Cider Corner: Why 2 Towns Elevated Its Packaged Cocktail Line

The sky is seemingly the limit for the 2 Towns Ciderhouse brand family, which recently announced new products for its Craftwell Cocktails pre-packaged cocktail lineup.

Craftwell Cocktails has been around for a little more than a year, getting running quickly due to existing equipment that could do the job already being on hand and good relationships with distributors. The cider and cocktails are produced in the same facility in Corvallis, Oregon, and Marketing Director Danelle Kronmiller said the new brand had been a success since making its debut. 

The brand has evolved beyond canned cocktails, introducing a lineup of bottled cocktails it’s calling its Top Shelf Series.The inaugural lineup includes Classic Cosmo, Old Fashioned, Signature Margarita, and Chocolate Espresso Martini. 

“The cocktails were chosen based on a number of factors,” Kronmiller said. “First and foremost we wanted to create cocktails that we personally loved to drink and showcase some of the breadth that we could make. Balancing and focusing that was market data, current trends, and of course, fruit and other ingredient sourcing availability.”

Considerations the Craftwell team made included figuring out which cocktails might draw in potential consumers who are used to buying spirits and mixing their own and optimizing QAQC to make sure the bottled cocktails result in a perfect, consistent proportion with every pour.

Kronmiller said the bottled cocktails had convenience, portability and an “amazing flavor profile” working in their favor.

Each cocktail is 20.5% ABV and available in 375mL bottles at retail stores, bars, and restaurants.

“We’ve found that consumers are looking for easy, flavorful, premium ready-to-drink beverages without the fuss of having to make them at home and want the flexibility to drink them outside of a bar,” Kronmiller said. “These cocktails bring a fantastic flavor profile in addition to being over 20% ABV, which really creates the experience of having a freshly made cocktail at your local hangout. Our QAQC team performs [more than] 30 steps during the production process to assure a consistent pour every time.” 

The Craftwell Cocktails Top Shelf line is currently distributed across retail stores, bars, and restaurants in Oregon and Washington — similar to the markets that the original Craftwell Cocktails canned line started in. Much like our Craftwell canned cocktail line, we expect these bottled cocktails to expand to additional markets as well.”