Halewood International has joined forces with AG Barr to create the definitive Irn-Bru based premium packaged spirit. The soft drink has a cult following, particularly in the north and Scotland, and derivatives have been used in various alcoholic drinks. The two companies already have a close relationship as Barr handles Halewood's non alcoholic Red Alert in the off-trade. Now Barr is lending the brand name to two additions to Halewood's Red Square collection. These are Reloaded Red Square Irn-Bru which is a mix of Irn-Bru, vodka, caffeine and ginseng, and Red Square Ice Irn-Bru (vodka and Irn-Bru). The indications are that the rapid growth of premium packaged spirits is set to accelerate in the run-up to Christmas and Halewood is planning to make the most of that. Marketing director Bob Rishworth said: "The arrangement to use the genuine Irn-Bru product is a development of our partnership with AG Barr. "We are sure these new varieties will emulate the success of the other four styles in the range." The 275ml bottles will retail at £1.29 in the off-trade. This is not the first time Irn-Bru has joined forces with an alcoholic product. In the early 1990s it was mixed with Bell's whisky and presented in 330ml bottles along with Bell's and Cola and Bell's and Lemonade. {{DRINKS }}