Coca-Cola will sell its first alcoholic beverage ever, and here’s the lowdown

Most of us don’t associate Coca-Cola with alcohol (unless we’re talking about our mixer game at parties). But the brand is trying out something new by offering its first ever alcoholic beverage. But before you go running to the nearest liquor store to grab yourself a supply of the newfangled drink, we have some bad news for you: It’s not going to be available in the United States just yet, and it may never be.

Right now, the new product, Coca-Cola’s take on the Japanese sweet alcoholic drink, Chu-Hi, is only planned to drop in Japan. According to CNBC, Chu-Hi consists of a Japanese alcoholic beverage called shochu, sparkling water, and a special flavor. Shochu is a well-known hard liquor in Japan that’s 45% alcohol and made from grains and vegetables.

Jorge Garduno, president of Coca-Cola’s Japan business unit, made a statement about how unique and historical this new product launch is. And Garduno would know — he’s been with the company since 1992 and was promoted to the position in July of 2017.

"This is unique in our history. Coca-Cola has always focused entirely on non-alcoholic beverages, and this is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market," he said in a statement, per CNBC.

As of now, it’s unclear as to when Coca-Cola’s Chu-Hi will be available to consumers.

It’s a surprising announcement, from a brand we’ve associated only with soda for decades, but it could end up turning into a new happy-hour favorite. We can’t wait to hear how the launch goes!