Tom’s Town cracks open canned cocktail opportunity: ‘We’re not a bubble factory in a can’

People love drinking cocktails, but specialty creations can be intimidating to make, said David Epstein, announcing a new line of canned premium cocktails from the Crossroads-based distiller.

Tom’s Town canned cocktails

“The pandemic ushered in a lot of at-home-drinking, and I think people simply loved the taste,” said Epstein, co-founder of Tom’s Town, describing a renewed thirst for convenience and portability that caused a market shift.

“As folks shift from beer to mixed cocktails, they love the simplicity and, quite honestly, the flavor, of canned cocktails,” he continued. “What sets us apart is flavor and smoothness. We’re not a bubble factory in a can. We are offering 100-percent cocktails like you’d be served at an upscale bar.”

Crafted with Tom’s Town award-winning spirits and all-natural flavors, the ready-to-drink cocktails come in four styles: Elderflower Lime Gin Cocktail (made with Tom’s Town’s Botanical Gin); Grapefruit Clove Gin Cocktail (made with Tom’s Town Botanical Gin); Lemon Gin Collins (made with Tom’s Town Barreled Gin); and Strawberry Mint Vodka Cocktail (made with Tom’s Town Double Grain Vodka).

Click here to shop Tom’s Town, the first legal distillery in downtown Kansas City since Prohibition.

David Epstein and Steve Revare, Tom’s Town

“You can throw them in your cooler for a backyard party, take them to the pool, the lake, or a Chiefs tailgate,” Epstein said of the new can line. “Think of them as your portable mixologist in a can.”

Unlike seltzers, Tom’s Town’s canned cocktails are not spiked water in a can, he added, emphasizing the drinks are meant to be an experience.

“Just make sure you don’t run out of ice-cubes,” Epstein said. “Pouring our cocktails in a can over ice is a slice of heaven on a hot day.”

New verticals like to-go cocktails and now canned cocktails have helped balance out business during more than a year of uncertainty for Tom’s Town and many other ventures impacted by the pandemic.

Related: Click here to read about North Kansas City kombucha taproom The Brewkery’s move to canned hard kombucha.

“Wholesale business for most distilleries has been a roller coaster,” Epstein said. “On the one hand, people are drinking more — and for good reason! But on the flip side, bars and restaurants have struggled. So while we see massive growth on the off-premise side of sales, we are still adjusting to what restaurants and bars can survive.”

Tom’s Town canned cocktails are sold in four-packs for a suggested retail price of $13.99, and are available at stores in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The distiller’s three gin cocktails will also be sold at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium this fall — available at the Grab ‘n Go markets at the stadium throughout the Chiefs’ season.

Tom’s Town is the official gin of the Kansas City Chiefs. Click here to read about the Chiefs mural outside Tom’s Town’s Crossroads taproom.

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

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