Doritos is banking on a novel approach to captivate individuals with their tortilla chips: incorporating alcohol.
The brand owned by PepsiCo is launching a fresh spirit inspired by Doritos’ nacho cheese flavor, described as “authentic in taste” in a press release. Collaborating with Empirical, a Danish company renowned for crafting unique spirits with inventive flavors, the chip maker is introducing this innovative product.
Exclusively accessible through online channels, the limited-edition flavor becomes available for purchase on Wednesdays in New York and California, with a price tag of $65 for a 750ml bottle.
This marks another unconventional offering in the realm of food-related products from major brands. Not long ago, Kahlúa and Absolut Vodka collaborated on a fragrance capturing the essence of an espresso martini, while Dunkin’ transformed its iced coffees and teas into canned cocktails. Additionally, Arby’s ventured into the spirit world by turning its iconic curly and crinkle fries into vodka and crafting a smoked bourbon designed to complement its roast beef.
The goal of these offerings is to arouse customers’ curiosity, ignite conversations, and elevate brand recognition. Essentially, it’s a marketing tactic cleverly masquerading as a retail product. Nevertheless, one shouldn’t anticipate a substantial boost to Pepsi’s bottom line from these ventures.
Doritos and Empirical are characterizing their partnership as a “first-of-its-kind innovation for both brands.” The spirit was crafted in Empirical’s laboratory, utilizing a production technique that involved using Doritos chips and maintaining their “essence through vacuum distillation.” According to the spirit maker, this method preserves more of the authentic Doritos flavor when compared to conventional approaches.
The spirit’s flavor “opens with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavors of the chip to finish on a soft salty note,” the company said.
As it is a flavored spirit and not confined to a specific liquor category, Doritos suggests blending it with tequila or mezcal for a unique take on a Bloody Mary or a Margarita. Alternatively, the spirit can be enjoyed on its own or over ice.
“While the flavor may seem wacky, the collaboration has novelty value, and it is likely a lot of people will be interested enough to try it out,” said Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail. He added that Empirical and Doritos are both known for “being playful and fun.”
“Consumers are in the mood to test new things and are looking for products that are interesting and a bit different from the run of the mill,” he said.