finish dry january strong with these “weak” abv cocktail recipes

Dry January started as a way to help people meet their New Year’s resolutions of being healthier and “drying” out after a holiday season full of gluttony and way too many celebrations. The past few years mocktails, alcohol-free cocktails, have really picked up in popularity. People who choose sobriety now have plenty of choices beyond soda and juice when out to dinner or at a bar. Whether it’s for a month, or a lifestyle choice, there is no longer a need to sacrifice taste for a great cocktail.

You also don’t have to completely cut out alcohol, sometimes it’s just nice to cut back and have a “dry-ish” January. Some of us really do need a little something in our glass at the end of a long day to wind down. Others don’t feel it’s necessary to pull back because they never crossed the line in the first place but are happy to try something new in the name of being healthy. Great drinks can be weak on alcohol content but still strong on flavor.

If you are looking for a really simple way to ease into cutting back on alcohol, all the Crafthouse Cocktails are still delicious when mixed with fresh juices and/or sparkling water. I recommend you still serve over ice with a fun garnish for the full cocktail experience. Charles is a big fan of Natalie’s Orchard Island Juices, made with only fresh juice and free from preservatives and additives — just like Crafthouse, they are the perfect complement to our drinks. The obvious choices would be to mix the grapefruit juice with the Paloma, the margarita mix with the Smoky or Spicy Margarita but you can also have some fun and try the strawberry lemonade with the Southside, or the blood orange with the Smoky Margarita…experiment and play around with the flavors there are so many options. To reduce the alcohol content even more, add plain or flavored sparkling water. This is my regular weekday go-to.

If you are ready to step it up and play bartender, Charles came up with some delicious recipes that he recently shared on-air to rave reviews.

Winter Pimms Cup (~6% abv)

1.5 oz Pimm’s Liqueur

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz rosemary simple syrup

1/2 oz blood orange juice

2.5 oz ginger beer

Glass: collins

Prep: Combine Pimm’s, lemon juice, blood orange juice and rosemary syrup in a shaker with ice. Briefly shake, pour over fresh ice into collins glass, top with ginger beer and stir to combine.

Garnish with orange wheels and rosemary sprig.

Garden Party Martini (0% abv)

2 ½ oz Seedlip Garden

½ – ¾ oz Filthy olive brine

dash Fee Bros Celery Bitters

5 drops giardiniera oil

Glass: martini

Prep: Combine all ingredients, save oil, in a mixing glass. Stir well over ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Use eye dropper to place 5 drops spiced oil.

Garnish with fresh herbs. Rosemary and thyme are favorites.

When it comes to cutting back on alcohol, whether it’s for the night, the month or for good…your options have never been easier or tasted better. We predict the low and no ABV trend is here to stay and even though we are a company that makes cocktails, we completely support it. Alcohol isn’t for everyone but no matter what, everyone should have delicious options. Cheers!

Jen Stamper

Brand Storyteller, Crafthouse Cocktails

Charles Joly Making Low ABV Cocktails with Natalie’s Orchard Island Juice

Graduating With Crafthouse Cocktails in Hand

With graduation season in full swing and Memorial Day weekend right around the corner now is a better time than ever to start easing back into socializing with larger groups. Numerous states have loosened their limitations on social gatherings, and with the new changes in CDC guidelines many people are finally starting to venture out of their homes and smaller social circles. This is the moment we have been waiting over a year for, and it is so exciting to finally see people being vaccinated and the country returning to somewhat normalcy.

With any good party for adults one of the most important aspects is of course the alcohol. Planning a graduation or Memorial Day gathering can be stressful but getting great booze doesn’t have to be. Instead of hiring a bartender or spending your own time making drinks for your guests, grab a box or a couple of our Crafthouse Cocktails instead. With 8 different ready to drink cocktail choices to choose from, there is something for everyone, and all you have to do is pour it over ice. This makes for an easy set-up, as well as clean up so you can focus on spending time with friends and family that you have been waiting to see during the pandemic.

