Kentucky Fried Chicken knows what Japan wants to drink when the temperature drops.

Japan gets a lot of much-deserved love for its seasonal cuisine, and as crisp autumn weather starts to turn to winter chills, people are craving warming dishes like stews and hotpots. Japan also enjoys a slew of hot drinks in the winter, with tea and coffee being the most common, but now KFC Japan is offering another of the country’s winter favorites: hot lemonade.

To clarify, in Japan hot citrus isn’t seen as a wellness tonic, but rather a refreshing, enjoyable drink in its own right. It’s usually mixed with honey, but because it’s less sugary than chilled lemonade KFC also makes a point of choosing a lower-acidity variety of lemon for a flavor with a touch of invigorating tartness that’ll leave you licking your lips, but not so much sourness that you’ll be sucking in your cheeks.

Of course, warm honey does soothe sore throats and some extra vitamin C is something most people are thankful for during cold and flu season, so hot lemonade is a drink that both tastes good and makes you feel good, and that goes for feeling good emotionally too, KFC says. “At this time of year, when the wind gets cold and our schedules get busy, how about warming your heart and body with a cup of hot lemonade?” the chain invites.

With a squirt of lemon being a popular addition to fried chicken recipes in Japan, KFC says its hot lemonade, which goes on sale November 10 for 220 yen (US$1.90), makes a great pairing with its marque menu item, but that it’s also a satisfying mid-day break beverage by itself. If you ask us, though, we’d really like to sip on it while munching on one of KFC’s new Japanese sweet potato pies.

Source: PR Times via Entabe
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where he also recommends hot sake, but doesn’t recommend spilling the bottle on your winter coat (he’s speaking from experience).