Doritos, the famous chip brand, has partnered with Empirical, a creative drink company, to create something quite unusual: an alcoholic drink flavored like nacho cheese Doritos.
They announced this new “nacho cheese spirit” on December 12, a concept that will excite some and and leave others feeling nauseous.
Empirical is known for not sticking to traditional spirit categories. They like to experiment with different flavors, and this partnership with Doritos is a perfect example.
Lars Williams, the head of Empirical, said, “Empirical is an ‘uncategorized’ spirits company, so it allows us the freedom to experiment with really interesting flavors… And we can take something that has a unique and amazing flavor, like Doritos, and evolve it into something completely new.”
This new spirit is made in a unique way. It uses actual Doritos chips, and their flavor is extracted through a process called vacuum distillation.
This method is different from usual distillation techniques because it works at lower temperatures. This helps to keep a wide range of flavors from the chips.
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According to the companies, this process captures the taste of nacho cheese, corn tostada, and even a bit of acidity, making the drink taste like the actual chip.
The press release describes the flavor of the spirit in detail: “It starts with the umami and tangy taste of nacho cheese, moves to a corny flavor similar to the chip, and ends with a gentle salty taste.” This unique drink can be enjoyed on its own or with ice.
Doritos and Empirical have also suggested a few cocktail recipes, including new takes on margaritas, bloody marys, and old fashioneds.
The nacho cheese-flavored spirit will be available for purchase next month and is priced at $65. With an alcohol content of 42%, it will first be sold in certain areas of New York and California. Preorders start on December 13 through a special website.
“We’re always pushing our fans to try new things, so we figure it’s time we disrupt the spirits category by offering our iconic nacho cheese flavor in a bottle,” said Tina Mahal, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Frito-Lay North America.
It will be interesting to see how the new product will be received in the market.