Why Boomers Are Furious About New ‘Hard Solo’ Drink: ‘I Can’t Even Tell You How Angry It Makes Me’

Advertisement boss Russell Howcroft has launched a furious diatribe against the new Hard Solo alcoholic version of the popular lemon-flavored soda.

Japanese brewing giant Asahi has launched the new alcohol-fortified take on the classic 1968 original as an easy-to-drink, boozy thirst quencher.

But advertising industry veteran Howcroft, 58, has railed against the switch in an astonishing outburst, labeling Asahi “fools for doing it.”

“I can’t believe they did this,” he raged on ABC’s Gruen panel show. “I really can’t believe they’re going into the alcohol business.

“I can’t even tell you how angry it makes me.”

The non-alcoholic version rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s with its series of “Solo man” TV ads featuring macho Aussie sporty dudes knocking back the soda.

The ‘thirst buster’ drink was unique to the Australian market and was based on a slightly sparkling version of the classic pub drink lemon squash.

It was marketed to be less effervescent than other soft drinks so that it can be drunk faster and quench thirst more quickly.

But the move to the 4.5 per cent proof version – equivalent to medium-strength beers – has sparked outrage in the drinks industry and among MPs and Howcroft alike.

A pack of 10 cans of 375ml Hard Solo ‘Alcoholic Lemon’ in Coles is currently priced at $44 and sold out within days of going on sale.

“They are fools for doing this,” Howcroft told Gruen host Wil Anderson, 49. “And they need to stop doing it immediately. I’m serious.

“If you’re in the alcohol business, stay in the alcohol business. And if you’re in the soft drink business, you shouldn’t blur that line.’

He said similar “pre-mixed” drinks, as they are called in the industry, such as Cruisers differed in that they were just alcoholic drinks.

He added, “So you’re sitting around an executive’s table and saying, ‘We’ve got a brand that’s been appealing to teens for 50 years… now what we’re going to do is throw in some alcohol.” “?

‘It’s seriously off.’

Howcroft’s fellow panelist Todd Sampson, 53 – who regularly clashes with him – admitted he shared his concerns.

“In this case, I agree 100 percent with Russell,” he said. “We have to protect children when it comes to alcohol, period.”

Advertisement boss Russell Howcroft (pictured) has launched a furious diatribe against the new Hard Solo alcoholic version of the popular lemon-flavored soda

The non-alcoholic version gained fame in the 1970s and 1980s with its series of “Solo man” TV ads that featured macho Aussie sporty dudes knocking down the soda.

A 10-pack of 375ml cans of Hard Solo ‘Alcoholic Lemon’ in Coles is currently on sale for $44

Teal Independent MP Kylea Tink met with other crossbench MPs last week to discuss stricter rules in the wake of Hard Solo’s launch.

She said the product “failed the pub test” and wondered why it had been approved for sale in Australia.

“This is a product that looks like soda, tastes like soda and has the same name as soda,” she said.

Teal Independent MP Kylea Tink met with other crossbench MPs last week to discuss stricter rules in the wake of Hard Solo’s launch

“(It) went through a self-regulatory process and was apparently approved to be marketed.

“For me, there is nothing about this product that makes it an acceptable product to have on the shelf when it comes to alcoholic beverages.”

She added: “For a company like Asahi to come out and say there’s no problem with that product, to me it shows that there’s a clear break between the community’s expectation and the company’s expectation,” added them to it.

“I think we need to look at what happened – and find out where the system failed.”

WA’s Cancer Council also filed a complaint about the drink, adding, “Hard Solo’s appeal to minors is evident given Solo’s established appeal to minors.”

Responding to the criticism, Asahi claimed that 85 percent of drinkers of the soft version of Solo were adults and that the alcoholic version was aimed at 25-50 year olds.

“Hard Solo looks very different from regular Solo and we strongly refute any claims that they can be confused,” a spokesperson added.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Asahi for comment.