Leftovers: Pop-Tarts get hotter with Tajín; Dr Pepper aims to score with bourbon-flavored soda

Pop-Tarts use Tajín to turn up the heat

Everyone knows you can make Pop-Tarts hot by putting them in the toaster, but a new kit with seasoning maker Tajín is introducing new ways to heat up breakfast.

The limited-edition Pop-Tarts x Tajín kit includes Tajín’s Clásico Seasoning and Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce, plus a variety of fruity Pop-Tart flavors. These include Frosted Strawberry, Frosted Wild Berry and Peach Cobbler.

In a press release, the Kellogg-owned toaster pastry brand describes this “Crazy Bueno” kit as a “choose-your-own-culinary-adventure of flavors” with no rules. It includes some suggestions for Tajín and Pop-Tart pairings, both for the fruity varieties that come with the kit, but also for some of the flavors that are more like desserts, including Lemon Creme Pie and Frosted Chocolate Fudge.

“As a brand, we love to challenge conventions and defy expectations, and, with the superstar power of Tajín, we knew we could inspire our fans with an unexpected, ingenious combination,” Heidi Ray, Kellogg’s senior director of marketing for portable wholesome snacks, said in a statement.

Tajín, a spice blend which marries chilis, sea salt and lime, was born in Mexico in 1985. The brand came to the United States in 1993, and its popularity has skyrocketed in the last decade. Consumers on both sides of the border have enthusiastically added it to main dishes, fruits, vegetables and even desserts. Tajín was even hailed as one of the top food trends in 2020 by the Food Network.

Recently, Tajín has blown up on TikTok. Users around the globe have posted videos of Tajín on a variety of foods, from fruit to pickles to gummi bears. And while Pop-Tarts have remained a breakfast and snacking staple, this new kit, which is available online starting Oct. 25, is intended to ensure they stay hot.

— Megan Poinski

Dr Pepper aims for a touchdown with bourbon-flavored soda

As football season swings into high gear, tailgaters looking for alcohol-free beverages have a new option.

Keurig Dr Pepper has launched a nonalcoholic bourbon-flavored version of its flagship soda. The company said Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve contains “sweet, savory and woody notes” with hints of cherry, vanilla, chocolate and caramel. Since tailgaters often make bourbon cocktails to keep their bodies and spirits warm and festive on game day, the beverage giant said it was crafted for football fans.

The limited edition drink is only available through the soda brand’s Pepper Perks loyalty program, which launched in 2021 and allows exclusive access to limited edition soda flavors. Fans can enter to win a can of the drink through a game of scratch-to-win on the brand’s website. This launch lends itself to Dr Pepper’s strategy of granting exclusive product releases to its most devoted consumers. Last year, it debuted a chocolate flavor of the soda through the program.

Despite not containing any liquor, implementing the flavor of a popular alcoholic beverage signals how leading soda brands have embraced the category in recent years. However, other major soda companies are launching drinks with actual alcohol, not just drinks that taste like it. Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said alcoholic beverages are in the “experimentation bucket” for the beverage giant, and a Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel’s collaboration made with Brown Forman is in the works. PepsiCo has launched an alcoholic version of its popular Mtn Dew as part of its partnership with Boston Beer.

Nonalcoholic beverages have seen a steady increase in adoption from consumers in recent years as more people look to cut or limit their intake. 2021 data from IWSR indicated that nonalcoholic drinks are proving more popular with U.S. consumers than low-alcohol varities. 

— Chris Casey

Evil Genius Beer storms the White Castle 

Talk about a late-night beer run. Philadelphia-based Evil Genius Beer is partnering with fast-food hamburger chain White Castle on a brew called It Hits Different.

The limited-edition offering, a tangerine IPA brewed with a combination of sabro and classic centennial hops, celebrates White Castle’s recent hundredth birthday.