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Popular soft drink giant Coca-Cola will be releasing an alcoholic beverage but it will not be in the US market just yet.

Coca-Cola spokesperson Scott Leith said the company will officially launch the Lemon-do alcoholic soft drink in Japan in October.

It debuted in May 2018 in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost island in three varieties ranging from 3 per cent to 7 per cent alcohol, he added.

Coca-Cola Japan business unit president Jorge Garduño said it is modelled after Japanese “chu-hi, a popular canned drink made with a distilled alcohol called shochu, carbonated water and flavouring.

Lemon-do is the company’s first stab at hard seltzer, and it may be the only product of its kind for some time.

As it is created for a “specific slice” of Coca-Cola’s market, it will most likely stay a Japanese exclusive.

“I don’t think people around the world should expect to see this kind of thing from Coca-Cola,” he said.

“I think the culture here is still very unique and special, so many products that are born here will stay here.”
Coca-Cola has higher hopes fro the mass appeal of its new coffee product.
Coca-Cola With Coffee, a riff on 2006’s unsuccessful Coca-Cola Blak, will launch in 25 international markets by the end of 2019.
The coffee concoction contains Coke with a dose of caffeine unlike the Japanese spiked seltzer.
Javier Meza, the company’s global chief marketing officer of sparkling beverages said it could see a US debut as soon as 2020.
In Japan, Coca-Cola Clear was released with the drink resembling water.