the tax had no impact on binge drinking of the drinks by teenagers. Germany On 1 July 2004 the German government increased the tax on mixed drinks based on spirits (e.g. vodka, rum) by roughly one Euro per 275-ml-bottle in order to discourage teenagers drinking excessively, although those drinks were already prohibited for those under the age of 18. This had two implications: The most common alcopops, such as Smirnoff Ice or Bacardi Breezer, were nearly taken off the market, while other manufacturers changed the recipes of their drinks to replace spirit alcohols with wine or beer, but with the same ABV, enabling these mixed drinks (which are not "alcopops" under German law) to be sold legally to minors 16 and 17 years of age. Philippines In 2019, some senators including Pia Cayetano and former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go called for pullout of alcopops from the market due to "deceptive packaging that resembles fruit juices usually bought by young consumers". Alcopops also have seven percent alcohol content, which is slightly lower than that of local beer brand Red Horse Beer. United Kingdom In June 1997, Co-op Food became the first major retailer to place an outright ban on the sale of alcopops in its shops. This has since been rescinded. See also Chuhai Comparison of alcopops Hard seltzer Hard soda Jello shot Jungle juice Nutcracker (drink) Purple drank Queen Mary (beer cocktail) References Sources Bloomberg News, FTC Says Alcohol Type Not Aimed at Minors, Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2002. Melillo, W. FTC: Ads for 'Alcopops' Not Aimed at Teens, Adweek, June 6, 2002. American Medical Association, AMA Says Alcohol Industry Targets Teen Girls, December 16, 2004. California boosts tax on 'alcopops', Associated Press, August 15, 2007. External links Portman Group (a UK alcoholic beverage industry trade advocacy group with a code of marketing practices) New wave of 'sophisticated' alcopops fuels teenage binge drinking The Guardian, 14 December 2002 The demonised drink: How has youth drinking evolved 20 years since the launch of alcopops? The Independent, 29 June 2013 The quiet death of the alcopop BBC News Magazine, 31 July 2013 Premixed alcoholic drinks