Cocktail in a can innovators shine on global stage

A small Melbourne business that dared to be different found its name up in lights in London this week.

Aussie-owned cocktail in a can company Curatif achieved a world-first three-peat as the best RTD producer at the seriously competitive International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC).

The award is even more noteworthy given Curatif was only founded five years ago.

I've tried the cocktails - and they are seriously good.

Matt Sanger (above), managing director and co-founder of Curatif ,was in London to receive the award.

“We were proud as punch with one producer trophy back in 2022, and absolutely stoked to go back-to-back in 2023, but this - to be the first producer in any category in 55 years to win three-in-a-row, is amazing," Sanger said.

"I’m so proud of our team and their relentless pursuit in cocktail making. I’m on top of the world and could not be happier for our team.”

The IWSC is regarded as the world’s leading competition across wine, spirits, and RTD.

It has been in existence since 1969 with judging conducted by a panel of global experts, including master distillers and sommeliers.

“Cocktails are fun," Sanger said. "They’re moments of frivolity and indulgence that tend to evolve and adapt. So as trends ebb and flow, we have the great indulgence of being able to ebb and flow with them. Making new drinks every other day - it’s a tough gig!”

The latest triumph has sparked plans for major expansion.

“It’s time for the rest of the world to enjoy Curatif’s world-class cocktails,” Sanger says. “We’re in discussions with distributors in Japan, Korea, and China at the moment and while we are in London we are meeting with a few very well-known retailers to see how we can elevate the next English
summer.

"A couple of Curatif tins on the Thames sounds like just the thing to me!”

Cracking the code of Pina Colada in a can

A bar quality cocktail for $11? You must be dreaming.

But Curatif, makers of award-winning pre-mix cocktails in a can, today release their new Piña Colada cocktails for $45 for a four-pack. Perfect for a night in beside the fire. Or after you've been caught in the rain.

Think fruity pineapple, roasted coconut, and coconut cream tones. 

Oh, and rum from two of the top estates in the world: Appleton Estate Signature Rum and Ron Colón Salvadoreño. 

"Our latest cocktail has been a labour of love that we've loved labouring over," says Curatif founder and managing director Matt Sanger. 

"Coconut is having a real moment and it’s great to see a resurgence of this most loved and nostalgic cocktail. 

"A Piña Colada can be a hard one to crack in a ready-to-drink format because of the complexity of the ingredients. 

"But while staying true to the authenticity of the recipe but we have mastered a Piña Colada that is truly bar quality. 

"What sets Curatif apart is our use of real ingredients - the freshest of pineapples, the creamiest of coconuts and the delicious blend of quality rums.

“The Piña Colada has been our most requested cocktail - we've released a few different iterations in The Club (Curatif’s subscription program) over the last couple of years and it's developed a cult following. There's not many cocktails that are so evocative, so fun, and so irreverent and giddy as a Piña Colada." 

The good news: the GoTR tasting team felt it really did taste like a quality cocktail. It’s vibrant, joyous and seriously refreshing. Thumbs up. 

Curatif’s Piña Colada joins the canned cocktail line-up of Tommy’s Margarita, Archie Rose Espresso Martini, Bar Bambi Amaretto Sour and Savile Row Cosmopolitan. 

Available from curatif.com or bottle shops with a RRP of $45 for a four-pack. 

Special treats for Margarita Month

Cocktail lovers have a full 29 days to celebrate Margarita Month, which runs throughout February.

Pre-mix artists Curatif are urging tequila lovers to embrace their inner cocktail connoisseur with a limited-edition Masterita Box available in February only. Then they ride off into the Mexican sunset.

Curatif has released six incarnations of its ready-to-serve Margarita formats: Salted Blueberry, Pineapple, Cherry, Blue, Mango, and Mezcalita, in a box that yields a dozen agave spirit cocktails.

The range of flavours features a hand-picked selection of premium tequilas, mezcals and liqueurs from makers including Tequila Tromba, Los Arcos, Ilegal Mezcal and Melbourne’s own Marionette.

Curatif, regular readers will recall, was named 2023 RTD Producer of the Year at the prestigious IWSC Awards in London - the second year in a row it had triumphed.

