When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and – Hooch.
Hooch – the lemonade that gets you drunk
Crystal Pepsi, even Red Bull is left behind: Here comes Hooch! Delicious lemonade that gets you drunk. How cool, say party-loving teenagers. Health ministers, on the other hand, are not very enthusiastic.
Until 1995, the first booze either tastes bitter or burns in the throat like a straw (rum) fire. Then a new trend spills over from Great Britain to continental Europe: a sugar water with schnapps! The Hooch hype conquers ski camps and scout parties, graduation parties and techno clubs. Millions of minors smuggle the alcoholized lemonade past supermarket checkouts or obtain the liquid gold with the help of a fake ID.
Switzerland alone destroyed 3.5 million bottles in 1997, followed by free riders such as Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, Pesca Frizz… Until the law intervened, multiplied taxes on alcopops for prevention purposes – and won. Hooch closed up store in 2003. There was a comeback at the end of the decade, but with a slightly different recipe based on wine instead of schnapps. We will therefore never know whether our oil on the hat came from the 5.0 percent by volume or from the astronomical sugar content.
