I never planned to start a cocktail company.

I already had a job…plus I am a mom, wife, community volunteer… and my dance card was full.

But after 8 years of parent’s weekends and being presented, each and every time, with a variety of canned cocktails at these events that I had no intention of drinking… I posed the question… How has no one created something better to drink in a can? I loved the “convenience” idea of it but didn’t love (or even marginally like) what was on the inside.

Too sweet. Too artificial. Too carbonated. Hated the aftertaste. No idea how many
calories I would even be consuming if I could even bring myself to have more than one sip. Turns out I wasn’t the only one. There had to be something better. So, I started to investigate what exactly was behind the canned cocktail category. As much as I didn’t like what was in the can, I didn’t like what I learned even more.

Let’s start at the top:

• 95+% of the canned cocktails on the market are owned by the same handful of large conglomerates
• Those conglomerates are predominately owned / run by men
• 92% of the people who work in the alcohol industry are men
• Men have 30% less taste buds than women
• None of these drinks – regardless of who makes them – are regulated by the
• FDA… what does that mean for the consumer? It means there is no legal requirement to disclose what ingredients are in the drinks and there is no regulation to disclose the calories, carbs, etc.

All of that gave me pause… WTH? Turns out they taste artificial because they are artificial. The more I learned, the more I knew if I was going to find something sophisticated to drink in the convenience of a can, I would have to make it myself.

Finally, a cocktail worthy of your attention. Welcome to Avenue 8.