“We’re mad for margaritas," says Curatif founder Matt Sanger. "I mean, really we love all cocktails, but a great margarita is a time-machine that transports you from a dreary Thursday to a sandy-toed, sun-drenched afternoon on the beach.

"We spent years getting our Tommy’s Margarita perfect before we launched, and I think that relentless pursuit of better than bar quality has been the perfect foundation for this project."

An instant success since launching in 2019, Curatif is 100% Australian and produced locally in Melbourne, with all of the brand’s packaging being recyclable and mostly made from recycled products.

“We have launched the Masterita box so that cocktail lovers can enjoy impeccably crafted and convenient cocktails wherever they are celebrating this Margarita Month - from a dinner party with friends to date night," says Sanger.

Curatif’s Masterita Box is exclusively available on curatif.com during Margarita Month for an RRP of $130.00 (box of 12).

Uber-cool canned cocktails are world leaders

A small Melbourne company that only launched four years ago has emerged as a global leader in the fast-growing premium cocktail-in-can space.

You'll find Curatif cocktails being served on Qantas flights, and exports are about to begin to both the US and UK following the company's second straight win as top RTD producer at the the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London.

Curatif's success is built on three core pillars: quality, convenience and sustainability, says brand founder Matt Sanger in an interview with GoTR.

I enjoyed chatting to Matt, who has boundless enthusiasm and a focus on "quality, convenience and sustainability".

Curatif boomed during the Covid era, when drinkers wanted to consume quality beverages at home, rather than in cocktail bars, and has benefitted from what Sanger describes as "the MasterChef effect" - with people looking to enjoy gourmet dishes and premium beverages at home.

"A lot of people stopped drinking vodka and Red Bull and turned instead to Espresso Martinis," Sanger says. "They discovered cocktail bar-quality drinks - using amazing ingredients - can come in a can.

"Mindful consumption is a very big trend around the globe - and many folk are looking to drink less, but higher quality."

I must admit I was a little sceptical about the quality of cocktails in a can, but I am working my way though several in the range and have really enjoyed both the fresh, vibrant and refreshing Curatif Cosmopolitan and the tangy and seriously chilli-flavoured Curatif Spicy Margarita.



It seems that sparkling alcoholic seltzers and cocktails in a can are very much on the upswing: and so easy for social gatherings.

Curatif has aligned with well-known Australian distillers like Archie Rose and Never Never Distilling Co., as well as with premium Australian imported brands like Appleton Estate Rum, and bars like Savile Row, to produce its bespoke cocktails in a can.

Sanger says: “The broader RTD category is an animal that is capable of staggering growth - look at what happened with seltzers. 

"More importantly, RTD is a pillar of the broader alcobev segment…the most incredible cocktails of the world’s best bars are now only as far away as opening the fridge door, and as portable as the cans we send them out in.

“The ready-to-drink category has changed a lot," Sanger adds. “What I’m loving is this movement away from bag-in-a-box flavour components and into both natural and native ingredients.”

The IWSC judges were impressed by Curatif’s Bar Bambi Amaretto Sour, Black Pearl Toreador, Jacoby's Trader Vic's Mai Tai, Never Never Distilling Co Negroni, Plantation Hurricane, Ron Colón Corn & Oil, Rum Old Fashioned and Spicy Margarita.

They were particularly high on the gold-medal-winning Archie Rose Espresso Martini.

“If the IWSC is our industry’s version of the Oscars, then brands like Curatif, Four Pillars and Grainshaker are Australia’s own Hemsworth, Kidman and Jackman," says go-getter Sanger, who is planning an expansion of his Port Melbourne distillery to cope with growing demand.

He points out that cans are more easily recyclable than other containers, and are also lighter in weight. There is a lot of science, too, in making sure the contents of each can has a long lifespan.

"We are committed to being the best corporate citizen we can be," Sanger says. "And by using only the finest spirits and liqueurs from the world, we are ensuring our drinks are made with integrity.

"We are a brand that provides customers with the highest quality ingredients, blended to perfection without preservatives."

Curatif ready-to-serve can cocktails can be purchased at major retailers and independent liquor stores nationally for an RRP of $49.00 for a four pack. Seasonal drinks are on the way, including a Pina Colada for summer.

For full details visit www.curatif.com, where discounts are available to subscribers.