The boozy beverage mixes milky coffee with a flavouring based on a traditional firewater that is around 50 percent alcohol and retails at up to 2,500 yuan ($345) for a half-litre bottle
A collaboration between coffee chain Luckin and distiller Kweichow Moutai mixes milky coffee with a flavouring based on a traditional firewater that is around 50 percent alcohol.
Image: Jade Gao / AFP
A latte laced with throat-scorching liquor has proved a hit in China, with coffee lovers crowding stores in Beijing on Monday to get their hands on the exclusive drink.
The boozy beverage—a collaboration between coffee chain Luckin and distiller Kweichow Moutai—mixes milky coffee with a flavouring based on a traditional firewater that is around 50 percent alcohol and retails at up to 2,500 yuan ($345) for a half-litre bottle.
Mercifully, the cream-topped, caffeinated concoction has a far lower alcohol content of under one percent and sells for less than 20 yuan.
It quickly became one of the most-discussed topics on Chinese social media on Monday, with hashtags about the limited-edition product racking up tens of millions of views on the popular Weibo platform.
"My friends said it tastes pretty good, not too harsh. So I wanted to try this new product," said Yan Yumeng, 25, as she collected her order from a Luckin store in the centre of the Chinese capital Beijing.