Soft drinks and spirits firms join forces on festive drinks
SOFT drinks and spirits firms have teamed up in time for Christmas to create a range of 12 festive cocktails with the goal of driving up premium sales throughout the season.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), the firm behind Schweppes, has joined forces with spirits giant Diageo to launch the ‘12 Twists of Christmas’ – a range of Christmas-themed cocktails which both firms hope will drive sales in pubs, bars and restaurants.
Cocktails in the festive range include the Merry Mule, Sour Sleigh Ride (pictured), and Mistle-Sloe Gin, all of which feature drinks from the Schweppes portfolio, including Tonic Water, Ginger Ale and Lemonade.
CCEP and Diageo have also included “lighter cocktails” on the 12 Twists list which make use of the Schweppes Slimline range.
The 12 Twists of Christmas pairs up Schweppes mixers with Diageo spirits.
Operators and bartenders can access the full suggested serve list at Diageo’s cocktail web portal www.thebar.com and request point of sale kits from their local CCEP account manager.
The launch of the 12 Twists of Christmas suggested serve list coincides with the introduction of new packaging for the Schweppes range in the on-trade.
CCEP has introduced a new 125ml and 200ml bottle format, which it said is designed to have a more “sleek and modern shape”.
The roll out of the new bottles commenced this month and forms part of a larger investment from CCEP in the brand.
The soft drinks giant is also rolling out festive marketing which will include out of home, digital and cinema advertising as well as cocktail menu cards and point of sale materials for licensed premises.
Simon Harrison, commercial director for Schweppes at CCEP, said consumers “are looking for a quality, premium drink during the festive season”, adding that the 12 Twists of Christmas serves offer “a fantastic choice of cocktails from a brand they recognise and that is renowned for its clean, crisp taste”.
“The new Schweppes bottle pays homage to our unique heritage but with a sleek and modern twist, and is part of our continued investment into the number one brand,” said Harrison.
“This along with the cocktail creations bursting with festive flavours, will support licensees as they look to extend their traditional drink offering and help drive sales growth.”
