Funkin Irn Bru Vodka Martini

The NPD had ‘a velvety texture and a smooth head’

Funkin Cocktails has partnered with AG Barr-owned peer Irn-Bru to create a co-branded vodka martini.

Funkin Cocktails Irn-Bru Vodka Martini (rsp: £2.19/200ml) has hit Tesco stores nationally and Sainsbury’s stores in Scotland.

Further distribution in Morrisons nationally and Asda in Scotland, as well as across wholesale, is to follow in the coming weeks.

The 5% abv drink combined “the unmistakable bold taste” of Irn-Bru with Funkin’s “signature nitrogen infusion” resulting in a bright orange martini with “a velvety texture and smooth head”, said Funkin.

The NPD sought to tap consumer demand for “something new and different”, which was a top purchase driver at the RTD aisle according to Kantar data, said Funkin.

“We’re always on the lookout for the next big thing,” said Funkin Cocktails head of brand Ashley Birch-Ruffell. “We want to make the cocktail consumers have been waiting for, continuing to delight and excite, keeping the category fresh and, crucially, allowing retailers to keep capitalising on this important and growing market.”

The launch would be backed by a “comprehensive” marketing campaign across social, digital and in-store, Funkin said.

The ‘It’s not fizzy, it’s a Funkin cocktail’ push would focus on the drink’s unique texture and leverage Irn-Bru’s “tongue-in-cheek personality”, it added.