{"id":52639,"date":"2025-01-28T06:32:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T06:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alcohol\/the-best-dirty-shirley-more-than-the-drink-of-the-summer\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T06:32:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T06:32:30","slug":"the-best-dirty-shirley-more-than-the-drink-of-the-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=52639","title":{"rendered":"The Best Dirty Shirley: More than the drink of the summer"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The internet, press, and TV are all abuzz with the Dirty Shirley. It\u2019s described as the drink of the summer 2022. The NY Times<\/em><\/a> was among the first to write about it. The Today Show<\/em> <\/a>recently went so far as to describe it as overtaking the Aperol Spritzer as the summer drink.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s not surprising that I thought this drink was worth looking into. Among the first thing I came across was this press release<\/a> from Black Infusions<\/a>, makers of Black Fig<\/a> (Double Gold at San Francisco Spirits Competition), Gold Apricot<\/a> (96 points from Wine Enthusiast), and their newest product, Dark Cherry<\/a>. The latter addresses the Dirty Shirley two ways \u2014 used as a cocktail at bars and restaurants and a canned version as a Ready-To-Drink (RTD) cocktail.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Black Infusions was created and is owned by the husband-and-wife team, of Michael and Barbara Davidson. I\u2019ve known them since 2018 and wrote about them then<\/a>. I figured I\u2019d check in with them and learn more about what\u2019s going on in general and with their brands. So, we spoke at length on the phone and here\u2019s the interview:<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> Before we get into the Dirty Shirley\u2026 how\u2019s business overall?<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> Business is good, we\u2019re gaining traction from consumers, largely because of our retail distribution. But, you know, it can always be better, so we keep pounding the pavement.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> What accounts are you in?<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> Off-Premise we\u2019re in Total Wine & \u00a0More<\/a>, Kroger<\/a>, Wegman\u2019s,<\/a> Whole Foods<\/a>, Stew Leonard\u2019s<\/a>, and more. On-Premise we\u2019re in a range of what you might called \u201cmarquis\u201d accounts like Fig & Olive, Balthazar, Eleven Madison, Jean-George\u2019s restaurants, and a bunch of others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> How did the Dark Cherry infused vodka come about?<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> Our position in the market is based on vodka naturally infused with fruit \u2014 just fruit and neutral grain spirits, no artificial flavors, no other additives, no extra sugar. At 60 proof, consumers love our Black Fig and Gold Apricot products because they can enjoy it by itself and in cocktails. When we thought about other products, cherries came immediately to mind.<\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong> I would add that finding the right blend and especially the right cherries, took time. Like some fine wines, we needed to find the right balance of cherry types. Our blend is 80% Bing Cherries and 20% Rainer.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> And how did the RTD product come about?<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> Lots of our bartender fans and friends kept making different kinds of drinks with Dark Cherry. One was a Cherry Coke. But the one that got our attention was a Shirley Temple with Dark Cherry vodka\u2026 The Dirty Shirley. Then\u2026<\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong> We felt that just adding vodka to the traditional recipe was wrong. If you order a Dirty Shirley at a bar, the recipe calls for lemon lime soda like sprite, grenadine, and maraschino cherries. Much too sweet and artificial tasting. When we taste our product with the trade, the response we got was, \u201cYou ought to put it in a can as an RTD.\u201d So, we did.<\/p>\n

Also, It\u2019s special, unique, it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s yummy, and after the last two years, I figured we could all use a reminder of simpler times. Our new Dark Cherry vodka gives us a delicious yet all-natural twist with the convenience of a can.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> How is it different than the Dirty Shirley made in bars?<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> The RTD has our Dark Cherry vodka, fresh lime juice, some real ginger, and a touch of carbonation.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> How is it going so far?<\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong> We just launched in May and only in a few markets, but we can\u2019t keep it in stock.<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> From a business standpoint, the RTD will hopefully accomplish several things: promote the Dark Cherry infused vodka as a brand, highlight our full line and raise awareness of our other real fruit products, and perhaps open the door to other RTD entries.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> So, it\u2019s not just a new brand, it will play a strategic role.<\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> Where can my readers find the RTD?<\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong> We launched in Boston, at Big Night Live and sold 130 cans in 3 hours. BevMo\/Gopuff requested availability in CA. We will also launch Gopuff in MA and DC, and Total Wine in MA.<\/p>\n

BB:<\/strong> The best of luck with all your products. You\u2019ve come a long way from when we originally met. Here\u2019s to continued success. Thanks for your time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The internet, press, and TV are all abuzz with the Dirty Shirley. It\u2019s described as the drink of the summer 2022. The NY Times was among the first to write about it. The Today Show recently went so far as to describe it as overtaking the Aperol Spritzer as the summer drink. So, it\u2019s not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12029],"tags":[30721,2054,30722,30723,3768,20317,539],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-52639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alcohol","tag-black-infusions","tag-dirty","tag-dirty-shirley","tag-dirty-shirley-rtd","tag-drink","tag-shirley","tag-summer"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best Dirty Shirley: More than the drink of the summer - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=52639\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Dirty Shirley: More than the drink of the summer - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The internet, press, and TV are all abuzz with the Dirty Shirley. 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