I am graduating in the next couple of weeks, and while I am not hosting a party of my own, I do have plenty I will be attending. In college of course it is all about parties and drinking with friends, so it would only be fitting to bring alcohol as a gift for the host. One or two of the Crafthouse bottles are perfect because not only do they taste great, but they look good too and will stand out on any bar. I personally prefer to bring these over a classic bottle of wine because everyone is always eager to try them, and they always end up being a hit. If you’re having a hard time choosing which one to bring, I usually go for the Moscow Mule because it is such a classic that no one can refuse.

This past year has proven to be difficult for everyone, but I am so grateful, like most of us are, to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it’s being able to have graduation in person, or just inviting over some friends that you haven’t been able to see in way too long we all deserve to celebrate. So, with that being said cheers to warm weather, social gatherings, and of course enjoying some delicious Crafthouse Cocktails! 

By Lucy Duffy

The Rise Of The RTD

A typical RTD section at Total Wine & More

The ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage market is doing better than ever and is expected to continue their positive growth into the post-COVID future. Within the past 4 years there have been hundreds of new alcoholic drinks created in an RTD format such as hard seltzers, craft cocktails, and hard teas. These types of drinks are viewed as a better alternative to beer because they contain less calories and feel less filling. Additionally, most of these drinks are gluten free and starting to move away from using malt liquor, which makes them appear “healthier” to customers.

Within the past year the biggest change for this industry was the COVID-19 pandemic. With people unable to go to bars and spending more time at home it created many new off-premise locations for RTD.  “According to the Distilled Spirits Council, gross revenues in the U.S. spirits market grew by 7.7% in 2020, notching the largest increase on record”. Quarantine caused many people to stockpile on alcohol, as well as consume it more frequently than normal, which contributed to most of this sales spike. The beer and spirits sales were almost evenly split, showing how big the RTD market had become by March last year.

While the data from 2020 shows huge advancements within the alcohol market, specifically with RTD beverages, the big question is will these purchasing habits change as the world starts to open up again? People are beginning to return to bars and restaurants, so there is a worry that the demand for purchasing RTD beverages to drink at home may decrease when this happens. However, Bank of America has even estimated that “the spirit-based RTD market could reach between $3 billion and $4 billion in five years, up from about $400 million now”. There is a huge potential for brands in this market, as it seems that the consumer base is only continuing to grow despite these changes to our daily lives.

The potential for an increase in RTD sales continues to be predicted so high because there are many other on and off premise opportunities for these drinks to be purchased for aside from having them at home. Whether they are being purchased on the train, at an airport, or even to bring to the beach, people are still looking for hard seltzers and cocktails that look and taste good. Most alcohol consumers are really drawn to the fact that these options offer such a large variety of flavors while attempting to create a healthier way to drink in comparison to beer, and they most likely aren’t going to change what they purchase based on the pandemic ending.

Overall the RTD market has continued to soar in sales, and there is no prediction that this will be stopping anytime soon. Large brands have even begun to hop on the trend and create their own canned cocktails and seltzers, while many smaller companies have begun to pave the way as well with their craft drinks. RTD has brought huge potential to the alcohol industry, and they are here to stay.

- Lucy Duffy

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Halloween - America’s Greatest Holiday

OK, that might be a stretch as I also love Thanksgiving for the amazing food and because I was born on that day. There are many holidays that are worth celebrating, but for me, and dare I say many people of all ages, Halloween is a day I look forward to as soon as the leaves start changing and the first frost hits. I’m also not saying I loved Halloween just from ages 2-11, I’m saying this has been my holiday for as long as I can remember.  I actually question if I grew out my afro just so I had a ready-made costume - 70’s disco guy never gets old. 

Of course, my reason for loving it has changed over the years.  When I was really young it was all about the candy score.  The more the better. My goal was to struggle to carry my candy home because the bag was too heavy.  I was always partial to M&M’s and Twix but would settle for less.  I was never thrilled with the peanut butter cups, but those were always an easy trade. 

