Doritos thinks we want nacho cheese-flavored booze

New York (CNN) 鈥� Doritos is betting on a new way to get people addicted to their tortilla chips: booze.

The PepsiCo-owned brand is releasing a new spirit based off of Doritos鈥� nacho cheese flavor that 鈥渢astes just like the real thing,鈥� according to a press release. The chip maker partnered with , a Danish company known for making custom spirits with creative flavors.

, the limited-edition flavor goes on sale Wednesday in New York and California and costs $65 for a 750ml bottle.

This isn鈥檛 the first zany food-adjacent product from a big brand. Recently, Kahl煤a and Absolut Vodka made a that smells like an espresso martini and Dunkin鈥� turned its into canned cocktails. Also, Arby鈥檚 turned its curly and crinkle fries into a vodka, as well as created a to be paired with its roast beef.

The goal of these products is to pique customers鈥� curiosity, spark a conversation and increase brand recognition. In other words: It鈥檚 a marketing ploy disguised as a product for sale. Don鈥檛 expect this to boost Pepsi鈥檚 bottom line.

For Doritos and Empirical, the companies are describing the collaboration as a 鈥渇irst-of-a-kind innovation for both brands.鈥� The spirit was made in Empirical鈥檚 lab through a production process that used Doritos chips to retain their 鈥渆ssence through vacuum distillation,鈥� which the spirit maker says preserves more of the Doritos flavor compared to a traditional method.

The spirit鈥檚 flavor 鈥渙pens with聽umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavors of the chip to finish on a soft salty note,鈥� the company said.

Since it鈥檚 a flavored spirit and not a specific category of liquor, Doritos recommends mixing it with a tequila or mezcal to make a bloody mary or a margarita. The booze can also be sipped neat or over ice.

鈥淲hile the flavor may seem wacky, the collaboration has novelty value, and it is likely a lot of people will be interested enough to try it out,鈥� said Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail. He added that Empirical and Doritos are both known for 鈥渂eing playful and fun.鈥�

鈥淐onsumers are in the mood to test new things and are looking for products that are interesting and a bit different from the run of the mill,鈥� he told CNN.

The-CNN-Wire