Lipton Is The Latest Brand To Get Its Own Line Of Alcoholic Drinks

Iced sweet tea is a staple among homes in the southern United States, with tea first being grown and sold commercially in South Carolina in 1795 (via What's Cooking America). Iced tea can be enjoyed as is or it can be jazzed up with different juices and liquors, such as a hardened Arnold Palmer. In the beginning, iced tea was most commonly served with the addition of liquor, and one of the oldest spiked teas — concocted in the 1800s — was inspired by George IV and named Regent's Punch.

Since the alcohol aisle at grocery stores today is oversaturated with countless brands of hard seltzers, hard iced tea may not be as commonly found as it was back in George IV's day. Thankfully, popular iced tea brand Lipton just announced that it is jumping into the alcohol market with its own line of hard iced teas in various refreshing flavors. 

Lipton Hard Iced Teas are planned to release in early 2023 in select stores, according to VinePair. The new alcoholic beverages are the result of a partnership between PepsiCo, brewing company FIFCO USA, and PepsiCo's subsidiary Blue Cloud Distribution. The new hard iced teas will have an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of 5%, which is similar to other hard iced teas on the market like the ever-popular Twisted Tea. As far as the flavors go, the company is keeping it classic with lemon, peach, strawberry, and half and half.

According to Fact.MR, Lipton is hopping on the hard iced tea trend at the right time, because the global market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2022 to $19 billion 10 years from now. Although there are some competitors out there already, people have been enjoying Lipton for over 130 years, so they certainly have the name recognition to stand out in the booze aisle. While you anxiously wait for the new Lipton Hard Iced Teas, here's how you can take your homemade iced tea to the next level in the meantime.