FSR December 2022

BE VER AGE BUYER ’ S GUIDE

Long before Shannon Healy opened his own cock tail lounge and restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, he concocted a tonic formula that would one day spur a new business. Alley Twenty Six, which was a James Beard finalist for Outstanding Bar Program this year, has packaged its line of tonics and syrups, and although retailers, such as wine shops, are its primary target for B2B sales, restaurants are also buying up the mixers. “We sell a lot more cocktails, so when we put some thing on the menu, all of the modifiers have to be made in bulk,” Healy says. “Restaurants may not need as much; they still want to do something cool, but they don’t have the wherewithal.” Healy, an award-winning bartender and restaura teur, first created his tonic recipe when he was behind the bar (and later the general manager) of Crook’s Cor ner in nearby Chapel Hill. e tonic’s popularity only grew when he struck out on his own. “When I first opened the bar, I had tonic syrup and people asked me all the time … ‘Can you sell me this?’ And I said, no, which is this terrible answer when you’re selling things for a living,” Healy says. “I can make something here and sell it to you as a dine-in, but if I want to put it in a package, it’s a different ballgame.” So in 2012, Alley Twenty Six began bottling its tonic, and three years after that, it began selling to restaurants and retailers. It proved a mutually benefi cial arrangement; operators could elevate their bever ages with minimal labor, and Alley Twenty Six could expand its brand presence thanks to menu shoutouts. It wasn’t until the pandemic that Healy and his team had time to expand the bottled options beyond tonic. Now the line includes core syrups, like raspberry, strawberry, blood orange, pomegranate, and passion fruit. (Multiple flavors have taken home top honors at the N.C. Specialty Food Association’s annual contest). Healy continues to experiment with new mixers, whether they’re seasonal varieties sold only on-site (like pineapple demerara and summer tonic), or per manent additions primed for mass production, such as ginger, which he’s currently perfecting. “I want the viscosity to be the same, the vibrancy of flavor to be the same. I want all these things to be the same or better,” he says. “I’m always willing to improve, but I’m not going to sacrifice something for scale.” Read more on Shannon Healy and Alley Twenty Six at fsrmagazine.com/Alley-Twenty-Six . How an award-winning cocktail lounge concocted a CPG gamechanger. MASTER RECIPE

17 Golden Dark Drinking Chocolate The newest flavor in Dely sia’s extensive collection, Golden Dark Drinking Chocolate is handcrafted using 72 percent bitter sweet chocolate with morsels of gold choco late dotted throughout the mix. Created from caramelized sugars and milk fat, gold chocolate’s natural hue provides a honeyed chocolate taste, making it an ideal des sert option or base for cocktails. J delysia.com 18 Watermelon Simple Sweet Tea Watermelon Simple Sweet Tea combines pure cane sugar, premium Red Diamond Tea, and a

distinct watermelon fla vor. Conveniently pack aged in a filter bag with pre-mixed sugar, Simple Sweet Tea eliminates the need to measure sugar, train waitstaff on sugar to-tea ratios, and stir un dissolved sugar. J reddiamondbevservice.com 19 Hibiscus UnSpritz In response to the grow ing demand for nonal coholic craft cocktails, Greenbar has expanded its zero-proof line to include Hibiscus UnSpritz. Featuring notes of hibis cus, lemon, lavender, jas mine, bergamot, bak ing spices, and more, the Hibiscus UnSpritz is for mulated to take the place of an afternoon aperitif. J greenbardistillery.com

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ALAN HENDERSON

20 Bollygood Sparkling Beverages Appealing to increasing demand for global flavors, Bol lygood sparkling beverages are a fresh take on nimbu pani, a popular limeade drink in South India. Available in two flavors—Lime Basil Cumin and Lemon Ginger Mint—the nonalcoholic effervescent beverages can be served as is or incorporated into cocktails. J bollygood.com

BAXTER MILLER

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FSRMAGAZ INE .COM

DECEMBER 2022