Mountain Dew's Livewire Flavor Is Now Available In A Boozier Form

Mountain Dew is no stranger to the cocktail world. Last summer, Buffalo Wild Wings rolled out a Long Island Iced Tea made with MTN DEW LEGEND. (Yes, really.) At Taco Bell Cantina locations, you can get your Baja Blast Freeze spiked with vodka, rum, or tequila.

It's not a dissimilar concept from competitors like Four Loko and the now-retired SURGE, (if anyone remembers the '90s soft drink that plagued parents). Over the years, the company has amassed a lineup of abstract, conceptual MTN DEW flavor names like Voltage, Typhoon, Pitch Black, and Livewire, which is the star of today's news. Livewire is super orange-forward, with a characteristically vibrant hue to match. After the flavor first hit the market in 2003, it went on to achieve big sales figures. Citing findings by Information Resources Inc., Food Processing reported that it was No. 10 on the list of bestselling new food and beverage products of 2004. It generated $72 million in sales. While it's not clear if Mountain Dew saw Livewire's boozy back then, nearly two decades later, the writing was arguably on the wall, or rather the tweet.

In 2020, MTN DEW took to Twitter to share its "Mali-DEW Sunset" cocktail recipe: Livewire spiked with orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and coconut rum, complete with a pineapple and maraschino cherry garnish. Now, it looks like Livewire's entry into the liquor sphere is official. Earlier this week, HARD MTN DEW announced the newest addition to its lineup.

Livewire isn't quite 21 yet, but it's apparently old enough to become an adult beverage. Introducing: HARD MTN DEW Livewire, a drink that appears to be capitalizing on a trend. Ready-to-drink cocktails have been having a moment over the past few years. According to BevAlc Insights, consumer data company NielsenIQ reported a 126% rise in RTD cocktail sales between 2020 and 2021. Now, MTN DEW is showing up to the party in a big way. HARD Livewire boasts only 100 calories (like fellow carbonated canned bevy White Claw) and a 5% ABV, making the soda as potent as most standard cans of beer.

The new boozy flavor drop isn't the only way MTN DEW is keeping fans on their toes. The HARD MTN DEW Livewire launch party is called "Definitely Over 21" and will be held at a retirement community in Florida (aka "the Orange State," a nod to the drink's citrusy taste.) For fans living outside of the retirement community, MTN DEW is launching an online contest to give one lucky sipper (and a guest) a ticket to the party. To get a chance at the ticket, fans can enter online until March 10. For now, HARD MTN DEW is only available in select states, including Iowa, Tennessee, Missouri, and of course, Florida, among others. But the company has announced plans to expand the offering to other markets.