Litchfield Distillery Introduces Ready-To-Drink Cocktails In Cans

Litchfield Distillery (LD) in Litchfield, Connecticut, has introduced the beginnings of a line of Ready to Drink Cocktails in 12-ounce cans. “Canned cocktails is a fairly new, rapidly-growing segment of the alcohol beverage market,” stated Jack Baker, co-owner with his brothers David and Peter Baker, “and we wanted to participate early to capitalize on this explosive growth opportunity.”

LD’s newly-introduced canned cocktails are “The Litchfielder” made with the Distillery’s award-winning straight bourbon whiskey, and “Spiked Lemonade” made with LD’s award-winning vodka.

“The Litchfielder” features the Distillery’s Straight Bourbon, real maple syrup sourced from Maple Craft Foods in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and lemon juice. “The Litchfielder is our signature cocktail,” commented David Baker, “so it was the first cocktail recipe we developed for the ready-to-drink cans. Our resident mixologist, Dimitrios Zahariadis, helped us develop and perfect our formulations to ensure consumers would enjoy an authentic cocktail experience.”

“Soon after we launched Litchfield Distillery in 2015,” explained Peter Baker, “we realized there wasn’t a signature cocktail synonymous with the Litchfield County region. We crowd-sourced cocktail ideas and landed on ‘The Litchfielder’. It’s a straightforward recipe anyone can make. By placing this popular cocktail in a can, we have made it easier to be enjoyed whether chilled in the can or poured over ice and garnished with fresh lemon or freshly-cut herbs.”

In 2017 and 2016, LD’s Straight Bourbon earned bronze and silver medals respectively from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, deemed the most respected and influential spirits competition worldwide with more than 1,899 submissions in a four-day tasting process. The revered bourbon also won a bronze medal at the 2018 New York International Spirits Competition. In the 2017 and 2018 Best Of Connecticut issues of “Connecticut Magazine”, LD was voted by readers as offering the “Best Bourbon Line.”

The “Spiked Lemonade” canned cocktail is made with LD’s award-winning vodka, lemon juice and a special blend of natural flavors. It’s slightly tart and lightly sweetened with a touch of honey from Hilltop Apiaries in Simsbury, Connecticut. The vodka is distilled from corn sourced from Lion Rock Farm in Sharon, Connecticut, and was a silver medal winner in 2017 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a gold medal recipient at the 2018 NY International Spirits Competition.

“We crafted this special Spiked Lemonade with real lemon juice, our Connecticut-made Batchers’ Vodka, and finished it with a special blend of natural flavors. Personally, I love it best when chilled over ice and garnished with fresh citrus fruit,” commented David Baker.

In May of this year, Litchfield Distillery received international attention when it was named the 2018 CT Distillery of the Year at the highly-respected and renowned New York International Spirits Competition. The NYISC is the only international spirits competition judged by real trade buyers.

“All this recognition,” commented Jack Baker, “is extremely gratifying and humbling. We’ve built the brand to honor hard work, effort, grit, and determination. And, we all feel the only way to pull that off is to walk the talk. We all possess a good old-fashioned, roll up your sleeves, get the job done philosophy. We believe no job is too small. So we’re happy to give tours, pour at tasting events, and even mop the floors.”

Litchfield Distillery is located at 569 Bantam Road/Route 202 where free tours and tastings are offered on the hour Wednesdays through Sundays between 12:00 noon and 5:00 PM.

Advance reservations are requested and can be made by visiting www.litchfielddistillery.com or calling 860-361-6503.