Washington, Oct 22: The once-spurned clamato juice, tomato juice laced with clam, has got a new lease of life thanks to its suddenly discovered popularity among Latino customers who consider it as an aphrodisiac. Discovering that Latinos view clam juice as enhancing sexual potency, Mott's, a unit of London's Cadbury-Schwepes PLC, decided to focus Clamato's entire annual marketing budget on the Hispanic or Latin American market in the US.
Sales of the drink have jumped as a result to USD 35.4 million in 2002, from USD 29.5 million in 1999, the year before the Hispanic initiative started, claimed a media report. At a sea food restaurant in New York, the mostly Latino clientele go through at least 50 boxes of 64-ounce bottles of clamato monthly -- nearly double what the restaurant sold a year ago. Served as a base for seafood cocktail or mixed with beer, the juice is especially popular among young diners who believe it arouses passion, owner Nelson Hernandez said. Bureau Report