EAST LONDON LIQUOR CO. KICKS OFF SUMMERTIME WITH THE LAUNCH OF RTDs

As the nation adapts to a new normal there has never been a more important time to keep spirits high. As the first of three big launches this year, ELLCo. is introducing a range of RTDs, featuring a sneak preview of their new ramped-up East London look.

Perfect for everyone in lockdown from pre-dinner drinks to Zoom discos, balcony BBQs, solo gigs and holein- the-fence neighbourly catch-ups, the range includes four new products made with ELLCo.’s award winningspirits and no artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives. The new RTDs come in 12-can cases.

“Launching an RTD range was a natural progression for us. East London Liquor Co. has been making good booze at good prices for good people for over half a decade. So, for everyone who wants bartender-qualitycocktails at home but can’t be bothered to make them, these are just for you,” said ELLCo. Founder, Alex Wolpert. ” Sure, summer is going to be different this year, but we’ve never let anything hold us back. We’reall about drinking defiantly, even if that means a refreshing drink while working on your tan through wideopen windows instead of in the park or on a beach.”

BARTENDER-QUALITY COCKTAILS IN A CAN – RRP £24/case | 0.5% ABV G&T RRP £20/case
East London GRAPEFRUIT GIN + TONIC – 0.5% ABV – low alcohol for cleaner living and a clearer conscience.

Made with ELLCo.’s own grapefruit-infused tonic, it barely touches the sides at 33 calories a can.

East London GRAPEFRUIT GIN + TONIC – 5% ABV – a refreshing blast with ELLCo.’s London Dry Gin (packing ajuniper hit and spicy finish) matched with grapefruit-infused tonic. We’re expecting the proverbial door to beknocked down by drinkers in-the-know to get their hands on this puppy.

East London RUM + GINGER – 4.6% ABV – peaks with a kick of red chilli, a juicy ginger burn and a shot of deep, funky- ester-filled East London Rum. Close your eyes and get teleported to white sand beaches and palm trees.

East London VODKA + RHUBARB – 4.6% ABV – straight-up, smooth, creamy ELLCo. British Wheat Vodka with a pop of natural rhubarb soda. A kind of Collins in a can.

The RTD range was created by ELLCo.’s James Law who heads up innovation for the company’s drinks on thego. James, former co-founder of Longflint Drinks, and Alex both share a passion for creating bartender quality drinks at accessible prices. As start-up pioneers in the capital’s creative East their focus has always been on experimentation.

AVAILABLE

From mid-May at www.eastlondonliquorcompany.com/shop and Whole Foods UK.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Actor-turned-bartender, Alex Wolpert, left drama school in 2006 and spent his 20s living in East London, working behind bars, finishing at 4am. At the time, big brands were investing big to stay big, before independent craft spirits rocked up, some with crazy price tags that were supposed to signify high quality.

Exasperated by customers calling for only expensive brands to make the perfect drink, Alex thought maybe the time had come to quit his job and to fight for everyone that wanted affordable excellence, but without the vanity pricing and packaging. Until then, no one had dared to make a great spirit and sell it at a great price. It was in 2013 when a friend challenged Alex to set up his own business. The next day Alex asked his inner circle of friends if he should do it. They all said no. So, he did it anyway.

Six months later he borrowed against his Hackney flat, convinced the bar owners of Barworks (his bosses at the time) to invest in his vision and cycled the waterways of East London until he found a disused glue factory warehouse-cum-boozer that had closed down, next to Victoria Park. He then ordered two copper pot stills from Germany, found a 21-year old chemical-engineer-turned-distiller, Tom Hills, and an East London bartender, Mikey Pendergast, to help build his dream. In 2014 Alex set up East London Liquor Company. In the first year the team of five were producing 1,000 bottles of gin a month for East London bars and restaurants.

In 2018 ELLCo. launched London’s first Rye Whisky in over a century, crowdfunded over £1m in 36 hours, and in 2020 was appointed to create the next generation of Royal Botanic Garden, Kew’s range of spirits (having earned their stripes producing special editions for London institutions including The Royal Academy of Arts, the Barbican and Transport for London).

Today the down-to-earth and independent distillery produces and imports over 15,000 bottles a month of award winning gin, vodka, whisky and rum served by some of the best bartenders in the world, exports to over 20 markets and was valued in 2018 at £16.5m (post Crowdcube fundraise).