Scot-Co bottle & shot stirs storm
by Claire Hu Scottish Courage is claiming a major innovation in the beer market with the launch of a new product that combines Kronenbourg 1664 with the potent liqueur absinthe. But Déco presented as a 275ml bottle of Kronenbourg with a 25ml shot of absinthe attached to the top in a plastic container has provoked a backlash from anti-alcohol campaigners who say it will encourage binge drinking. The brewer, however, has claiming the drink is aimed at sophisticated adult drinkers, not the "down-in-one go" brigade and being about £5 a pop it is unlikely to result in over-indulgence. Déco is launched in bars and pubs in Brighton and London this week before being rolled out nationally in August. Andy Neal, Kronenbourg brands director, said the beer sector had been guilty of "resting on its laurels". The combination of two iconic French drinks represented a totally new concept in beer drinking and would help energise the whole market, he stressed. "We have brought together two products in a format that allows them to be enjoyed in pubs around the UK," he said. Consumer feedback showed absinthe was seen as a cutting-edge drink and people liked the idea of drinking it with a premium lager, said Neal. "We think this is a new and exciting concept," he added. "There has been a reaction from some people who say it is going to encourage binge drinking. But in terms of alcoholic units, Déco contains 2.5 and a pint of Kronenbourg has 2.8. It's no stronger than a pint of premium lager but much more interesting. "If we really wanted to get the youngsters drinking shots we would have used, for example, orange and not absinthe." However, Alcohol Concern claimed it was the heady combination of absinthe reputed to have caused Vincent van Gogh to cut off his own ear and beer that was the problem. A spokesman said: "It's the sort of drink designed for people who want to drink as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. It raises concerns about binge drinking, but we accept that at a fiver a drink that will be a remote possibility for most." Absinthe is a blend of herbs, including wormwood reputed to cause hallucinations anise, juniper and fennel. Known as "Le Peril Vert", it was a 75% abv favourite of Parisian artists and writers in 19th-century Europe, when it was taken with ice water and a lump of sugar. It was banned in many European countries after an outcry from the temperance movement. The drink has undergone a revival after featuring in the movie Moulin Rouge. Manufacturers say the amount of wormwood now allowed in absinthe is so small that it is unlikely to produce the same delirious effects it reputedly did with van Gogh.
