Today’s cocktail-drinking culture consists of many who are mindful of their health and base their drink of choice on factors like low-ABV, calorie count, organic ingredients, etc. This wholesome trend resulted in the flourishing ready-to-drink category that fit the bill. However, there’s a catch.
The majority of these healthy pre-made alternatives tend to lack the charm of premium and authentic flavors. This is where brands like Zonin1821 come in—offering ready-to-drink enthusiasts an option to enjoy the best of both worlds.
We ask Zonin1821 Head of Marketing, Kirk Dorman to explain the changing the RTD game how Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz fits in.
Tell us about Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz, how does it elevate the RTD category?
When most consumers think of ready-to-drink cocktails, they think of the standard hard seltzers or spirit-based canned cocktails that are low alcohol, low calorie, and light in taste. In the on-trade world, especially with bartenders, pre-made drinkable cocktails lose the charm of premium and authentic flavors. Zonin® Coastal Lemon Spritz is the foundation of Zonin1821 which is our authenticity: we grow, bottle and directly import straight from the source to your tastebuds. Blending 200+ years of winemaking experience with award-winning grapes from Northern Italy, we combined all-natural lemons that gives off an experience of a professionally hand-crafted spritz cocktail, just simply pour over ice.
Talk to us about what sets this spirit apart.
What sets Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz apart from other RTDs is how we capture both the appeal of a spirited cocktail, the essence of Italian culture, and the well-balanced attributes found in our award-winning sparkling wines. It’s a wine cocktail blend that will transport you to the shores of the Amalfi Coast with just one sip.
On one hand, this sparkling wine base goes through the vigorous winemaking process like the production of our Prosecco. On the other hand, you have a spirit-like cocktail blending all natural lemons to create a bold, zesty, and refreshing sparkling wine-based product.
For those that appreciate the experience of evaluating the components of wine, you will find this blend on Italian spumante wine to be beautiful in color and incredibly well-balanced with a nice acidity with subtle sweetness. When poured over ice and served, our wine cocktail transports you from the real world to sipping beachside or poolside on the Italian coastline (hence, the name of the product).
What would you like bartenders to know about Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz?
I would want this (and our future Italian spritz products) to be known to bartenders as a versatile tool in their toolbox, delivering “consistent elevated quality.” Being one of the largest and longest-lasting producers of Prosecco, the Zonin family has always prioritized quality in their wines. Just like our Prosecco, the quality of our RTD spritz consistently delivers crisp bubbly as a stand-alone product or as a sparkling additive to create a playful fruit-infused cocktail. Its interchangeability has value as a twofold item—a backbar ingredient or a stand-alone wine placement on the sparkling wine list.
The RTD category has blown up, tell us where you see this category headed.
I believe the RTD category is going to continue to grow, which is why we wanted to capitalize on it, however we are also aware as the category grows, it will become more saturated. With the continuous growth of Prosecco post-COVID and recent social media trends surrounding cocktail spritz drinks, I think it paved the way for new innovations in this broader category that blurs the lines between traditional wine and hard spirits. Understanding the market opportunities of the modern American consumer and giving it a little Italian flair is our “Zone-In™” approach.
Talk to us about serving Zonin Coastal Spritz on-premise.
We have been told our Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz is as versatile as a spirit/wine Swiss army knife. If serving as is, the product must be chilled and poured over ice to allow the premium blend to lightly dilute in the ice, like a true spritz. Our product is “ready to serve” poured over ice and recommended in a large cocktail goblet or red wine glass to accommodate modern spritz cocktails. For our “elevated serve”, we recommend including lemon wedges and topped with a rosemary sprig to give it a light botanical touch. For mixologists, treat this the same way you would a premium sparkling base wine for unique Spritz cocktails.
Given its 11% ABV, it does not require more alcohol but the pre-made blend works well with tequila, vodka, or gin. As for flavor additives, anything that is well-balanced with citrus lemon works perfectly—we have seen a lot of blends using notes of botanicals and other fruit flavors. With food pairings, it pairs best with “coastal” seafood cuisine and other light dishes, like fresh vegetables and fruit dishes.
What else can you tell us about this spirit?
Our product is a modern twist on a classic, a nod to Italy’s famous lemon regions and to its signature aperitif, Limoncello, just intentionally not as sweet to better balance the spritz cocktail. It uses all-natural ingredients, and candidly it’s just an incredibly refreshing and delicious lemon-infused bubbly spirit. Because it has been so well received, it is no wonder lemon spritzes are currently trending on social media. And we even have cocktail options with spirits on our website at: www.zoninusa.com/CoastalLemonSpritz
What’s next for Zonin?
We have another spritz line extension coming this fall, called Zonin® Orange-Cran Riviera Spritz. Given the direction of the coastal lemon spritz and its feel for capturing perfect warm days you would experience in the spring or summer, we wanted to create a line extension that would best serve as a differentiator in taste as well as a great alternative to capture the fall and winter seasons. What better flavors to include than the zest of an orange blended with the sweetness of cranberry fruit? When you think of the flavors broadly in on-premise, they tend to be some of the most popular juices when blended with spirits/sparkling wine, so we wanted to provide a new spritz product that captures a popular American blend with an added Italian winemaking touch.
Zonin® is celebrating the launch of its new Coastal Lemon Spritz by giving someone the chance to experience it at the source! Learn more at www.zoneinonspritz.com
The post We Ask Zonin’s Kirk Dorman About the Evolving RTD Game and Zonin Coastal Lemon Spritz appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
