 Two Dogs logo | |
| Type | Alcopop |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Two Dogs |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Introduced | 1993 |
Two Dogs was aready-to-drink beverage that was first introduced inAustralia in 1993 and went on to become available throughout the world. It was alemon flavouredalcoholic beverage that is widely considered to have been the "world’s first brewed alcoholic lemonade"[1] (despite the pre-existence of traditional drinks likesima), paving the way for similar products such asHooper's Hooch andMike's Hard Lemonade.
Two Dogs was created in 1993 by the South Australian brewer Duncan MacGillivray.[1][2] The tale behind the drink says that MacGillivray, an owner of a small brewery and pub in South Australia, was having a beer with some friends who owned a lemon farm. They mentioned that they didn't know what to do with all their lemons that they couldn't sell due to size. Duncan said "I'll try brewing them." He soon had a truck of lemons on his hands and went to work brewing them. The result was a drink that started selling pretty well.[2] Now Duncan was faced with marketing and selling the beer and had to come up with a name. All he could think of was the punch line to a joke he had heard. Thus Two Dogs brewing company was born. There was a "Why Do You Ask?" on the bottle. This was also part of the joke.
The product was acquired by theFrench alcoholic beverage companyPernod Ricard in 1995,[2] who owned the brand until 2006, when it was sold to theKirin Brewery Company ofJapan.[3]
Two Dogs was brought to theUnited Kingdom in 1995, where the rights to manufacture and distribute the product were originally owned by thecider makerMerrydown,[4][5] but the distribution rights were sold toScottish Courage in 1997.[5]