Hard Solo is selling out at Dan Murphy’s, BWS, Liquorland and bottle shops across Australia, after Teal MPs demanded the pre-mixed booze be banned because it tastes too good.
- Teal MPs want drinking banned
- They say it attracts children.
- However, advertising has caused the drink to sell out.
- None available in bottle shops.
A push to ban ‘Hard Solo’ has backfired for Teal’s MPs, with the pre-mixed drink selling out in most bottle shops in Australia.
Botte store owners reported that sales, already strong thanks to rave reviews for the product and nostalgia for the famous advertisements, increased when Teal Rep. Kylea Tink began pushing to have it banned.
The Teals met with alcohol industry figures Thursday after telling the media they would push limits on advertising and even ban the product.
Part of the reason he wanted it banned was because it “tastes just like soda” and “not like alcohol.”
Hard Solo has a black can to separate it from the ‘regular’ soda (above)
“This is a product that has the name of a soda and it’s in a can that looks like a soda and tastes like a soda and yet has alcohol in it,” Ms. Tink said on ABC.
‘Australians are buying (premixed drinks)… because the can is cool or the name is cool; they often drink before going out because they can’t afford to buy drinks when they go out.’
Solo, a lemon-flavored soft drink now manufactured and owned by Carlton United Breweries, comes in a trademark yellow can. ‘Hard Solo’ comes in a black can with yellow lettering and a prominent 18+ warning and a sign showing it has 4.5% alcohol per 375ml.
However, the controversy surrounding the drink has only fueled its popularity, which was already high due to the nostalgia factor.
The popularity has been helped by the nostalgia of the advertising campaign of the 80s and 90s (above)
Carlton United previously told Daily Mail Australia that it was introducing ‘Hard Solo’ because adults had long craved an alcoholic version of the drink.
Reviews of the drink on Dan Murphy’s website are also favorable, with many commenting that the drink tastes just like soda.
One reviewer said that Hard Solo tastes almost identical to a regular Solo but with “a slight aftertaste of alcohol”.
“Growing up alone I really wanted to try this one, it tastes like solo just with the extra buzz you get from being an alcoholic, unreal.”
Several bottle shops confirmed that ‘Hard Solo’ had sold out this week due to hype.
“There would be the occasional four-pack but it’s completely sold out for us,” said one. “One guy bought a case after hearing on the radio that they wanted to ban it.”
The drink is also not available for delivery at Dan Murphy’s.
