These brands have collaborated to create a sparkling water so delicious, consumers might wonder whether they should sip it or garnish it with a cherry.
What do you get when you mix the rebellious spirit of hair metal with the nostalgic sweetness of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor? Hot Fudge Sundae Sparkling Water – Liquid Death and Van Leeuwen’s latest idea – proves that even the wildest taste dreams and brand collaborations can come true.
The canned water brand and the experimental ice cream company today jointly announced a sparkling water that supposedly tastes just like a hot chocolate sundae, with hints of cocoa and vanilla. Yes, you read that right: sparkling water with the pleasure of dessert, but only 20 calories per can.
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Starting today, Hot Fudge Sundae Sparkling Water is available in single-cans at Van Leeuwen ice cream shops nationwide, while eight-packs of 19.2-ounce tallboy bottles are sold online through Amazon and Liquid Death’s TikTok Shop for $13.99.
Van Leeuwen is no stranger to thinking outside the box (of ice cream). The brand has previously introduced flavors like Hidden Valley Ranch, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and even an espresso ice cream in collaboration with pop star Sabrina Carpenter. But this campaign marks the first time the company has ventured into the world of beverages—and it’s also Liquid Death’s first attempt at creating a dessert-flavored drink.
“We’ve developed lots of cool flavours in the past, but we’ve never brought our ice cream to life in the form of another product,” said Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder and managing director of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, in a statement to The Drum. “We’re excited to be working with another brand that likes to push boundaries on a fun collaboration that’s a first for both of us.”
In his element, Liquid Death has created an ad that’s just as crazy as his new product. Imagine a group of adults at a wild house party opening cans of Hot Fudge Sundae Sparkling Water.
But instead of sparkling water, the sticky mass of an ice cream sundae oozes out – chocolate syrup, melted ice cream, the whole lot. Chaos and a hair metal soundtrack scream: “Sparkling water tastes like ice cream! Sundae with hot fudge sauce! Down it, slurp it, let it drip, rip it.”
Just as the spot reaches its most absurd climax, the fun is interrupted by a bell ringing and guests are left clutching their heads, writhing in pain from what can only be described as the worst brain freeze ever.
Then the image slows down to show each person in great detail – one even falls out of the window. But don’t worry: the party continues as another carton of the sundae-flavored drink is brought in.
Greg Fass, vice president of marketing for Liquid Death, added, “We’ve seen many brands make their own flavor of ice cream, but we’re the first brand to make ice cream flavored sparkling water that tastes just like a hot fudge sundae. We’re all about making healthy beverages more fun, so partnering with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to create the first drinkable 20-calorie hot fudge sundae was the perfect combination.”
The two brands are also hosting a series of pop-up drink tasting events on both coasts, kicking off today at 12pm ET in Washington Square Park in NYC and moving on to Abbot Kinney in LA on August 17 starting at 11am PT.
The campaign was conceived and developed by Death Machine, Liquid Death’s in-house creative studio.
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