Ready or not, here comes 84-proof Doritos.
The PepsiCo-owned snack chip is the latest mainstream brand to introduce a boozy variant, teaming with distiller Empirical on a spirit infused with the taste of nacho cheese chips.
Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit will be available in January online and in select locations in New York and California for a suggested retail price of $65 for a 750-milliliter bottle. Preorders begin today at doritos.x.empirical.co.
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The collaboration comes as Doritos makes its chips work harder, positioning them not just as snacks but also as ingredients, flavors and meals. A year ago, Doritos was the center of a limited-time late-night delivery menu consisting of Doritos-inspired munchies.
“We’re really trying to drive that association of Doritos as a culinary ingredient, an ingredient to play with and have fun with, and be creative,” said Courtney Larson, senior director of marketing for Doritos, in an interview.
Doritos’ fans have led the brand that way, Larson said, from demonstrating creative ways of making meals out of chips during the pandemic, to a practice of using crushed Doritos chips on the rim of tequila glasses.
“Gen Z loves experimenting, and they’re not afraid to do bold and disruptive things, which we love,” Larson said.