KWEICHOW Moutai and coffee brand Luckin Coffee yesterday launched in China a latte advertised as containing the fiery Chinese spirit baijiu, as the Chinese luxury liquor maker aims to pull in more younger consumers. The 38 yuan (US$5.23) “sauce-flavored latte,” which Luckin discounted to 19 yuan on the first day of sales, was one of the most discussed topics on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with several users saying they had placed orders. Moutai, known as the national liquor of China, is a potent, colorless spirit that is usually served at banquets in China, and drinkers say that the flavor and aroma of Kweichow Moutai’s version are similar to soy sauce. The companies said the latte alcohol content was lower than 0.5% of its volume. The launch comes as Kweichow Moutai, whose alcohol sells at an average market guide price of 1,499 yuan, has been looking for ways to be more accessible and pull in a new generation of users. The company, based in China’s southwestern Guizhou Province, also launched a baijiu-infused ice cream last year. Chinese social media users posted videos of themselves picking up cups of the drink and being told by sales staff that they should not drive after drinking it. (SD-Agencies) | 