Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-11-09)

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ELECTIONHANGOVERSPECIAL BloombergPursuits November 9, 2020

The cocktail world’s most celebrated bars are opting for aluminum

By Brad Japhe Photograph by Gabriela Herman

Crack Open a Craft One

AsbeveragedirectoratCloverClubinBrooklyn,N.Y.,Tom

Macyhasbeenformativeinthe21stcenturycocktailrevival.

Butthen:Covid,wheneveryonewasforcedtopivot.

Whenthebarwastemporarilylockeddownattheonset

ofthepandemic,Macyandhisboss,JulieReiner,founded

SocialHourCocktails,whichcansa lineofready-to-drink,

high-qualityquaffs.“ThebiggestsellingpointofanRTD

is—andalwayshasbeen—convenience,”hesays.(Ifnot

“necessity” for lazy drinkers at the height of the lockdown.)

But “convenience meant you had to sacrifice quality.”

Social Hour’s rye- and ginger-beer-based Whiskey Mule

(10.5% alcohol by volume)iszestyandeffervescent.The

alcohol is sourced locally, from New York Distilling Co., the

mixers are vibrant, and the price is premium: $20 for a four-

pack of 250-milliliter cans. “People understand what makes

a great cocktail, and they understand that it’ll come with a

higher price point,” Macy says.

RTD beverages had been booming prior to the pandemic—

with volume in 2019 up 43.1% from a year earlier, according

to IWSR analysis—but the $8 billion segment is largely dom-

inated by cloying malt-liquor alcopops such as Twisted Tea

and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Simple vodka sodas, gin and

tonics, and rum and Cokes are widely available, too.

Now,though,consumerscanfindtop-shelfmaitais,

Vodka, rum, gin, tequila,

cola—and 13.2% ABV

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Bittersweet with an orangy zing:

Italian aperitivo time

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This whiskeymuleswapsin

Ragtimeryeforvodka...

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