Happy Hour: big flavour, big THC and some oddball crossovers
In the news this month: fruit-infused is all the rage, brands are wooing drinkers with mini serves and cocktails are as seductive as they ever were.
Welcome to Happy Hour: our once-a-month roundup of the booze news, moves, stories, opinions and thoughts we’ve been paying attention to.
Cocktail time
A lot of people are drinking the Spaghett, according to Business Insider, who are calling the beer-based cocktail the drink of the summer.
There’s 102 cocktails on the International Bartenders’ Association’s official list, and one man has tried all of them. He’s got some thoughts.
Restaurant critic Bill Addison muses on the ‘martini shivers’ for the LA Times, in an ode to the cocktail’s seductive powers.
It’s pink, it’s topped with balls of honeydew melon, and it’s absolutely synonymous with the US Open. Here’s the story of the Honey Deuce.
Unusual flavours
We seem to be in a time of interestingly flavoured booze. Ramsbury Distilllery has just released hot honey- and wildflower honey-flavoured vodkas.
21 Seeds is also emphasising its fruit-infused flavours (cucumber jalapeno, grapefruit hibiscus, valencia orange) with a new campaign
And according to a report in The Guardian, Diageo’s blackberry-infused whiskey Crown Royal Blackberry has been a standout performer in a lackluster year.
There must be something about blackberry, because Jack Daniels has also just released a blackberry-flavoured edition.
And not to be outdone, Kahlúa has partnered with Dunkin’ on a caramel swirl cream liqueur.
Ever wanted a bloody mary, but in ketchup form? Zing Zang has got you.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Some Celsius energy drinks were actually High Noon vodka seltzers
It looks like Diageo’s about to offload a whole load of brands, in the face of reduced profits.
The Guardian has a bit more on Diageo’s struggles in the wake of Debra Crew’s resignation.
The gin boom is over, says Drinks International, although there’s room to grow in the super-premium part of the sector.
Brewdog is faltering. It’s closing pubs across the UK, it’s being removed as a draught option in UK pubs, and co-founder Martin Dickie just quit the business.
Having built a much-loved brand, whiskey unicorn Uncle Nearest is also sadly experiencing hard times, with Forbes reporting the business has defaulted on $108m of loans. They also quote founder Fawn Weaver, who says: “This is a blip on the radar.”
No and low
Everyone is talking about the latest Gallup poll, that says 54% of American adults say they drink alcohol. The last time the number dropped below 60% was in 1996.
Seedlip and Syvla founder Ben Branson plans to launch a non-alcoholic shandy, and he says it’ll tap into “the crossover between the non-alcoholic sector and soft drinks”.
A moody press shot for alt-free agave spirit Humo Non-alcoholic amaro The Pathfinder has landed $3.6m in funding to take distribution nationwide (and seems to be part of an uptick in interest in these bittersweet, herbal liqueurs).
Lewis Hamilton is also betting on the alc-free sector with his new, non-alc agave spirit Humo (shown above).
Sapporo beer now comes in a premium non-alcoholic version.
Easy Does It is a new (and visually Liquid Deathy) zero beer, set up by skateboarder Erik Ellington.
RTDs and THCs
Ready-to-serve’s reign continues, as Yellowstone Bourbon launches its first bottled cocktails including the fig and honey-flavoured Gold Rush and a good old fashioned Old Fashioned.
THC-infused bev brand Uncle Arnie’s has landed $7.5m in Series A funding – which it’ll use to double its workforce and expand into new markets in the US. It’s reported a pretty impressive 100% year-on-year growth since being founded in 2019.
Uncle Arnie’s THC-infused iced tea Marijuana brand Cookies is branching out into the bev space, with a line of THC-infused drinks in lime, mango, strawberry and…. ‘spicy’.
Alc-free retailer Sèchey launches Sèchey Noir: an e-comm hub for THC- and CBD-infused drinks.
From the world of branding
Jameson has a subtle bottle update, with a brighter color palette, extra foil and textured varnishes.
Another heritage alc brand, Patrón, is also rolling out a bottle update.
Goodrays has a new look, which MD Ben Dando says is all about helping people discover the power of calm.
Wine brand Living Roots has had a makeover including a ‘story symbol’, just in time for its new Finger Lakes tasting room.
ITO Gin’s flour rebrand by Analogue Other Wines shares some of the story behind its recent brand refresh, including its flowy wordmark.
ITO Gin goes fluoro.
Patrón hopes to woo music fans, as it announces a new partnership with Boiler Room. “We’re not just observing the scene, we’re actively influencing it,” says the brand’s vice president, Roberto Ramirez-Laverde, perhaps somewhat ambitiously.
We couldn’t not include this feature on the branding behind Nihilo’s very own rum Esther – designed with duality in mind.
The beer section
How do you become one of America’s fastest growing beers? According to Garage Beer’s CCO, tapping into niche sports fans really helps.
Booze, but make it treat-sized
Sierra Nevada has a new brew: and it comes in a half-pour size.
818 Tequila’s 818 minis Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila is serving up a mega-mini version, designed to clip onto people’s bags.
Walk on the weird side
People, apparently, can’t get enough of beer spas.
Do we need beer-infused soup? Campbell’s and Pabst Blue Ribbon think so.
And finally, in science
Say hi to a new kind of hop: the Dolcita. It’s fast, it’s fruity and – according to Yakima Chief Hops, who are selling it – it’s “a damn good hop”.