Ah, Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. They're the preferred chips of gamers, tailgaters, and stoners, alike. However, why settle for eating a bag of your fave cheesy tortilla chips, when you could drink it? That's right, the new collaboration might sound unhinged, but alcohol brand Empirical teamed up with Doritos to craft Empirical Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit. “Doritos is all about disrupting culture and bringing our fans unexpected, bold experiences,” says Senior Vice President of Marketing for Frito-Lay North America Tina Mahal. “We’re always pushing our fans to try new things, so we figure it’s time we disrupt the spirits category by offering our iconic nacho cheese flavor in a bottle.” The limited-edition 750 mL bottle is a whopping 42% ABV and retails for $65.
What does the Empirical Doritos spirit taste like?
According to Empirical, "The spirit opens with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavors of the chip to finish on a soft salty note."
Sure, you may recoil at the thought of cheesy alcohol, but hear me out. Think about all of the thrilling salty cocktails you could make.
After all, the brand does recommend adding a shot of this to your margarita or Bloody Mary. You could also even opt for a fun take on a traditional Dirty Martini or pickleback shot with this liquor. Additionally, back in 2020, Doritos made a Mountain Dew-flavored chip. So, perhaps, an Empirical Doritos and Mountain Dew blend would make a good cocktail.
Admittedly, I would drink this straight our of a rocks glass. I am a classy girl.
How did they come up with the idea for Empirical Doritos?
In a conversation with the Washington Post, Lars Williams, chef, distiller, and CEO of Empirical, noted that the spirit arrived out of experimenting with distillation equipment and staying curious.
"One day a team member returned from lunch with a sandwich and a bag of Doritos; I apologized and threw the Doritos in the still. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much- perhaps some top notes, or only the tortilla flavor," the Empirical site reads. "But as the R&D team sipped it for the first time, we burst into laughter. We were drinking Doritos!"
So basically, this is your lesson to always keep an open mind, because you just might create the coolest new liquor on the market!
Where can I get my own bottle?
The bottle, which went on pre-order on December 13, is already sold out online. All bottles are shipping in January, so this may mean that bottles will be resold online. Additionally, the Doritos alcohol will be available in certain New York and California markets according to the press release. So, you might just find one hiding on shelves near you as a treat for the beginning of 2024. Fingers crossed another drop will arrive online soon!