Wandering Barman found victory in BevNET’s first ever Cocktail Showdown pitch competition today, emerging as the champion among a field of 10 ready-to-drink and ready-to-pour cocktail brands.
The New York-based brand sells seven varieties of cocktails with multiple base spirit options and varying alcohol content, including La Nina Margarita (tequila and bitters with marigold and kaffir lime, 20% ABV), Swipe Right (date-infused bourbon Old Fashioned, 34% ABV), Iron Lady (rose gin and hops sling, 20% ABV), FOMO (a vodka pineapple sling, 20% ABV), Socialite (an elderflower gin Old Fashioned with cucumber, 26% ABV), Boomerang (burnt maple bourbon Old Fashioned, 30% ABV) and Miss Casanova (spicy hibiscus Daiquiri with rum, 18% ABV). Each drink is sold for $5-$8 per 100 mL flask in retail.
Wandering Barman was spun off from Yours Sincerely, a New York draft cocktail bar that specializes in pre-made, pourable drinks. Founded by Julian Mohamed, Darren Grenia and Roxane Mollicchi, the company first began bottling its concoctions to sell to other bars and restaurants before later making the leap to the off-premise market.
“In the beginning when we were self-distributing we put zero energy into securing off-premise accounts,” Mohamed told the judges during the competition. “But after experiencing our cocktails in their favorite bars and restaurants, consumers were asking their local wine and liquor stores about our products. Before long those stores were contacting us to carry us.”
Judges during the competition included Heidi Dillon Otto, managing director of Distill Ventures – North America; Molly Horn, manager of cocktail strategy at Total Wine & More; and Tony Abou-Ganim, owner of The Modern Mixologist.
The judges praised the brand’s complex craft formulations, refined labels and its strategy of initially targeting on-premise accounts before expanding into retail.
“The recipes, the cocktails, the form, the bottle, the artwork just delivers something unique,” Otto said. “I think consumers are looking for elevated experiences, they’re curious about ingredients and they want to have really interesting choices across the board. We’re seeing that more and more and you guys have really nailed all three of those.”
Wandering Barman competed alongside nine other RTD cocktail brands, including Brody’s Crafted Cocktails, Fishers Island Lemonade, DRNXMYTH, Drifter Cocktail Co., Griffo Distillery, Loverboy, Plain Spoke Cocktail Company, Post Meridiem Spirit Company and Tip Top Proper Cocktails.
The inaugural Cocktail Showdown reflected the influx of new entrants into the fast emerging ready-to-drink cocktail space. The competitors showcased a wide range of cocktail types from classic concoctions like Negronis and Daiquiris to easy-to-sip spiked teas to rich, craft recipes.
As the winner, Wandering Barman will receive an engraved trophy, a $10,000 ad package from BevNET, and highly coveted bragging rights.