After successfully launching its own spiced rum brand, Melbourne’s The Rum Diary Bar is branching off into pre-batched cocktails.
According to Hamish Goonetilleke, owner of the iconic venue, the idea began as a sales prop for the team, allowing them to easily demonstrate the use of Rum Diary Spiced Rum on cocktail menus.
“It came out of helping the sales reps sell the full bottles of rum diary spiced into bars,” he says. “By having the cocktail pre-batched its quick and easy to sample so the venues get how it works straight away.”
The idea developed from there and now the pre-batched drinks will be sold direct to the public, through the website and boutique bottle shops.
The drinks were designed by brand ambassador Daniel Monk.
“It’s just one of the things he does in his role as rum diary spiced rum ambassador,” says Goonetilleke.
The range of bottle cocktails not only demonstrates the versatility of the spirit in classic twists and but also more innovative highball style serves.
“We wanted instantly recognisable drinks, hence the Old Fashioned and the Negroni,” says Goonetilleke. “The Peach Tea Spritz was to show a different side to the spirit – you simply add 50mls in a highball glass and top with soda and a big squeeze of lemon.”
The set of The Rum Diary Bar cocktails is currently available online – three for $65 as an opening special – and from January 2017 they will be stocked in independent bottle shops such as Wine Republic, Casa De Vinos, and Nicks Wine Merchants.