Jack Daniels, Coca

The new Jack and Coke canned cocktails will start rolling out this year.

Mike Pomranz has been covering craft beer for nearly two decades and trending food and beverage news for Food & Wine for 7 years.

Maybe it's simply because Prohibition is now nearly one century into our rearview, but mainstream brands seem to be more willing to embrace alcohol in recent years. From Dunkin' collaborating on branded beers to Oreo working with Barefoot on a wine, the stigma of getting boozy isn't what it once was. And now, even soft drink brands aren't afraid to go the hard route: like PepsiCo's Mtn Dew releasing 5 percent ABV versions of their signature sodas and Coca-Cola's Fresca launching a line of canned cocktails.

So today, we've finally gotten an announcement which probably should have been a no-brainer for a long time: Brown-Forman, the spirits company behind Jack Daniel's, and The Coca-Cola Company, are finally teaming up to release canned cocktail versions of an official Jack & Coke.

These forthcoming alcoholic drinks — which will simply be called Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola — are "inspired by the classic bar cocktail [and] will be made with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and Coca-Cola," the drinks giants announced, stating the obvious. Both brands also plan to keep their identities front and center, with the packaging slated to "feature two of the world's most recognizable and valuable trademarks."

Both regular and zero sugar versions will eventually be released globally, but the new drink will debut in Mexico towards the end of this year. The brands say most of these canned cocktails will be 5 percent ABV, but that may vary depending on the market.

"This relationship brings together two classic American icons to deliver consumers a taste experience they love in a way that is consistent, convenient, and portable," Lawson Whiting, CEO and president of Brown-Forman Corporation, stated. "Brown-Forman has been a leader in the ready-to-drink category since we launched our first Jack Daniel's RTD more than 30 years ago. Coca-Cola perfectly complements Jack Daniel's and our existing RTD offerings, enabling us to accelerate expansion and continue to grow our business around the world."

Meanwhile, James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, added, "We keep consumers at the center of everything we do as we continue to develop our portfolio as a total beverage company, and that includes new products with our iconic Coca-Cola brand."