As I got older, it was still about the candy but hanging out with my friends became the real joy.  Having the freedom to wander the streets after dark laughing and goofing around was always a treat.  We weren’t much of a “trick” group, but that’s not to say it didn’t happen. 

In college the transition continued, and it became more about the amazingly fun parties and the ability to let the alter ego come out without consequence.  We have all done it, using this treasured American holiday as an excuse to behave in a way that would not have been in our normal daily routine.  I wish I was comfortable enough to act like I did on Halloween, every day, there is a real sense of freedom in it.  I know I’m not alone in thinking that.  Lowering your inhibitions is liberating at times, as long as you don’t take it too far. 

The joy surrounding Halloween continued to evolve once I had kids.  Not only do they give me a valid excuse to still dress up, but watching them enjoy Halloween and knowing that they will journey down a similar path brings a certain level of satisfaction and affirmation that I am doing my job as a parent.  Of course, this year our world is quite different, and October 31st will not look the same.  The kids will hang with just a few of their closest friends and I will be with a few of mine, sitting back and telling stories of Halloweens past and enjoying a few Crafthouse Cocktails.  Cheers to that and cheers to Halloween as we know it in 2021.

-Matt Lindner

How a Crafthouse Cocktail is Born

People often ask how we choose which cocktails make the cut to become a Crafthouse Cocktail. 

I suppose most big brands hire marketing firms, conduct focus groups (I’ve been on those panels many times...they never listen to us anyway) and look at piles of data for which flavors are trending. We weren’t trying to create a new brand simply for the sake of making it. We kept hearing our guests express the desire for great quality cocktails when they weren’t at our bars and decided to do something about it. Our method has always been decidedly less fussy (and a lot more fun). 

The first few cocktails we launched with in 2013 were based solely on our experience behind the bar, seeing what our guests were excited about and most importantly, were drinks we loved. That data the marketing firms were collecting and making assumptions about was being created in real time with every cocktail we served at the bar. We didn’t have to guess, we could see what people enjoyed in the moment. In hindsight, it’s become clear over the years that we as bartenders and you as our guests jointly create those “trends” that marketing companies eventually clamor to catch up to. Take that Amazon analytics! That’s the power of a room full of folks enjoying a drink.

The first cocktails we launched were the Moscow Mule, Southside and Paloma. The Gold Rush followed shortly behind that original trio. I looked at that the same way I may start to plan a cocktail menu for a bar. There were a variety of base spirits represented, unique flavor profiles to each: spicy ginger in the Mule, bright refreshing mint in the Southside, pleasantly bitter grapefruit in the Paloma and warming spices and complexity in the Gold Rush.

Depending on your experiences, some of those drinks may not be familiar to you. Nine years ago when we decided the Moscow Mule would be one of our core drinks, not many people were talking about that forgotten classic. We all know what’s happened to that over the past decade, as you wade through a sea of copper mugs and ginger beer options.

A few of the others are still a bit obscure. We’re ok with that and are always excited to introduce people to their next favorite cocktail. It’s one of the true honors behind the bar, spending time with a guest and finding the perfect drink for the time and occasion.

We often call the Southside our “gateway” gin drink. If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I don’t even like gin but I love this cocktail!”.....I’d have at least several dollars. This is one of those resurrected classics, pulled from obscurity and reborn in craft cocktail bars in the early 2000s. It is still a bartender’s favorite and often used to reacquaint guests with the juniper driven spirit. Turns out, most people don’t have a problem with gin….it was how the gin was presented to them as neophyte imbibers. I’d guess cheap, syrupy tonic water is to blame for more gin-bashing than anything else...closely followed by Martinis that were destroyed with long expired vermouth. It’s just about preparing the flavors in the right way- that’s where a bartender’s experience comes in.

Each of our cocktails serves a specific role. When I design a menu, I want to make sure that if a group walks in and picks up the menu, I’ll have something for everyone. Same deal if you walk into a shop and see our lineup. That was most recently rounded out with a cocktail I’ve wanted to do for a long time, our new Rum Old Fashioned. (That’s not to short change the Pineapple Daiquiri or Mezcal Margarita…..two of my desert island drinks to be sure.)

We were missing that spirit forward sipper for our drinkers who enjoyed whiskey on the rocks, a Manhattan or the like. Like the rest of the lineup, we wanted to nail the flavor profile while still digging into our bartender know-how. An Old Fashioned would have been fine….but we don’t like to phone it in. There’s certainly an entire post to be shared around this cocktail -- we’ll have to pour ourselves a cocktail and do that in the near future.

Really, each one of our Crafthouse Cocktails has a reason for being. A great drink is the perfect balance of art, science and entertainment. How do the flavors balance? What nuance do we want to tweak? Do the punch of the spirit, acidity of the citrus and roundness of the sweetener all exist in harmony? Is this a cocktail that I can clink glasses in a group of friends and laugh until my face hurts? All very important questions to answer….

The experimenting and taste testing never ends, fortunately. We have some fun things in the near future and many other ideas simmering on the back burner. What cocktails would you love to see on the menu? What are your favorites to make at home? What would you like to hear about? I look forward to you taste testing soon and sharing your expert imbiber opinions! Until then, cheers!

- Charles Joly

Work Hard, Family Hard

This liquor supplier thing is a tough business. There are people who make it look easy, but for most of us it is a daily grind until you reach a high level of success, and then it’s still hard. I’m not saying I don’t love it because I do. I bring this up because this job often requires a lot of travel to make sure we are operating as effectively as possible and maintaining and building relationships is all a part of the business. Right now, I am traveling as safely as possible in Georgia, checking on some of our amazing partners and working with our distributor to secure additional placements in both retail stores and locations where Crafthouse offers the option of a perfectly balanced and high quality quick cocktail while offering low touch and consistency, for resorts and movie theaters.

This trip is extra special to me because I was able to bring my family along. Balancing work life and family life has never been easy but this trip to Georgia has been the perfect balance of both. We started in Atlanta where my wife Kathy got to spend quality time with her childhood friend and the kids went to see some great local highlights, including the aquarium, while I worked the market. We came back together as a family and got to spend time together in the evenings. After leaving Atlanta, we stopped at a lake to cool off, go waterskiing and tubing. That night we stayed at a Springhill Suites by Marriott who carry Crafthouse in their Marketplace. It was great to talk to the staff at the Marriott and see firsthand the success they were having with Crafthouse. I even got to talk to a few guests of the hotel who had purchased and enjoyed a few of our cocktails.

We are currently at Sea Island Resort – a Five Star hotel that serves Crafthouse at the beach, in-room, on the golf course and potentially banquets when they resume. This has been a real highlight. As a family we have been able to watch baby sea turtles make their way from the nest to the ocean under our protective eyes, gone fishing where we caught some Spanish Mackerel that we had for lunch( and managed to hook a few sharks in the process), and spent countless hours at the pool and body boarding in the ocean. All this fun was perfectly intertwined with me doing a full Sea Island staff training, having a meeting with the resort’s Beverage Director and talking to the servers at the beach on a one on one.

Like most parents, I enjoy having my kids think I’m “cool,” and this vacation did just that. Not only were we able to travel around the beautiful state of Georgia and stay at a gorgeous resort, these last few days I was a bit of a “celebrity.” Having so many staff come up and introduce themselves to me, letting me know how much they appreciate me being there and how much their guests love Crafthouse, certainly put me on the kid’s cool list, even if it’s only temporary.

Anyway, this post wasn’t meant to boast or complain. It was meant to outwardly express my gratitude for those times where I can really appreciate quality time spent with my work and family. I hope it can happen again soon!

Matt