Baijiu buzz – Moutai puts the sauce in Luckin's latte

The coffee venture is just the latest collaboration aimed at refreshing Moutai's fusty image.

A new style of latte has gone on sale at 10,000 Luckin Coffee outlets in China. The Saucy Latte, priced at 38 yuan (US$5), is the result of a collaboration between China's top liquor maker and biggest coffee chain. 

Within hours, many millions of yuan had been spent on the new drink – an alcoholic coffee flavored with Kweichow Moutai, a uniquely Chinese liquor. Apparently, 5.4 million boozy coffees were knocked back in just a few hours.

Moutai, as a high-end brand, has been tirelessly trying to access a new generation of customers for years now. The coffee venture is just the latest collaboration aimed at refreshing Moutai's fusty image. In 2022, the distiller partnered with dairy brand Mengniu to make ice cream.

The new drink has not pleased everyone and angered some, as dismayed customers discovered that the Saucy Latte did not in fact contain the anticipated sauce. The world-famous Kweichow Moutai is not present in the drink, but rather a nameless "baijiu-flavored dairy product." 

The maker of the "product" Saishang Dairy quickly assured the public that 30 million yuan worth of Moutai had gone into the brew.