Citrusy Zima Makes a Limited Summer Comeback

And there are t-shirts to prove it.

By Ethan L. Johns
June 27, 2018

Image: Amazon

Looking for a throwback alternative for your midweek Independence Day celebration? Then the colorless, citrusy booze brew from the end of the 20th century might interest you.

Zima is back on shelves for a limited time, and will likely not be back until next summer, if it comes back at all. To go with the limited-edition beverage release, the company has also released a retro-ish line of 90s-inspired t-shirts, which can be purchased through Amazon.

While young’uns might not be familiar with Zima, their human predecessors that lived through the 90s most likely do. If you’re under the age of 20, we’ll put it in terms you might understand: tastes like Four Loko.

Introduced in 1994 and sold in the U.S. until 2007, Zima was a category-creator. It’s a citrus-flavored malt beverage (A.K.A. a “cooler”) with a five percent alcohol content by volume. Zima was ultimately pulled from shelves in 2008, but was reintroduced as a limited-edition beverage last summer.

This year, apparently, MillerCoors amped up production on the clear brew, but still does not expect it to last until after Labor Day.

MillerCoors is using the term “Z2K” to refer to the moment when convenience stores and supermarkets run out of the stuff, forcing consumers to switch back to Smirnoff Ice or, God forbid, beer. It’s kind-of like Y2K (remember back to 1999, when everybody thought the world was going to end), except not nearly as horrifying.

How zenzational.


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About Ethan L. Johns

Ethan is the Food News Writer at Genius Kitchen. An expert on the Parisian bistrot, he likes bitters and salted butters, and is no fan of dessert unless it's made with fruit. His hobbies include reading up on the history of borscht and attempting to roll perfect couscous by hand. Twits & Instagram @EthanLJohns