Lawson makes a bold move in the always competitive combini drink scene.

Mayonnaise isn’t indigenous to the local cuisine, but the condiment has been embraced with open arms/mouths in Japan. In addition to being generously applied to western food such as sandwiches and pizzas in Japan, mayo can be found in certain types of sushi and onigiri (rice balls) as well. We’ve even seen companies in Japan offer sliced sheets of mayonnaise and mayonnaise ice cream.

And now here comes convenience store Lawson with a bold plan to push the mayo envelope even further with the creation of Nomu Mayo, or “Drinkable Mayonnaise.”

Nomu Mayo comes in one of those cups that get used for Japanese convenience store drinks that are just a touch upmarket, offering a little more luxury than their more basic brethren in cans or plastic bottles. Decorated with an illustration of the typical squeeze bottle that mayo comes in in Japan, plus two long squirts of the stuff, Lawson describes Nomu Mayo, which is priced at 198 yen (US$1.30) for a 200-mililiter (6.8-ounce) cup, as:

“The new item that mayo fanatics have long been waiting for! A chilled drink that recreates the rich and sour flavors of mayo.”

However, the packaging also states that this is a “mayonnaise-style drink” which is “not mayonnaise.” Early online chatter following Nomu Mayo’s launch on November 26, though, indicates that the flavor is pretty much an exact match for actual mayonnaise.

While mayo is a popular condiment in Japan, Lawson is taking a bit of a gamble in hoping that the flavor is equally appealing as a drink, where it’s not accompanied by the flavor of whatever food it would ordinarily be applied to. There’s also the question of whether fans of Japanese mayo, which is thicker and less watery than the western version, will be as enamored with the combination of that taste with a more liquid beverage consistency.

Perhaps that uncertainty is why Nomu Mayo’s packaging bears the designation “currently in test sale period,” so we’ll have to wait and see if it gets a passing grade.

Source: Lawson
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