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Most fast-food chains don’t serve alcohol, but to celebrate crinkle-cut fries becoming a permanent fixture on Arby’s menu, the fast-food chain stepped outside the box and offered two limited-edition, french fry-inspired vodkas to mark the occasion. In its latest campaign, the Boardman, Ohio, fast-food chain, which is known for its roast beef sandwiches, Jamocha shakes and curly fries, of course, conjured up two flavors, Curly Fry Vodka and Crinkle Fry Vodka, which are both made from potatoes, like its french fries. The vodkas were sold in limited quantities to guests, age 21 and older, in select states on November 18, 2021, and November 22, 2021, as well as on its website for $59.99.
“Though we’ve mastered the art of drive-thru fries, we wanted to take it one step further by making them 80-proof,” said Patrick Schwing, Arby’s CMO, in a press release.“Being a potato-based liquor, this limited-edition vodka is infused with Crinkle and Curly Fry flavor so Arby’s fans who are of legal drinking age can responsibly enjoy our menu from bag to bottle.”
Made by Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Curly Fry Vodka is distilled with cayenne, paprika, onion and garlic, while the Crinkle Fry Vodka is made with kosher salt and sugar to honor the tradition of salted potatoes. Arby’s also partnered with celebrity chef and Arby’s fan Justin Sutherland to create two signature Bloody Mary recipes using Arby’s vodkas; spicy concoctions that also highlight other Arby’s items, like its Horsey sauce.
In this campaign, Arby’s found a way to highlight its newest menu item in a way that caught fans’ attention, but still celebrated the same key ingredient. And what’s more, is that consumers enjoy experimenting with new and interesting flavors. In a 2019 survey of 25,000 consumers by market research firm FMCG Gurus, 57 percent of respondents said they liked new and novel flavors, and a 2020 survey by Innova Market Insights found that three-fourths of global consumers “love to discover new flavors.” Timing the campaign just before the holiday season presents it as the perfect gift to give to friends and family members who are fans of Arby’s, or even just as a fun gift that will be remembered.
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Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB.