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Craft Distillery
dream still.” Greenbar also owns a traditional pot
still, which they use for redistillation.
Greenbar’s spirits are essentially a bartender
brand, created “for customers seeking a higher
standard of taste and an easier way to make the
perfect cocktail.” They include liqueurs, amaro,
gin, whiskey, vodka, rum and tequila. Before the
pandemic, Greenbar sold 80% of its spirits to bars,
hotels and restaurants. When Covid-19 hit, the
game changed practically overnight.
“When the pandemic struck, our sales essential-
ly evaporated,” Khosrovian told Beverage Master
Magazine. “Everyone was clamoring to experi-
ence a real cocktail but couldn’t get it. Sales were
exploding at retail stores, so we began to make
canned cocktails that people could buy at liquor
stores and supermarkets. Basically, we reinvented
ourselves.”
Their sales took off. With products that tasted
like what you could get at a bar, Greenbar found a
home in more and more states. Today, Greenbar
has distribution in approximately 40 states. “The
pandemic hurt us in a lot of ways and helped us in
a lot more ways,” Khosrovian said.
As Greenbar enjoyed success with their canned
cocktails, and with the better-for-you movement
gaining traction, they decided to take another leap
to create canned non-alcoholic mixed drinks.
“We’re distillers, so at first non-alcoholic products
didn’t compute,” Khosrovian said. “But we learned
that while people like the idea of cocktails, for
many, it’s the flavor, not the booze. We began to
see cocktails in a brand new light—as a flavor expe-
rience first and as an alcohol experience second.”
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Greenbar’s non-alcoholic cocktails are made with
the same process as their alcoholic products, start-
ing as an alcoholic spirit and then distilled until the
alcohol has been stripped away, leaving behind the
flavors that people know and recognize. “We came
to the idea with a good grasp of what was happen-
ing in the market,” Khosrovian said. “A growing
number of people want the experience of enjoying
a cocktail, but they don’t want the booze.”
Today, while Greenbar still produces a full range
of bottled spirits, 75% of their business is canned
products. Non-alcoholic ready-to-drink cocktails
include Burnt Orange Bitters+Soda, Lavender
Bitters+Soda, Earl Grey Bitters+Soda, UnGin+Tonic
and UnRum+Cola. All non-alcoholic RTDs are
carbonated after distillation, which gives them
a bubbly texture. Their alcoholic RTDS include
City Gin+Tonic, Coastal Rum+Cola, Single Malt
Whiskey+Soda and Hibiscus Spritz, an Italian clas-
sic updated to make it craft, organic and portable.
Alcohol by volume ranges from 6% to 8%. Greenbar
also produces a line of bitters to add to cocktails or
sparkling water.
With RTD alcoholic beverages being one of the
fastest-growing beverage industry segments—and
the market for non-alcoholic drinks taking off—
Greenbar is enjoying increasing success with its
canned products. “As the pandemic goes on, we
are selling literally everywhere,” Khosrovian said.
“We’re selling to retail outlets, restaurants, hotels,
bars, concert venues; you name it. People just want
that cocktail experience, and our canned products
are filling the gap.”
As some hospitality venues are slowly reopening,
canned products are in big demand there, too.
Bartenders like the alcoholic products because they
require less time and fewer additional ingredients.
Also, staff shortages require quick turn-around
times, and Greenbar’s canned cocktails—alcoholic
and non-alcoholic—are simple to pour yet offer the
same complexity as a real cocktail.
While Greenbar Distillery generates enthusiastic
reviews as having the world’s most extensive port-
folio of organic spirits, their efforts toward sustain-
ability are equally acclaimed. “After we went organ-
ic, we changed to light-weight glass for our bottles
and recycled paper for labels,” Khosrovian said. “If
not, we would have been talking out of both sides
of our mouth when discussing sustainability.”
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