Bubba Hubba Bubblegum-Flavored Gin Liqueur Will Blow Your Mind
Chew on this: There's a new tasty-sounding pink liqueur that was inspired by a favorite retro gum. Bubba Hubba bubblegum-flavored gin liqueur is a bright pink beverage made by Sweet Little Liqueurs, a Manchester, England-based drink company run by brothers Hani and David Fashhou.
One look at the label (and the name) reveals the drink's inspiration. It sounds and looks a lot like Hubba Bubba bubblegum, a chewing gum that was introduced in the U.S. in 1979 and became an iconic treat of the 1980s.
"Bubba Hubba is a cheeky nod to the original (Hubba Bubba) bubblegum we used to and still do love from childhood," Hani Fashhou told The Daily Meal in an email. "The whole Sweet Little range is based on our love for nostalgic flavors, sweets, candies and desserts. We have hundreds of flavors yet to release." Bubba Hubba was released in July 2018, he said.
The company also makes other flavored gin liqueurs, including marshmallow, violet, popcorn and custard flavors.
The liqueur is available to U.K. buyers from online store Ginspiration for £22.99 (about $30 U.S.) And Fashhou told The Daily Meal that by August, Ginspiration will offer international shipping. "It really has all exploded," he said of interest in the drink.
Needless to say, you don't chew it, but there are numerous ways to use the beverage.
"I personally drink it neat over ice," Hani Fashhou said. "With lemonade, it's amazing, and as for cocktails (the) opportunities are endless."
Bubba Hubba isn't the only bright pink alcoholic beverage to hit store shelves this year. In February, just in time for Valentine's Day, Bailey's released a seasonal flavor based on chocolate-covered strawberries.
Hubba Bubba gum, made by the Wrigley Company, is known for not being as sticky as other bubble gums, so it was easier to peel off your face when that giant bubble finally popped. But the drink may need a new name: The liqueur name is so similar to the gum that some news reports were describing the liqueur not as Bubba Hubba, but as Hubba Bubba, which would seem to assume an association with the gum company that does not exist.
"There is no connection between the Bubba Hubba product and our Hubba Bubba bubble gum," a spokesperson for the Wrigley Company said in an email to The Daily Meal. "This violation of Mars Wrigley Confectionery's intellectual property rights has been raised to our legal team and we will not comment further as it is an open legal matter."
A sticky situation to be sure. If you need some more nostalgia to chew on, check out these foods and drinks from the 1980s that you'll definitely remember.
This story was originally published on August 14, 2018 and was updated on August 15, 2018 to include the statement from Wrigley Company.