Pepsi Twist
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Beverage
Pepsi Twist, also marketed as Pepsi Lemon Twist, is a lemon-flavored version of the regular Pepsi Cola soft drink, marketed by PepsiCo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The drink was test marketed in 2000 and launched in November 2001 in the United States, around the same time as its rival The Coca-Cola Company's Coca-Cola with Lemon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> although has since been discontinued in America. Pepsi Twist has been marketed in other regions around the world, including no-calorie variants Diet Pepsi Twist/Pepsi Twist Light (Diet Pepsi) and Pepsi Twist Zero Sugar (Pepsi Zero Sugar), and continues to be sold in parts of South America and Europe.
Precursor
Bottled lemon-flavored Pepsi cola dates back to 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first incarnation of Pepsi Light was cola and lemon flavor with 50% fewer calories. It was soon replaced with lemon-flavored diet cola of the same name in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States called Pepsi Light, which was lemon-flavored by necessity to counteract the aftertaste of the artificial sweetener saccharin. When aspartame became more widely available, the lemon flavoring was removed from the newly rechristened Diet Pepsi in 1983.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Marketing
United States
The product was advertised during Super Bowl 2003, with Ozzy, Jack and Kelly Osbourne appearing in the commercial, along with Florence Henderson and Donny and Marie Osmond.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was also endorsed by pop singer Britney Spears in 2002 and 2003, as part of her contract with the company; it also appeared as a promotional tie-in with Austin Powers in Goldmember.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2005, Japanese toy company Takara released a special edition Transformers Optimus Prime (known as "Convoy" in Japan) figure in Pepsi colours, with a bottle/can holding trailer. Known as Pepsi Convoy, this figure comes pre-packaged with a cardboard Pepsi Twist bottle.Template:Citation needed This figure was later released two years later in America as "Pepsi Optimus Prime", with some slight modifications.Template:Citation needed
Professional wrestler CM Punk dubbed one of his signature moves the Pepsi Twist.Template:Citation neededTemplate:Relevance inline
Brazil
In 2002 a pair of lime mascots (although referred to as lemons) were created for a TV commercial in Brazil dubbed by actors and comedians Lúcio Mauro Filho and Bruno Mazzeo, involving a style of acid humor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The popularity of the commercials involving the characters led to them becoming brand mascots, often returning to appear together every time the brand was relaunched and sometimes also appearing printed on the cans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2007, plush toys of the characters were distributed through a campaign called "Toma que o Limão é seu" ("Take the Lemon, it's yours").<ref name="ABIR194">Template:Cite web</ref> The plushes were distributed again in 2014 in another promotion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016 a female lime (referred to as "limoa") appeared in a commercial being voiced by singer Anitta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The characters also appeared in a collaboration with the Ruffles brand for the launch of Ruffles' lemon flavor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018 another mascot was created for the limited ginger flavor in Brazil also sold under the Pepsi Twist brand, called Gengibrão.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Availability
Americas
In the US, Pepsi Twist was introduced on June 16, 2000 in the Minnesota and Texas states of the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After a successful test run, it was released all across the country on November 5, 2001.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> The product was marketed until being discontinued in the summer of 2006.Template:Citation needed Pepsi Twist made a brief informal return in the summer of 2008, with the NFL Kickoff Limited Edition Flavor, which boasted that it was Pepsi "with a kick of lemon."Template:Citation needed
Pepsi Twist launched in Brazil on 1 February 2002<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and became a fairly successful product.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A limited-edition version was also sold, the Pepsi Twistão, with an even stronger lime flavor.Template:Citation needed
Pepsi Twist was launched in Chile in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Argentina, it went on sale in October 2002, the following year "Pepsi Twist Light" was launched, until it was withdrawn from the market in late 2004 because of low sales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of 2023 they announced its return as "Pepsi Twist Black".Template:Citation needed In Uruguay, Pepsi Twist was first launched in 2005. Ten years later, it was reintroduced in a limited edition in September 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was brought back again in January 2025, in no-calorie Pepsi Zero Sugar formulation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Europe
Pepsi Twist was launched in Great Britain by local distributor Britvic in July 2002, being the first launch of a Pepsi brand variant in the country since Pepsi Max in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was soon discontinued, with Britvic announcing a similar drink for their Pepsi Max range called Lemon and Lime Twist, in November 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> PepsiCo also launched Pepsi Twist in France, in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pepsi Twist was introduced in Poland in the summer of 2002.Template:Citation needed In 2013, PepsiCo decided to introduce Pepsi Light Lemon in Poland, without the "Twist" brand name.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pepsi Twist is marketed in Romania as of 2006 under the name Pepsi Twist Lemon as well as Pepsi Twist Light Lemon (diet version).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, Pepsi Twist Zero Sugar was introduced in Romania, which is based on Pepsi Zero Sugar (newly renamed from Pepsi Max).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Czech Republic and Slovakia, Pepsi Twist was introduced in 2002, its diet counterpart Pepsi Twist Light was introduced in January 2003. Both versions were on sale as of 2010.<ref>Pepsi Twist on Slovak distributor's website Template:Webarchive (in Slovak)</ref><ref>Pepsi Twist Light on Slovak distributor's website Template:Webarchive (in Slovak)</ref>
Pepsi Twist launched in Italy in late 2002.Template:Citation needed In 2012, a variant called Pepsi Twist Fusion launched in Italy in a special bottle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pepsi Twist launched in Portugal in 2003<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as a limited edition during summer, and has remained popular.Template:Citation needed The drink has also been sold in Turkey, and is available as of 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the Netherlands and Belgium, the original Pepsi Twist was sold for a while, and was replaced by Pepsi Max Twist, a "lemon and lime" version, which has also been discontinued.Template:Citation needed It has since been returned under the "Pepsi Max Cool Lemon" brand.Template:Citation needed In Ukraine, Pepsi Twist was released in 2004. In 2012, it was reintroduced under the "Pepsi +1" logo and "Pepsi-Twist" trade name.Template:Citation needed In Latvia, Pepsi Twist was introduced in late 2011.Template:Citation needed
Asia
PepsiCo launched the drink under the name "Pepsi A-ha" in India in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It did not sell very well and was later phased out.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The drink was also launched in Thailand, in October 2002<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and then relaunched as Pepsi Twist with Extra Lemon in March 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pepsi Twist was released in Japan in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the Philippines, it was released in 2002, and was an instant hit among the teenagers, but failed to capture the market.Template:Citation needed Pepsi Twist was also released in Pakistan in 2006. The product failed to capture the market.Template:Citation needed In Cyprus, Pepsi Twist was introduced at the start of 2014.Template:Citation needed