Quite simply the original and first mass made mainstream alcopop, Hooch was very much a part of my childhood. What tho9ugh exactly is it?
On my last trip back to the UK I had fish and chips and decided to do a bit of a drinking nostalgia run. This saw me do WKD, but also Hooch.
What is Hooch?
British brewer Bass happened to own the Hoopers Hooch brand which was associated with William Hooper who made lemonade (not sprite) in the 1800’s.
By the mid 90’s technology had moved to such a degree that we could now make drinks suitable for children. This meant Hooch alcoholic lemonade coming out in 1995 (one year before WKD). Fun fact my mum brought me one the day I returned from Bangladesh in 1996.
At its peak 2.5 million bottles were sold per week, but the wonkiest illuminati racist alien people tried to get it banned as more children started drinking. I know that this was not true. All it did was mean we no longer had to drink truly awful stuff like Mad Dogs 20/20…..
What is Hooch Drink UK like
It was THE original alcoholic lemonade and by all accounts pretty much the first alcopop. I will give the whole alcopop things its due in another article, but it is a portmanteau of “alcohol” and “pop”, so alcoholic soft drinks.
And by god did it change the game and I loved it for it. Typically seen as a girly drink, I personally would drink it in the Churchill Pub in Chatham after work. This led to me getting the nickname “camp Hooch drink boy” – or other variants……
Its reach also went much further than just the mere UK, with things such as Spy Winer Cooler, ID Double Edge, Buzz, Rio Drink and many others owing their existence to Grand Pappy Hoopers Hooch Drink