Jennifer Lopez defends alcohol brand amid criticism: ‘I drink to be social’

Jennifer Lopez has defended the launch of her alcohol brand amid criticism that she doesn’t drink, with the actor explaining why the cocktails are a fitting endeavour for her.

Lopez, 53, addressed the criticism she’s been facing since launching her alcoholic spritz brand, Delola, in a video shared to on Instagram on Tuesday. She first sparked backlash in April, when fans noted that she has previously spoken about being a non-drinker, and about the health benefits of sobriety.

“I know that a lot of people have been talking about: ‘Oh, she doesn’t even drink, what’s she doing with a cocktail line?’” she said. “To tell you the truth, that was true for a long time, I didn’t drink.”

The Marry Me star then explained how her drinking habits have changed over the last 10 to 15 years.

“I have been having the occasional cocktail, I do enjoy the occasional cocktail,”  she said. “I do drink responsibly, I don’t drink to get s***faced. I drink to be social and have a nice time. And kind of relax and let loose a little bit. But always responsibly.”

Lopez then revealed that, while she’s tried various different alcoholic drinks before, such as White Russians and Rosé, she never found one that she “really loved”. She further emphasised that she struggled to find a cocktail that she could refer to as her “drink”. After that, according to Lopez, she was encouraged to make her own cocktail.

“Like anything else in my life, I created it myself. I created Delola,” she said. “And Delola is really about a healthier way, something that fit my lifestyle to drink the way that I would drink, the way Jennifer drinks.”

After noting that Delola has “low calories” and “natural flavours”, Lopez went on to describe why she loved creating the brand.

“Beautiful spritzers that I came up with, ready to be poured over ice, super easy, something that fits my lifestyle,” she said. “Not something that is gonna have to be laboured and I have to work on to get the right flavour and so that’s what I created.”

In April, fans said that they were disappointed by the brand considering Lopez previously said that she was sober. Other people wondered why Lopez would launch the alcoholic drinks considering her husband, Ben Affleck, has been open about being an alcoholic.

Throughout the last few years, Lopez has been vocal about avoiding alcohol for the sake of her health. In a since-deleted video for InStyle, shared via Women’s Health, Lopez expressed her belief that alcohol “ruins [your] skin”.

“Of course, during celebratory toasts, everybody’s like: ‘You can’t toast with water!’ So I’ll toast with alcohol and just take a sip,” she said in the 2015 clip.

According to Medical News Today, “frequent and excessive drinking can lead to several problems with the skin including flushing, reduced elasticity, and dryness”. While some “changes can be benign,” prolonged drinking can cause conditions that impact the skin, such as liver damage.

Lopez’s decision to defend her brand came after non-drinker Blake Lively faced similar criticism after launching her own line of canned alcoholic cocktails. Last week, fans questioned the Gossip Girl star for launching the brand - as she has said that she doesn’t drink - and accused her of creating the beverages just for the sake of getting money.