Diving Brief:
- Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits, a popular ready-to-drink cocktail brand, launches nationwide this summer. The brand features Sarah Jessica Parker’s Perfect Cosmo; John Cena’s classic old fashioned; Ashley Benson, Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens Margalius Margarita; and PlayboiCarti’s Hardscatto.
- The brand is named after a legendary Prohibition-era mixologist who was known for his taste, according to the company’s press release. It was founded by Kara Kamanev, former Vice President of Consumer Engagement at L’Oréal, where she has worked for nearly a decade. The release lists celebrities as founding partners.
- Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits is the latest company to work with celebrities to build a brand that they follow. Several other food and beverage companies have used celebrity content creators to put their products in the spotlight, including Cardi B’s vodka-infused whipped cream, Jermaine Dupri’s vegan JD’s vegan ice cream, and frozen food brand Martha Stewart Kitchen.
Diving Insight:
In general, it takes a while for brands to get to the point where most consumers recognize them. But when a company collaborates with celebrities and puts their name on the label, the general rules don’t apply. While few have heard of the name Thomas AshburnSince the show premiered in the late 1990s, consumers have been wanting a taste of Sarah Jessica Parker’s quintessentially international – the signature drink of famous “Sex and the City” character Carrie Bradshaw.
Other drinks in Thomas Ashbourne’s line are created in A-list celebrity photos. WWE star and longtime classic John Cena blends bourbon whiskey with caramel and orange bitters. Real-life friends Ashley Benson, Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens’ Margalicious Margarita is specially designed to meet girls. And rapper Playboi Carti, known for his rock-and-rock lifestyle, sips on a wine-style drink that blends vodka, Muscat blanc grapes, and delicious fruit flavors.
In an interview, Kamanev told Bloomberg that all celebrities involved in the brand have shares in the company.
RTD Cocktails is one of the fastest growing areas of the liquor business. According to NielsenIQ data cited by Drizly, sales of RTD cocktails for the 52nd week ending October 2, 2021 grew 126% over the previous year. Several major liquor companies are expanding into this area. In 2020, Beam Suntory bought the cocktail maker On the Rocks. A year ago, Diageo announced that it would invest $80 million to expand production of its RTD cocktail, and the company also purchased the Loyal 9 cocktail brand. Last month, Constellation Brands bought the remainder of Austin Cocktails, which it initially invested in in 2018 with both AB InBev and Molson Coors has distribution agreements with high-profile RTD cocktail brands.
Aside from the celebrity-oriented blends, Thomas Ashbourne distinguishes himself with premium ingredients. The company says it uses fresh, all-natural ingredients that are high in spirits. The brand’s website lists the many awards that cocktails have won in spirits competitions this year.
“We are here to dispel the myth that luxury bespoke cocktails can only be enjoyed in certain places, by certain people,” Kamanev said in the statement. “Our brand will provide consumers with a quality drink comparable only to the best cocktails made in the bar that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.”
While there are many famous people who are involved in the food and drink business as creators, owners, and investors of brands, the alcoholic beverage category has a larger share of beverages made by celebrities—many of which have been noted by consumers and major corporations. George Clooney co-founded the premium tequila brand Casamigos, which Diageo purchased in 2017 for up to $1 billion. Diageo also bought Ryan Reynolds’ brand of Aviation American Gin for up to $610 million. And last year Constellation Brands bought a minority stake in “Breaking Bad” representatives Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul Dos Hombres’ signature brand.
