If You Grew Up In The '80s, You Probably Remember This Boozy Canned Drink

The list of things that can trigger a nostalgia trip is limitless. It could be a song you haven't heard since college. An advertisement from the '90s, or a scene from a movie you watched as a kid. For anyone who grew up in the '80s, the mere mention of this drink can send them stumbling down memory lane. Strong, sweet and colorful, we're talking about Purple Passion — a harbinger of good times (and very bad hangovers). If a story starts with "there was this one time we were drinking Purple Passion," keep your ears peeled; it's probably going to be a good one.

For those who have no idea what we're on about, Purple Passion was a bottled drink that became extremely popular through the '80s, with sales hitting nearly a million cases. The drink combined Everclear with grape juice and wine, and was a big favorite among college students. Everclear is America's best-known grain alcohol, and has an ABV of 95%. This is very high. For context, Charbay's Clear Vodka, which came first in our ranking of 19 popular vodkas in America, has an ABV of 40%.

Life Of A Ginger, a popular cocktail recipe blog, refers to the Purple Punch as a "totally awesome" drink that tasted like "grape soda on steroids," and that the "bonus was you only needed a couple drinks to feel buzzed". According to them, the drink was especially a hit with women because the grapes cut the strong alcohol taste (quick note: Grape juice isn't the only thing that softens the grain alcohol's rough edges. Here are 10 drinks you can mix with Everclear).

Purple Passion was first packaged and sold in 1986 by Luxco, the makers of Everclear. According to the website, Purple Passion was a pioneer in the ready-to-drink cocktail market, though the history of canned cocktails dates back to the 19th century. And it didn't quite invent Purple Passion, either. The drink itself was being made since the 1950s by college students, who were stirring up boozy punches using Everclear and grape juice. Having been through multiple iterations over the decades, the company most recently relaunched Purple Passion in 2014, as a gentler wine-based drink with 5% ABV. "We have seen a trend in consumers increasingly favoring beverages that are light and flavorful, which fits Purple Passion perfectly," Laura Bogart, brand manager at Luxco, said at the time, labeling it a refreshing choice for summer months.

It's not this mild version that people remember, though. When it comes to Purple Passion, a majority of the happy memories online are accompanied by those of epic hangovers. "Many years ago, a friend made it and brought it to my house for me and my guests. I remember that it had quite a kick and caused a nasty hangover. Haven't had it since," a Facebook user wrote on a 1950s nostalgia thread, while a Redditor perfectly captured the spirit of this spirit. "I just woke up from the blackout I endured drinking this in high school. What'd I miss?"

Meanwhile, there are a whole bunch of copycat recipes online, suggesting that while the hangovers aren't missed, the flavors are. One of them suggests mixing vodka (the regular, 40% ABV stuff), with triple sec, grape juice, and sprite, while another combines vodka with grape juice, grape Kool-Aid, and simple syrup.