What's hitting the shelves? Olive leaf gin, canned cocktails, and more
Tanqueray gin cans
Tanqueray Gin will debut Tanqueray Crafted Gin Cocktails in a Can next month in select US markets.
The RTD cocktails use Tanqueray Gin, natural flavors, and are finished with tonic water or sparkling soda.
Available in three variants – Tanqueray Gin & Tonic, Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin & Soda, and Tanqueray Sevilla Orange Gin & Soda – the cocktails have been ‘crafted to awaken taste buds and change expectations of gin.’
Tanqueray Crafted Gin Cocktails in a Can have a 6.0% ABV per 12 FL OZ. can and will be available for $14.99 / 4 Pack in select markets starting September 2020 (Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington) before expanding to further markets in 2021.
S.Pellegrino Essenza
S.Pellegrino Essenza is launching Blood Orange & Black Raspberry, the newest flavor in its line of Flavored Sparkling Natural Mineral Water.
This new flavor is “citrusy, mellow and light, perfectly complementing rich foods such as red meat dishes, cheesy pasta and pizzas”, and is now available across the US at Target and Amazon.
“With 0 calories and 0 sweetners, Blood Orange & Black Raspberry Essenza is the perfect beverage to sip on while savoring the summer at a socially distanced backyard barbecue or picnic in the park,” says the Nestle Waters brand.
Tambovskaya vodka
Amber Beverage Group (ABG) is launching a new vodka brand in Austria this month.
The Tambovskaya vodka range debuts with Tambovskaya Osobaya Silver Vodka and Tambovskaya Pink Vodka.
According to IWSR figures, around 7.4 million bottles of vodka were sold in Austria in 2019: and ABG sees consumers shifting towards better and higher quality vodka. Elena Azhnova, ABG’s route-to-market strategist, said: “It is an exciting time for the vodka category with growing consumer demand for authentic brands. There’s strong potential for Tambovskaya Vodka as it is an authentic quality product, with the spirit from Tambov Oblast in Russia being a key ingredient.
“Tambovskaya Osobaya Silver Vodka has been crafted based on the original Osobaya vodka recipe. It is an incredibly smooth vodka, with hints of honey-like sweetness and notes of fresh citrus. It is best enjoyed as a shot with ice or topped up with tonic water and garnished with fresh dill and lemon zest.
"Tambovskaya Pink Vodka is an innovative answer to the popular pink gin trend. It offers natural raspberry and lime flavours and is a light, natural pink colour, perfect for refreshing summer cocktails. It is best enjoyed topped up with tonic and garnished with lime or mixed with fresh raspberries, honey and soda, garnished with orange, lime, strawberries and mint.”
The Tambovskaya Vodka range will be managed by Mountain Spirits in Austria, a distribution company based in the Tirol region that joined ABG in December 2019.
Vodka soda
A new RTD vodka soda brand, Two Days, will launch its first two products in the UK in September.
Served in 330ml cans, the light and sessionable RTD vodka sodas will be naturally flavoured, launching initially with a vodka lime soda and a vodka raspberry soda.
With a lower ABV (3%) than other hard seltzers on the market, Two Days vodka sodas are low in calories (around 60 calories per can), gluten free and contain zero sugars or sweeteners.
Each drink uses five-times distilled British vodka, lightly sparkling water and a squeeze of either lime or raspberry.
The name ‘Two Days’ comes from Elise Marks and Brendan Bennett’s desire to launch a drink that can be enjoyed today without the worry of missing out on tomorrow. While in lockdown - and with both in full time sales and marketing roles at Microsoft - they discussed wanting to be sociable and enjoy drinks with friends one day, while still feeling energised to enjoy the next. The concept of Two Days was born, and Elise and Brendan left Microsoft to pursue it full time.
Sipful premium canned cocktails
Sipful Drinks, a new range of premium canned cocktails and wines, is launching in the UK.
The brand is the brainchild of husband and wife team Darius and Emily Darwell, who are eyeing up rapidly growing demand for premium, naturally sourced canned wines and cocktails. Canned RTD beers, wines and spirits have been surging in popularity in recent years, with the UK canned wine market growing 125% in the year to August 2019, creating a £3.6m market.
The Darwells were inspired by hiking, camping and wild swimming trips in the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales. “Whenever we set out on an adventure together, we’d usually pop a craft beer or two in the rucksack,” said Emily. “I was always hoping to find an alternative that would be more easy-drinking but there just wasn’t anything that provided the quality and natural taste I was looking for.”
Looking for a premium RTD wine or cocktail without an artificial, overly sweetened taste, the couple was surprised at the lack of options available compared to the British craft beer market.
The first line of the range includes a Classic Mimosa, Blood Orange Mimosa and a Peach Bellini, all of which are made with real fruit, natural flavours and colours and mixed with organic Spanish bubbly wine. The Airen white wine, from La Mancha in central Spain, is also available on its own in a separate can.
Sipful drinks are currently available in gift sets of 4 or 12 from the company’s online shop or from Amazon.
