Greiner Packaging International (GPI, Kremsmünster / Austria; www.greiner-gpi.com) has introduced a new “bottle-in-the-bottle” packaging for Germany’s U-Boot Getränke (St. Ingbert; http://uboot-getraenke.de) that it says is a global first in the spirits sector. The innovative packaging means the “u-boat” drink – consisting of a schnapps glass filled with spirits that is then dropped into a soda glass – can now be sold in any establishment without needing actual glasses.

The two PET bottles are made by injection stretch blow moulding, and are connected by one HDPE seal that opens both. While the small bottle, located inside the larger one, has a snap-on neck, the large bottle has a screw-top neck, both of which are injected. Explaining the drinking experience, Günter Ausserwöger, head of GPI’s Kavo division, said, “Both bottles are sealed with the same cap which, when unscrewed, detaches the smaller inner bottle – the ‘U-boat’ – from the seal; the U-boat then sinks into the bigger outer bottle.”