Iconic brands get together to make Jack-and-Coke in a can

THE FIRST mention of whiskey and Coca-Cola mixed together was in 1907, while in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche du Bois, inching towards a mental breakdown, asks her sister Stella for a little bit of whiskey in her soda: “Well, honey, a shot never does a Coke any harm!”

Now the popular Jack-Coke drink is available in pre-mixed form thanks to a partnership between Brown-Forman, makers of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and The Coca-Cola Company. The ready-to-drink beverage is now available in a 320 mL can. It clocks in with an alcohol level of 7%, and it kept revelers up during its launch last week at the Palacio de Memoria. The Palacio de Memoria party had memorable guests, counting among them celebrities Chito Miranda and Pia Wurtzbach.

Finbar Boyle, Business Development Director for Asia at Brown-Forman Asia said in a group interview before the party, “This alliance has been over a year in the making, of course. From these conversations, we realized that there was an opportunity in the ready-to-drink (RTD) format for our brands to come together.

“It’s two iconic brands coming together,” he said.

“While Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola have long been mixed at home and in bars around the world, today we’re officially introducing to the Philippines a premium drink that unites two iconic brands in a ready-to-drink cocktail blend with so many perks, including its can,” said Cesar Gangoso, Frontline Marketing Director, Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific East Region in a statement. “Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola RTD is truly the beginning of something big.”

Mr. Gangoso explained the partnership between the two brands in an interview: “Like in any partnership, it’s usually an equitable value sharing.”

While it may seem that Coca-Cola is a household name in the non-alcoholic beverages department, it’s beginning to dip its toes into alcohol. Last year, they launched Lemon-dou, a fizzy alcoholic drink modeled after Japanese drinks, in the Philippines. The drink has been available in Japan since 2018. 

“Coca-Cola is a popular brand,” said Mr. Gangoso. “We think of ourselves, really, and even more recently, as a thought leader in the beverage space. The consumers have different occasions, different moments. As a thought leader in the beverage space, we want to be at the forefront of always addressing consumer needs.”

The drink may also be ordered online soon via Boozy.ph, CokeBeverages.ph, Shopee, and Lazada as long as the buyer is 18 years old and above; as well as in leading stores in the country. — Joseph L. Garcia