Owen Massey > Alcopops
Owen Massey > Alcopops
n.: fizzy drink which allows alcohol to be introduced
into the bloodstream while bypassing the taste buds
Lisa Buckingham, The Guardian, 1996-11-26
flavoured alcoholic beverage
Alcopops as we know them today were introduced to the UK in 1995 in the shape of rival alcoholic lemonades Two Dogs and Hooch. Their instant success was followed with alacrity by tens of imitators and a ferocious backlash. Despite this, alcopops have become a standard option for the unsnobbish drinker. This page is a celebration of the success of these sugary alcoholic drinks, from the viewpoint not of the big breweries but of a delighted consumer.
The rate of innovation has remained high and this presents a problem for any attempt at an exhaustive catalogue of alcopops. The majority of drinks recorded here have been sold in the UK, a few elsewhere, but some may be just advertisers' dreams and even those that made it to the market may not have lasted. If you can provide any more information, know of any new brands, or just want to discuss the glory of alcopops, don't hesitate to email.
Alcopops from A to Z Over 150 brands!
FAQ Too afraid to ask?
2004-12-06 Woodstock; Vodka Mudshake flavours
2004-04-18 Twisted Ice Tea
2003-12-06 Bacardi Breezer diet orange & vanilla; Baileys Glide
Alcopops, a factsheet from Alcohol Concern, updated 2001. A fair and far from hysterical introduction to the marketing and terminology of alcopops.
Thank God for alcopops! by Hugh Madgin. Published in The taste! 1, 1998. An entertaining and fair-minded article supporting alcopops against the killjoys and the real-alers.
The Portman Group's voluntary code of practice on the naming, packaging and promotion of alcoholic drinks, all of which have been controversial with alcopops.
PPS & FAB news from The Publican.
The Wine and Spirit Association is an industry body including manufacturers of 'ready-to-drink' spirits.
A summary of Drinking with design : alcopops, designer drinks and youth culture / by Kevin Brain and Howard Parker (London : Portman Group, 1997).
Synchronic : David Backhouse's commercial notes on alcopop brewers.
Alcopops nightmare by the Free Church Defence Association. Published in Young foundations 1, 1997. When you download MP3s, you're downloading communism; and when you drink alcopops, you're succouring the Devil. Christians, eh?
Contributions gratefully acknowledged from Stuart Adair [SA], Colin Batchelor [CRB], Netanel BenChaim, Patrick Brazzier [PB], Jenny Campbell, Alice Dryden [ARD], Paul Lewis, Lucy McCandlish, James O'Brien, Gemma Ridout [GGR], Philip Smith [PMS].