Mountain Dew, known for its bright green color and high caffeine content, is one of the most popular sodas in the United States. While Mountain Dew itself does not contain any alcohol, there have been some specialty drinks released by Mountain Dew over the years that do contain alcohol.
Mountain Dew and Alcoholic Drinks
The original Mountain Dew soda contains no alcohol. It is a citrus-flavored soft drink owned and produced by PepsiCo. The main ingredients in Mountain Dew are carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated orange juice, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavors and yellow 5 food coloring. None of these ingredients contain any alcohol.
However, PepsiCo has experimented with alcoholic versions of Mountain Dew a few times over the years, though none have become permanent products:
- In 2012, Mountain Dew tested a new product called Mountain Dew A.M. This was a morning energy drink that contained caffeine as well as 5% alcohol content. It was only test marketed in select states and discontinued that same year.
- In 2017, Mountain Dew produced a limited-edition ale called DEWshine. This was a fruit-flavored beer made in partnership with Anheuser-Busch. It had 6.7% alcohol by volume.
- In 2020, Mountain Dew created a vodka cocktail called Hard Mtn Dew. It had 5% alcohol by volume and came in two flavors – Original and Baja Blast. However, this product was discontinued in 2021.
So while the original Mountain Dew remains a non-alcoholic soft drink, the company has created some alcoholic spin-offs over time, though none that have become permanent products.
Why Mountain Dew Doesn’t Normally Contain Alcohol
There are several reasons why Mountain Dew does not normally contain any alcohol:
- Target Audience: Mountain Dew’s core demographic is teenagers and young adults. An alcoholic soda would have more limited marketing appeal and ability to reach this younger target market.
- Brand Image: Mountain Dew has cultivated a fun, high-energy brand image centered around excitement. Introducing alcohol could water down this image or make it less appropriate for teen consumers.
- Regulations: There are strict regulations around marketing alcoholic beverages towards underage individuals. Having alcohol in their flagship product could limit Mountain Dew’s marketing capabilities and retail availability in schools/other youth venues.
- Health Concerns: Combining caffeine and alcohol can be risky and unhealthy. Mountain Dew likely avoids alcohol to sidestep potential backlash around promoting this combination to their younger consumers.
In essence, having alcohol as an ingredient in standard Mountain Dew could negatively impact the brand’s image, marketing capabilities, customer base and health reputation. The company likely determined the cons outweighed the pros. Specialty alcoholic spin-offs let them experiment while keeping the core soda alcohol-free.
The Alcohol Content in Common Mountain Dew Products
Here is the typical alcohol content for the most popular Mountain Dew products:
| Mountain Dew Product | Alcohol Content |
|---|---|
| Regular Mountain Dew | 0% ABV |
| Diet Mountain Dew | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Code Red | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Voltage | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Livewire | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Kickstart | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Game Fuel | 0% ABV |
| Mountain Dew Hard Mtn Dew (discontinued) | 5% ABV |
| Mountain Dew A.M. (discontinued) | 5% ABV |
| Mountain Dew DEWshine (discontinued) | 6.7% ABV |
As you can see, all of the current core Mountain Dew products contain zero alcohol. The few alcoholic spin-offs that have been tested over the years were discontinued and not made into permanent offerings.
Soft Drink or Hard Seltzer?
While most Mountain Dew drinks are traditional soft drinks without alcohol, some new products seem to blur the line between soft drinks and alcoholic seltzers:
- Mountain Dew Energized Hard Seltzer: Released in 2022, this fruit-flavored seltzer contains alcohol, caffeine and real juice. It competes directly against spiked seltzers like White Claw with 8% ABV.
- Mountain Dew Rise Energy: Launched in 2022, this morning drink contains caffeine, vitamins and fruit juice, but no alcohol. However, its marketing creates parallels to alcoholic seltzers.
These new releases indicate Mountain Dew is interested in competing in the alcoholic seltzer space while still maintaining its non-alcoholic roots. The company seems to be attempting to straddle the line between traditional soda and hard seltzer.
Conclusion
In summary, while Mountain Dew has tested some alcoholic versions like Hard Mtn Dew, its core lineup of drinks contains no alcohol. The company has maintained a 0% ABV in flagship Mountain Dew to preserve its brand image, marketing ability and younger customer base. New product releases like Energized Hard Seltzer and Rise Energy indicate a desire to compete in the alcoholic seltzer space, but these specialty products leave regular Mountain Dew alcohol-free. So for consumers wondering “does Mountain Dew have alcohol?”, the answer remains no – you’ll have to look for special spin-off products to get an alcoholic Mountain Dew-inspired drink.
