What’s more New York than bodegas? How about buying a New York drink with New York’s championship basketball team on the label?
Snapple announced on Friday, Oct. 16, that its limited-edition Knicks Championship bottle is finally available to buy. It first debuted at a series of “mystery” locations in June, with help from another New York staple, Meals by Cug. Starting Oct. 19, fans can pick up the commemorative glass bottle for $2.99 at bodegas across the New York City metro area, while supplies last.
The bottle celebrates the Knicks’ 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 13. It was the franchise’s first title since 1973. Jalen Brunson scored 45 points in the clincher, a Knicks record for a Finals game. And the team got there after a 29-point comeback in Game 4, the largest in NBA Finals history.
The timing makes the collab extra fitting. Snapple was founded in 1972 by three entrepreneurs from Brooklyn, just one year before the Knicks’ previous championship. In other words, the brand is about as old as the drought the bottle is celebrating.
When it first dropped this summer, Snapple skipped store shelves entirely and turned the drink into a citywide scavenger hunt. Clues came from Meals by Cug, the Staten Island-raised creator Danny Mondello. He’s known for his no-nonsense reviews of Italian American food and recently opened his own sandwich shop and café, Casa Cugine, in Williamsburg. Snapple said its announcement post quickly became its most engaged Instagram post ever.
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The original June run was limited to 100 numbered Peach Tea bottles, and many of them quickly appeared on the resale market. (*Recent eBay listings for the “1/100” bottles have been asking anywhere from about $230 to $800, with one seller listing a sealed bottle for nearly $1,000.) That makes the new $2.99 bodega price a slam dunk for fans who missed out the first time.
To celebrate the Knicks’ home opener, Snapple is also releasing a limited-edition cup with the same artwork. It’s available at the Snapple Mini Mart with the purchase of any Snapple.
For fans who missed out on the June hunt, there’s no detective work required this time, just a trip to the corner bodega. So take care, brush your hair, and snap to it.