Coca-Cola further dips toes in U.S. alcohol market with Fresca brand

Coca-Cola is again dabbling in the U.S. market for alcoholic beverages, this time with an agreement to allow a cocktail version of Fresca with extra zing.

The Atlanta-based beverage giant announced Thursday that it has authorized Constellation Brands, an alcoholic beverage company, to use the Fresca name and manufacture, market and sell Fresca Mixed, a new line of ready-to-drink cocktails with spirits. The drinks are expected to launch later this year.

In 2020, Coke announced a similar relationship with Molson Coors for a hard seltzer version of Topo Chico for U.S. markets.

Coke has yet to directly enter the U.S. alcohol market on its own, as it has done in Japan, where in 2018 it launched an alcoholic drink called Lemon-Dou. The U.S. alcohol industry is heavily regulated, including a slew of state-level laws and rules.

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