Next month, MOD Beverage will launch its new lineup of spirits, Rail Brand.
Launching with Rail Brand Vodka and Rail Brand Gin, the lineup focuses on the simple side of spirits – no fuss, no fancy flavours, just basic gin and vodka that’s perfect for mixing drinks at home or at a bar.
We’d noticed a gap in the market for a no frills, low-key and affordable alternative to the major players in the spirits category. Initially devised to support professional bartenders (hence the “rail” in our name, referring to the rail behind the bar where liquor is kept), we quickly realized the bartenders at home could use something similar. So, we designed Rail Brand Spirits Co to give both professional and amateur bartenders a quality, low-cost option for their go-to – or “on the rail” – spirit.
Each batch is manufactured locally in MOD’s Vancouver facility. In keeping with the back-to-basics approach of the concept, the vodka tastes just as you’d expect – like vodka! Same goes for the gin, which utilizes just the right amount of herbal ingredients without overwhelming the sense. Less is definitely more when it comes to this line of spirits.
Tying everything together is minimalist packaging designed to turn heads and give it to you straight. Just like your vodka or gin, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Rail Brand is one of two new MOD Beverage brands launching this spring, alongside Company Cocktails. Expect Rail Brand Vodka and Rail Brand Gin at a liquor store near you this Spring! For more information, visit railbrandspirits.com or check out @railbrandspirits.
Next month, MOD Beverage will launch its newest brand, Company Cocktails, a line of original canned cocktails created by some of the world’s most distinguished bartenders.
Each new release will be designed by a different bartender, with new recipes slated for release every season. The idea is to offer a craft cocktail you’d find at a downtown bar, but accessible enough for people to take with them back home, to a park or to a party (if those ever happen again).
We’re kicking it all off Lucky You, a collaboration with Trevor Kallies, who’s considered one of the godfathers of modern Canadian cocktail culture. He’s the longtime president of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association (CPBA), and the longtime Bar and Beverage Director for the Donnelly Group, making him the perfect bartender to launch Company Cocktails with.
“I was excited about the idea,” Trevor says. “I’ve never had the opportunity to put something of my own creation on store shelves. This can hit such a larger and broader audience. It’s not just one bartender serving one cocktail to one guest. It’s an opportunity to put something delicious and amazing into a can that anyone can enjoy.”
Lucky You is a gin-based cocktail with turmeric, lemon and ginger. The recipe was specifically crafted around turmeric, which gives the cocktail its bright, almost neon yellow colour.
“The whole idea of the cocktail combination came from the idea of a juicer, which usually offer some kind of immune juice shots,” Trevor says, “These are based on some combination of high-level citrus, ginger and turmeric for the health and wellness.
“I thought this could be fun and a little bit cheeky to put it in an alcoholic beverage.”
Trevor Kallies posing with a glass of Lucky You.
Company Cocktails is also a collaboration between MOD and Super Collider, a creative agency founded by Damon Holowchak and Steve Cousins, who have designed all packaging and marketing efforts behind the brand and its upcoming releases.
Damon and Trevor are also old friends, having worked together at Donnelly for over a decade. In developing Company Cocktails, Damon says he saw an opportunity to make craft cocktails accessible to anybody, not just people living in downtown centres or highly urbanized areas.
“Canned cocktails are nothing new, but generally what you can get are more traditional cocktails, like an Old Fashioned or a Negroni. There aren’t many premium, original cocktails on the market,” Damon says.
“We also understand the bartending community enough to know there are extremely talented people out there who have great ideas that would work in this format. We wanted to open this up to the variety of amazing talents out there.”
Partial proceeds of Lucky You sales will go to support the CPBA Relief Fund, which was set up to assist bartenders financially during COVID-19. Cocktail Culture also has two more releases planned for 2021, partnering with two of the most celebrated bartenders in Canada.
Company Cocktails is the first in MOD’s Cocktail Culture lineup of canned cocktails and RTDs. For more information about Company Cocktails, visit the website and follow @companycocktails on Instagram.
