Last year, zillions of fanz went nutz when MillerCoors brought back Zima for a limited time. Now, with the '90s-tastic, clear malt beverage returning once again – just for this summer – and product expected to zoom off the shelvez, we wanted to make sure everyone's prepared for the inevitable Z2K.
What’s Z2K, you ask? According to MillerCoors, which announced Zima’s comeback on Monday, Z2K is defined as: "Panic instilled in fans of the delicious, crystal clear malternative at the thought of it running out. Unlike its distant cousin, Y2K, the overhyped doomsday theory that was, let’s face it, super anticlimactic, Z2K is real and will be here before you know it. Fans are encouraged to stock up now."
So, there you go, an alcoholic apocalypse, if your idea of the end of days is no longer being able to buy a fizzy lemon-lime booze drink known more for its hilariously cringe-worthy commercials than its taste.
And, in the spirit of all those weird '90s Zima ads, here's a new video about Z2K:
Nevertheless, nostalgia always goes down smooth, so count us in on Zima’s triumphant re-return/impending departure.
"Last summer, Zima was the ultimate comeback kid," Dilini Fernando, senior marketing manager, innovation, said in a release. "People were picking up a six-pack to relive their '90s memories, to stock up for theme parties or to just see what all the fuss was about. So, when it was time to decide if we were going to bring it back, we thought ‘why wouldn’t we?’
"Everyone needs to try Zima once – it is a novelty. If it’s not for the crystal-clear appearance and familiar citrus taste, it’s the iconic fluted bottle. So, if you didn’t get your hands on a six-pack last year, now is the time to see what all the hype is about and stock up."
According to MillerCoors, fans can follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for Z2K updates, and share how they’re getting ready for "z" end by using hashtag #Z2K. Also, be on the lookout for Z2K Snapchat geo-filters popping up in mysterious places across the country. Click here to locate Zima in grocery, liquor and convenience stores nationwide.
Last year, we celebrated the news by giving you seven reasons MillerCoors was bringing back Zima; those reasons still mostly hold up, so read that article here. And watch the OnMilwaukee staff give the new old stuff a try below:
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
