Cocktail expert and innovator Funkin is giving its successful premium cocktail shakers a facelift and expanding the range to six to include three new flavours, Piña Colada, Espresso Martini and Bramble.

Piña Colada is set to launch this month, followed by the other two flavours later this year. The new additions to the range tap into current spirits and cocktail trends. The Piña Colada cocktail has consumer awareness of nearly 70 per cent and is integral to the growing rum category. Gin is the UK’s fastest growing spirit with Bramble amongst the most popular gin cocktails. The Espresso Martini is demonstrating strong growth and is now firmly in the UK’s Top 10 cocktails.

The original trio includes Mojito (with 100 calorie option), Passion Fruit Martini and Strawberry Daiquiri, all favourites amongst UK consumers with the Mojito taking the No.1 cocktail spot (CGA Mixed Drinks Report Q3 2017).

The range of Funkin cocktail shakers has a new premium look and feel. The shakers are silver with bright, bold colours differentiating each flavour and clearly communicate how the product should be used. The shape of the iconic pack remains the same, allowing consumers to simply add spirit and ice, ‘make it shake’ and serve.

As the UK’s number one fruit purée brand and leader in the on-trade, Funkin takes its expertise to the off-trade with its cocktail shakers. Using Funkin’s premium bar-quality products, the cocktail shakers allow consumers to make perfectly balanced, chilled cocktails at home. The three-piece shaker has a measuring cap and measure line for pouring the correct amount of spirit and a strainer to filter a chilled cocktail from the ice.

With only 20 percent of total spirits sold in the on-trade, Funkin has identified an opportunity in the off-trade to continue to increase cocktail penetration as well as spirits category sales. There is an estimated opportunity to sell 604 million cocktails each year in the off-trade, which is equivalent to 1.8 million 9-litre cases of spirits. That’s compared to 151 million cocktails sold in the on-trade each year (CGA Strategy Mixed Drinks Report March 2016).

Funkin Managing Director, Andrew King, says: “Funkin’s cocktail shakers have a premium design with strong shelf presence that effectively reflects the quality of the product. The additional cocktail serves provide our customers with a point of difference in the spirits aisle just in time for summer, a key sales period for retailers, which will help grow the overall cocktail category.”

Funkin’s cocktail shakers will be supported by nationwide sampling coupled with a social media campaign to drive trial and awareness. The RRP is £4 and they are available in multiple grocers and national wholesale in 4 x 400ml cases. Each shaker has an 11-month ambient shelf life and makes four cocktail serves.