• by Les Luchter , June 24, 2021

The press release, social media posts and YouTube video went up Wednesday morning, the new gin and ginger beer went on sale Thursday afternoon, and the non-alcoholic brew was sold out within a couple of hours.

So went T-Mobile’s brief entry into the beverage business via limited-edition CPG products concocted in partnership with Heritage Distilling and Jones Soda, and sold at t-mobile5gin.com. The site also includes recipes for such cocktails and mocktails as the 5G & T, a Magenta Martini and a 5Ginger Mule.

Noting that its “Un-carrier” spirit had brought its Ultra Capacity 5G network to a potential 150 million people, T-Mobile offered an actual spirit called 5Gin. “Once every five generations, there comes a spirit so bold, it’s like lightning in a bottle,” declared the one-minute video.

5Gin was only available to consumers in 28 states, so to tout its Extended Range 5G network, now available to nearly the entire U.S., T-Mobile offered a non-alcoholic Extended Range 5Ginger Beer, also available in all 50 states.

Jones Soda’s 5Ginger beer sold out quickly for $10 per six-pack, while Heritage Distilling’s 5Gin, a version of its Elk Rider Gin, was still available after a couple of hours at $30 for a 750 ML bottle.

The mobile technology company did not say how many units of each were produced, but made it clear that “we don’t have plans to make more at this time."

T-Mobile referred users wanting more gin or ginger beer to Heritage Distilling and Jones Soda respectively. All three companies are based in the Pacific Northwest.

“Last year, when we said we’d cover 300 million people with 5G by the end of 2021, people thought we were crazy. Now, we’ve blown by that goal six months ahead of schedule,” boasted Mike Sievert CEO of T-Mobile. “As we begin to get back to all the things we have missed, it's time for a celebratory toast with 5Gin and 5Ginger Beer.”