News Just the tonic
Violet Blossom tonic
Mikey Enright The founder of Alnwick-based Artisan Drinks Co says the business is continuing to expand with new methods of reaching customers during the Covid-19 lockdown. For founder Steve Cooper, Artisan is the culmination of years of experience in the drinks industry. A previous head of innovation for Coca Cola, it was while he was working in Australia that Artisan Drinks was born. Steve and his friend Alan Walsh, an artist who has worked on many major branding campaigns, went out one night to The Barbershop, a Sydney bar recently voted The Best Gin Bar in the World. They got talking to bar owner Mikey Enright and realised that their various skills were the perfect mix to launch their own
Steve Cooper company – creating premium mixers in unique flavours and with a highly visible brand. “The growth in premium spirits made us realise there was a real market for an innovative premium mixer range,” said Steve. “There were other companies which have certainly paved the way, but we like to think of ourselves as the next generation of mixers, building on what’s gone before and offering something really different.” That “something different” seems to be hitting the mark, with a major export campaign on course for rapid expansion before Covid-19 hit. However, the company is simply taking it in its stride and finding new ways to work. Online orders via its Artisan Drinks shop (www.
artisansdrinksc.com) and outlets like Amazon are ensuring that the company is weathering the current storm. The Artisan Drinks stable currently includes seven flavours, all of them natural, comprising Violet Blossom Tonic, Agave Lemon Tonic, Pink Citrus Tonic, Classic London Tonic and a Skinny London Tonic, along with a Barrel Smoked Cola and a Fiery Ginger Beer. Pink Citrus Tonic was voted number one by 38,000 members of the Craft Gin Club, the largest monthly gin box subscription in the UK. “That was a fantastic accolade for us and just shows we’re on the right track,” said Steve. The mixer market has come a long way since your drink was topped up out of a gun in a bar with some syrupy mixture purporting to be cola, soda or tonic. “There’s been an incredible change in this market, because people now want to drink premium spirits and they, understandably, want a premium mixer to enjoy it at its best,” said Steve. “And that’s what we’re offering.”
Alan Walsh
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The Northumbrian
