Schweppes tonic water 225th anniversary bottle

Coca-Cola European Partners is marking the 225th year of Schweppes in the UK with the release of limited-edition packs featuring cocktail ideas.

They will offer recipes of “rediscovered” drinks and new variations of traditional concoctions. Pink Gin, The Horse’s Neck with rye whiskey, and rum-based Navy Grog are among those intended to celebrate Schweppes’ move from Geneva to London in 1792.

The recipes will appear from next month on one-litre and two-litre bottles and 12x150ml multipacks of Schweppes mixers – which have seen value sales fall 6% [Nielsen 52 w/e 31 December 2016].

The rollout will be backed by a campaign including media, digital and in-store activity.

The showcased cocktails highlighted “the mixability of the Schweppes range and will help retailers tap into the growing popularity of mixers for use in cocktails at home,” said CCEP operational marketing director Simon Harrison.

The pack launch comes after CCEP announced a massive push for Schweppes last year, unveiling a revamped design to highlight the brand’s ‘premium’ credentials to consumers over 30.