“Diet Coke parties” are in vogue across India as bars and restaurants tap into a social media frenzy sparked by a shortage of the cola linked to the Iran war.
Unlike most other markets, Diet Coke is sold only in cans in India, making the beverage more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions caused by shipments stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Amid a supply squeeze, Diet Coke cans can still be scooped up online, but in limited quantities.
Indian bars and social media influencers have spotted a chance to profit from the scarcity, organizing parties that come with a US$10 to US$16 entry fee and offer access to Diet Coke, as well as music, alcohol and activities such as can decoration and themed T-shirt painting.
Photo: Reuters
In New Delhi, revelers dressed in Diet Coke-themed attire mixed the drink with local spices, jalapenos and honey. At a Mumbai event, entry tickets doubled as raffle entries, with two winners taking home 50 Diet Coke cans each.
“We had a cocktail menu which we call Coke-tails. The idea was to bring fans together,” said 25-year-old marketing executive Ishika Gupta, who calls herself a “big Diet Coke fan.”
She was the first to throw a Diet Coke party in India last week and plans to organize more, while holding discussions with Coca-Cola, which has taken notice.
“The company reached out to see if more events can be done,” she said.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi count India as a major growth market, and, with the exception of Diet Coke, most of their drinks are sold in plastic and glass bottles, as well as cans.
A Ninecamp Ventures restaurant is to host a party near New Delhi next week when it would offer “Diet Coke on the house” with snacks for US$16.
Ninecamp CEO Chaitanya Mathur said that organizers had requested 500 Coke cans, which they had in stock.
“For the young people it’s about scarcity being a premise of the entire event. That’s where the fun is — the less there is of something is when they want more of it,” Mathur said.
Diet Coke is also a preferred alcohol mixer in India, often paired with rum. It is also popular among health-conscious consumers and its shortage has spurred people to flood social media with humorous memes showing people hoarding the cans in India.
Retail chain Broadway is using the shortage to promote its upcoming New Delhi event.
“In light of the great Diet Coke shortage of 2026 ... we’re turning our space into a full-blown Diet Coke experience,” it said.
A ticket for 999 rupees (US$10.52) would bring together burgers, Diet Coke, vintage art and custom T-shirt painting, Broadway CEO Sankalp Kathuria said.
“It’s a love letter to the cult of Diet Coke,” he said.
An American scientist convicted of lying to US authorities about payments from China while he was at Harvard University has rebuilt his research lab in Shenzhen, China, to pursue technology the Chinese government has identified as a national priority: embedding electronics into the human brain. Charles Lieber, 67, is among the world’s leading researchers in brain-computer interfaces. The technology has shown promise in treating conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and restoring movement in paralyzed people. It also has potential military applications: Scientists at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army have investigated brain interfaces as a way to engineer super soldiers by boosting
Jailed media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai (黎智英) has been awarded Deutsche Welle’s (DW) freedom of speech award for his contribution to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The German public broadcaster on Thursday said Lai would be presented in absentia with the 12th iteration of the award on June 23 at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. Deutsche Welle director-general Barbara Massing praised the 78-year-old founder of the now-shuttered news outlet Apple Daily for standing “unwaveringly for press freedom in Hong Kong at great personal risk.” “With Apple Daily, he gave journalists a platform for free reporting and a voice to the democracy movement in
PHILIPPINE COMMITTEE: The head of the committee that made the decision said: ‘If there is nothing to hide, there is no reason to hide, there is no reason to obstruct’ A Philippine congressional committee on Wednesday ruled that there was “probable cause” to impeach Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte after hearing allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and threats to have the president assassinated. The unanimous decision of the 53-member committee in the Philippine House of Representatives sends the two impeachment complaints to deliberations and voting by the entire lower chamber, which has more than 300 lawmakers. The complaints centered on Duterte’s alleged illegal use and mishandling of intelligence funds from the vice president’s office, and from her time as education secretary under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Duterte and the
Burmese President Min Aung Hlaing yesterday cut all prisoners’ sentences by one-sixth, a blanket measure that a source close to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi said would further shorten her detention. Aung San Suu Kyi has been sequestered since a 2021 military coup, but the senior member of her dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD) party said that while her term had been reduced, her remaining sentence is still unclear. “We also don’t know exactly how many years she has left,” the source told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government
RSS