(Photo: Don Julio)
On Friday, Popeyes Chicken joined forces with Don Julio Tequila to tease a mysterious collaboration.
In a short announcement video posted to Instagram, a DJ is seen playing to a packed crowd in the kitchen of a Popeyes. Bottles of Don Julio Reposado float around the background. The camera pans back to reveal a row of black boxes featuring both brands' logos in gold lettering, sitting on a shelf packed top and bottom with music equipment and food trays. The caption reads:
“The kitchen is heating up for the big game. Party starts 1.31.25."
The "big game" mentioned in the teaser lines up with the upcoming Super Bowl on Feb. 9, leading some to believe that the promo will tie into a blockbuster game-day advertisement. Others have pointed out that the connection may go a level further. After all, Popeyes was founded in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana — the same city that'll host this year's Super Bowl LIX.
As we wait until next week to hear more, we're left with one burning question. What exactly is inside those little boxes?
We have a few ideas, though absolutely nothing is confirmed just yet.
The most common speculation floating around the internet is that Don Julio is teasing some sort of chicken-flavored tequila. Though most users are saying this in jest, we don't think it's totally outside the realm of possibility. Outrageously flavored alcohol has become something of a hot topic over the past few years, especially when brands introduce iconic foods into the equation. Case in point: Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit, the ill-advised mashup that stunned drinkers with its $65 price tag at the end of 2023. For an example that hits a little closer to home for Popeyes, look no further than KFC's 11 Herbed and Spiced Rum.
Another possibility is that the brands are working together on a cocktail kit. We think this is a lot more likely than a full-on chicken-flavored tequila, though it does raise questions of its own.
The most recent example that comes to mind is Papa John's pepperoncini martini kit, a collaboration with Ryan Reynolds' Aviation Gin that encouraged mixologists to stir up sweet and spicy cocktails at home. How exactly chicken could be worked into a cocktail, however, is yet to be seen. On second thought, a chicken and waffles old fashioned doesn't sound half bad.
Our final guess is some sort of tequila-flavored sauce, something along the lines of Popeyes' recent collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion (who, incidentally, has teased a tequila release of her own). Since most Popeyes locations don't sell liquor, rolling out an alcohol product at stores nationwide would likely pose a logistics issue for the fast food chain. If the brand wants to see customers wind around the block, they'll have to go with something nonalcoholic. Tequila-based hot sauces are incredibly popular as is and seem like a natural choice.
One way or another, fans will have to wait until next Friday to hear news from the chicken's mouth.
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