Bacchus, the famous pharmaceutical beverage, is now available as an ice cream called the Bacchus flavor Sorbet. Dong A Pharmaceutical Co., the maker of the refreshment and energy drink, made the announcement on Nov. 3. The pharmaceutical firm said it signed an agreement with Baskin-Robbins, the famous global ice cream maker, to produce Bacchus for the ice cream market.
The Bacchus ice cream brand has been put on sale at Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlors around the country through the end of the year. Sorbet is a frozen fruit juice with Taurine added without milk. Taurine is a chemical agent that helps people recover from fatigue. Other ingredients include vitamin B, inositol, royal jelly and natural fruits.
The pharmaceutical company wanted to produce its Bacchus in an ice cream form on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the famous refreshment being launched in Korea. It was first introduced in tablet form in 1961 and was changed into its current form, a refreshment pharmaceutical beverage in 1963. It has been able to sustain its popularity ever since as a pharmaceutical drink that helps people recover from fatigue.
Bacchus has been popular in South Korea for many years. Originally it was sold in pharmacies as a “herbal medicine” to prevent colds and cure hangovers, rather than as an energy drink. The Bacchus D and F formulas are both manufactured and sold in South Korea at this time; neither line has been discontinued.
The use of Bacchus-F among college aged adolescents is highly prevalent.
It has recently risen to prominence in American culture alongside other popular energy drinks consumed in combination with alcohol, such as Vodka-Red Bull. The most common form of consumption is the "Bacchus Bomb," which is produced by pouring a full 3.3 oz bottle of Bacchus into a cup and subsequently dropping a shot glass filled with vodka into the cup, with the resulting mixture being consumed as rapidly as possible.
In 2011, the pharmaceutical beverage was changed to a non-pharmaceutical drink, allowing it to be sold in non-pharmaceutical stores including supermarkets and convenience stores.
Officials of Dong A Pharmaceutical explained that they signed a cooperative agreement with Baskin-Robbins to take advantage of the ice cream maker’s appeal to the young people and the Bacchus Flavor Sorbet will be sold at Baskin-Robbins outlets until the end of this year.
The U.S. ice cream maker was expected to focus its marketing on the high school seniors this year, especially during the National Aptitude Exam, stressing its effect on relieving tiredness as an aphrodisiac and also as a food supplement.
Honorary Chairman Kang Shin-ho of Dong A Socio Holdings initiated the production of the famous beverage back in 1961 and the drink has sustained its popularity as a relief for tiredness ever since it was first introduced in the market in 1963.
A string of pharmaceutical firms came up with their own popular beverages in an attempt to latch onto the success of Bacchus. Kwangdong Pharmaceutical put on the market its “Vita 500” in jelly and ice cream form, and Kyungnam Pharmaceutical followed with “Lemona” in jelly form. Both beverages got very good reactions at the market.
In March of this year Dong-A Pharmaceutical Company separated its research center into two parts: Dong-A Socio Holdings Research Center and Dong-A ST Research Center. It also established a new research laboratory for revolutionary medicine in the research center of a shareholding company in order to boost the development of new medicines. Since then, the company has developed new medicines and biopharmaceuticals, while Dong-A ST Research Center has been in charge of testing and releasing the medicine developed in this way.
The establishment of a research center for revolutionary medicine represents a transformation from a “Fast Follower” into a “Fast Mover.” Through this transformation, the company looks forward to closing the innovation gap between itself and pharmaceutical companies of advanced nations, while becoming more competitive in the global market. In order to achieve this, Dong-A Socio Holdings recruited Dr. Yoon Tae-young, who previously worked at the world’s 2nd best transnational pharmaceutical company Novartis Research Center. A medication chemistry research team and a molecular pharmacology research team were formed with about 20 researchers, respectively.
