Quality is always the biggest question mark when it comes to ready-to-drink cocktails.
The earliest ready-to-drink brands were sugar-loaded and revolved around convenience. However, as the category evolves, canned cocktail creators have sharpened their game. Nowadays, the quality of an RTD can be indistinguishable from that of a freshly prepared cocktail. Bars and bartenders are embracing the concept because of the efficiency it promotes, allowing sales to skyrocket.
We asked co-founder and president of distillery operations, Brian Treacy for Sagamore Spirit to tell us about the brands collaborative partnership with CAnE Collective’s Aaron Joseph and Ezra Allen, on creating the Sagamore Spirit Canned Cocktail recipes showcasing Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey.
Tell us about the new RTD Pineapple Ryegarita. What inspired the flavor?
The Pineapple Ryegarita was inspired by a real cocktail we mixed up at the distillery. Our team is constantly experimenting with new flavors and ingredients, and we wanted to try our hand at using our award-winning rye whiskey as the base for a traditional tequila cocktail. Our canned version pairs Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey with lime juice, pineapple juice, agave syrup, and natural chipotle flavor. It’s slightly tart with a hint of chipotle making it a refreshing twist on everything you love about a margarita. It’s the perfect canned cocktail to enjoy come summertime, straight out of the can or poured over ice.
How are bartenders and rye-fans receiving the RTD expressions?
The bartending community and our fans have shared that they love the innovative flavor pairings in each recipe and appreciate that we use straight rye whiskey as the base. That was a conscious decision from the start. We wanted to give whiskey drinkers – new and experienced alike – a premium canned beverage with our straight rye whiskey that can be enjoyed wherever the day takes them. Our canned cocktails were developed to showcase the best of Maryland rye by being approachable and versatile while letting natural ingredients in classic cocktail combinations shine through, and the initial reception has echoed exactly that.
We released a very limited run of our first batch of canned cocktails in August 2021, and they were so well received that we expedited their national release this year.
Talk to us about the bartender involvement in the creation of Sagamore Spirit Canned Cocktail line.
Sagamore Spirit canned cocktails were co-created by the innovative mixology minds of Baltimore-based CAnE Collective. The team behind CAnE Collective – Ezra Allen and Aaron Joseph – have a history with our brand so we were excited to partner with them to develop our canned cocktails. They’ve been great collaborators and each time we go back to the drawing board to come up with a new recipe, they put in the time with us to get it exactly right. It took us more than a year to develop and perfect the first three flavors after testing hundreds of variations.
What should bartenders know?
Our canned craft cocktails were created to get as close to the taste of a freshly mixed cocktail as possible, made with the highest quality ingredients: Sagamore Spirit straight rye whiskey, organic juices, and nothing artificial. That attention to quality translates to a batter tasting canned cocktail – so much so that all three of our original canned cocktail recipes (Black Eyed Rye, Honey Paloma, and Lemon Tea Fizz) were awarded “Double Platinum” by the ASCOT Awards this year.
For those who haven’t had a chance to taste them yet, we just announced the national expansion of Sagamore Spirit’s ready-to-drink canned craft cocktails in three vibrant flavors: Pineapple Ryegarita, Honey Paloma and Lemon Tea Fizz. Made with organic juices and naturally gluten-free, our rye whiskey canned craft cocktails are ready to enjoy wherever the day takes you:
- Pineapple Ryegarita: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with lime juice, pineapple juice, agave syrup, and natural chipotle flavor; 7% ABV
- Honey Paloma: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with red grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave, and natural honey flavor; 9% ABV
- Lemon Tea Fizz: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with Meyer lemon juice, green tea, and natural yuzu flavor; 8% ABV
The three cocktails will be sold together in a 6-can variety pack, as well as in single-flavor four-packs – all available in major markets where Sagamore Spirit is sold.
For those in our home state of Maryland, Sagamore Spirit will also release three new canned cocktail recipes this summer – Orange Crush, which will also be available in Washington, D.C., Delaware, and New Jersey, and pays homage to the famed cocktail that originated in Ocean City, Md., as well as Ginger & Rye and Watermelon Sour, both of which will be available exclusively at our Baltimore distillery:
- Orange Crush: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with orange, lemon juice, lime juice, and natural orange flavor; 8% ABV
- Ginger & Rye: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with ginger juice, lime juice, and natural ginger flavor; 8% ABV
- Watermelon Sour: Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey paired with watermelon juice, lime juice, and natural watermelon flavor; 8% ABV
The post Sagamore Spirit Launches its Pineapple Ryegarita Canned Cocktail Just in time for Summer appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
