The Countdown to National Moonshine Day Continues
Get Ready, June 2, 2022 is National Moonshine Day!
We’re celebrating with Ole Smoky Distillery, crushing the day with a Nashville festival promising fun, on premise cocktail specials, contests, prizes, music, and (of course) moonshine and more!
We asked Mason Engstrom, vice president of on-premise, how bartenders are mixing with Ole Smoky products, and getting ready for this year’s National Moonshine Day.
What should bartenders know about the brand?
Bartenders should know how versatile our products are. Inevitably when I’m speaking with bartenders or mixologists, they love the product, but aren’t sure how they should be using it. I just say there is no correct answer because there are so many great ways to consume Ole Smoky products. The beauty of our products is that they taste so great on their own, that makes them even easier to use in cocktails. You aren’t trying to mask the flavor; you are just coming up with ways to show it off. And because of how great it is alone; all our products make great shot offerings as well. So, you can bring in our flavors and are not stuck to one use, you can make a variety of cocktails, twists on classic cocktails, frozen drinks, shots, dessert drinks. You have a lot of options.
We have also recently introduced a TN Style 1 liter bottle for our moonshines. We love the traditional Mason Jar and will also have that available, but the 1 Liter Moonshine bottle makes pouring much easier and eliminates the need for our special pour lids for the Mason Jars.
What are some of the ways bartenders are crafting drinks with Ole Smoky?
OS Flavors are great for coming up with new shots and cocktails. There’s a wide variety of flavors which allows bartenders to get creative.
The Moonshine Pickles are fantastic and have created a lot of excitement. They have been very popular as a garnish in Bloody Mary’s and sold alone as kind of an “edible shot.” However, if you were using the moonshine in the jar, you ran out quickly since the mass of the pickles took up most of the room in the jar. So, we now have the Dill Pickle Moonshine liquid available in the 1-Liter bottle. This is perfect for shots, pickle backs, a mixer in Bloody’s, or chilled and straight up as a Pickle Martini.
I have also seen a lot of seasonal drinks and programs using Ole Smoky. Coming up for the Spring and Summer I am already seeing mixology around our fruit-based flavors such as Blackberry Moonshine and Salty Watermelon Whiskey. Refreshing “patio” drinks using lemonades, muddled fruits, and teas. This past fall and winter were a lot more mixology based around our Apple Pie Moonshine and Salty Caramel Whiskey.
What can you tell us about OS that will get bartenders excited to mix cocktails with it?
Ole Smoky is an authentic brand that develops fun, innovative flavors. There’s a flavor for everyone! Ole Smoky products are versatile and easy to use. Since we have products that are so great on their own, you don’t have to do a lot to make a tasty beverage with them. Mixing with Juices, Sodas, and even energy drinks and hard seltzers have been very successful. These end up being very easy to make, cost efficient drinks that are fun and excite consumers.
These are unique products and flavors that really pique the interest of bartenders and consumers. You can create some interesting cocktails with layers of flavor by using things like our Mango Habanero whiskey, as opposed to using a neutral flavor spirit and trying to add in the flavors.
View the full article on Chilled Magazine.
Get ready for National Moonshine Day 2023.