Olive Leaf Gin
Australian distillery Four Pillars has launched a gin which uses cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil alongside olive leaf from three varieties of olive, combined in the pot with seven other classic and native botanicals.
“The genesis of this idea was a gin we made in 2015 called Cousin Vera's Gin – a gin made with our friends at Santamania in Madrid, and our first foray into savoury, Mediterranean-inspired gin flavors,” said co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie.
“It came and went pretty quickly and remains a cult classic in the Four Pillars canon. From that moment on, we knew gin and olives would combine beautifully and a trip to the olive groves of northern Victoria confirmed it for us.
"After visiting Cobram Estate during olive harvest in 2019 we realised olive oil could be a brilliant botanical alongside olive leaf. The aroma, flavour and texture of fresh olive is stunning, and we did a year of trials before finalising the recipe for this gin.
"The botanicals include a big base of juniper with a savoury overlay of coriander seed, rosemary, olive leaf, extra virgin olive oil, bay leaf, lemon myrtle, macadamia, orris root, and fresh lemon and grapefruit.”
The gin is described as ‘savoury, textural, bright and perfect for any Martini’.
Olive Leaf Gin will be available throughout Australia from September 2020. The gin will also be available in select international markets, including the US, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam from October 2020, followed by the UK and Europe from Easter 2021.
Vacay launches canned cocktails
A new RTD canned cocktail brand, Vacay, is launching in the UK this month.
The initial range of four cocktails is Moscow Mule, Tom Collins, Paloma and Blood Orange and Hibiscus Vodka Soda. The range is free from artificial flavors or sweeteners and is gluten-free and vegan.
"As the premiumization trend continues to grow, we’ve seen that canned cocktails mixed with the finest quality natural ingredients are not only the beverage of choice for many consumers, but also provide an efficient and effective offering for on-trade venues,” said founder Chris Caruso.
“We created Vacay as we wanted to provide an exciting option that tastes delicious, but also offers venues the speed of service they require.”
Fungtn
A new range of premium alcohol-free craft beer is bringing “the ancient wisdom of medicinal mushrooms to the modern mindful drinker with a trio of myco adaptogenic beers that deliver functional and positive benefits with every sip.”
Launching this month, Fungtn is the UK’s first craft beer to be brewed with myco adaptogens.
Fungtn is launching for both the on and off-trade with three SKUs: ‘Lion’s Mane IPA with neurotrophic benefits; an immunity-boosting Reishi Citra Beer; and a Chaga Lager with antioxidant properties to help fight free radicals.’
“In addition to the health benefits associated with medicinal mushrooms, brewing the beer with myco adaptogens enhances the depth and body of the beer, resulting in a fuller viscosity and classic beer mouth-feel that is not usually associated with alcohol-free beers,” says the brand. “Myco adaptogens have a complex, delicate flavour that blends well into drinks, without the beers tasting of mushrooms.”
Fungtn was brought to fruition during the 2020 lockdown by Zoey Henderson, a mindful drinking consultant with over 15 years experience in the hospitality industry.
“Mindful drinkers are no longer just looking for products that simply mimic the flavour of alcohol, but instead are actively seeking out NoLo drinks that put a little extra into our bodies, performing a functional benefit while also tasting great,” said Henderson.
“Fungtn is a vegan, gluten-free and hangover free way of enjoying the ceremony of an ice-cold craft beer at the end of busy day, whilst also benefiting from the fungi as a natural solution to combat the stresses of our hectic modern lives”.
Shaken Other
UK premium milkshake brand Shaken Udder has entered the plant-based market with the launch of its dairy-free sister brand, Shaken Other.
The brand’s target market is the 25 million flexitarians in the UK. It is made with ethically-sourced coconut milk and is free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. It comes in two flavors, chocolate and strawberry, and is packaged in 330ml bottles.
“Using our years of milkshake experience and being obsessed with great taste, we’ve created this delicious range of plant-based alternative shakes” said Andy Howie, co-founder.
“We believe that dairy-free drinks shouldn’t compromise on taste or choice.
“The inspiration for the name came from the challenge that ‘Udder’ is so strongly associated with milk that it didn’t fit. So Shaken Other was born. We wanted to reassure our loyal consumers of our commitment to flavor while also being clear that this is a milk alternative."
Larger seltzer and cider sizes
Austin Eastciders is launching larger sizes for two of its drinks: with 19.2oz can sizes for Pineapple Cider and Black Cherry Spiked Seltzer.
“Sometimes 12 fl. oz is just not enough. We’ve decided to up the ante on two favorites —Pineapple Cider and Black Cherry Spiked Seltzer—to 19.2 oz,” says the hard cider brand.
“The two will be in great company, joining a few others sitting tall on shelves next to others in the Austin Eastciders lineup including Original Dry Cider and Blood Orange, who both happen to be the top-selling 19.2oz Cider SKUs in Texas Convenience and Texas Grocery.
“Going big is an industry trend. According to recent grocer reports, the 19.2 oz. size is growing +140% from last year across the entire beer category.”
The MSRP for the new sizes is $2.99 each and they are currently available wherever Austin Eastciders is sold.
