Of particular note is how little alcohol comes in these canned cocktails: The alcohol content is just 5%. A typical glass of wine is roughly 12% alcohol content, and many cocktails are 12-20% alcohol—more when made by amateurs. Beer is generally 4% alcohol, though, it is designed to be consumed faster and utterly lacking hero ingredients.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
