Debuting this month, Drifter Craft Cocktails is a new canned cocktail collection focused on global spirits and telling the story of small-batch producers.

This comes as the Ready-to-Drink category continues to boom, after reaching new heights in 2020.

Drifter Craft Cocktails launches in three initial varieties: Spicy Margarita, Passion Fruit Caipirinha and Moscow Mule.

Each of these RTDs was designed by a top bartender: Nico de Soto (Mace, New York and Danico, Paris), Mariena Mercer Boarini (Wynn, Las Vegas) and Michael Neff (The Cottonmouth Club, Los Angeles).

de Soto created the Spicy Margarita. “De Soto sampled notes from Pueblan mole, the spiciness of Guadalajara and the tropical paradise of the Yucatán to evoke a journey through Mexico and its culinary variety,” the company says.

For the Passion Fruit Caipirinha, Boarini focused on the lushness and hogo (funkiness) of Avuá Cachaça, while balancing it with the brightness of passion fruit and spices.

In the Moscow Mule, Neff combined the spiciness of ginger beer with the grassy sweetness of Griffo Pot Distilled Vodka produced in California.

The full ingredient list is below:

• Spicy Margarita – Paladar Blanco Tequila (Jalisco, Mexico), Triple Sec flavor (Saumur, France), pineapple juice (Long An, Vietnam), orange flavor (Oxnard, CA) and chipotle extract (Oxnard, CA)
• Passion Fruit Caipirinha – Avuá Prata Cachaça (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), lime juice (Guangdong, China), passion fruit juice (Bukidnon, Philippines), vanilla flavor (Long An, Vietnam), cardamom extract (Oxnard, CA) and lemon grass oil (Oxnard, CA)
• Moscow Mule – Griffo Pot Distilled Vodka (Petaluma, CA), ginger juice (Assam, India), lime juice (North Aurora, IL) and jalapeño flavor (Oxnard, CA)

Each RTD is 7% ABV. The suggested retail price is $19.99 per 4-pack.

Drifter Craft Cocktails is co-founded by Pete Nevenglosky, Nate Whitehouse and Jeff Diego, of Drifter Spirits.

“Drifter Craft Cocktails uses high-quality ingredients and is transparent on where we source every element,” says Nevenglosky. “From Vietnam, to India, to the Philippines, the ingredients are shared on every can with a story about the producers.”

“We are proud to highlight Avuá Cachaça, produced by third-generation master distiller Katia Espirito Santo in the hills four hours from Rio de Janeiro,” he adds. “Paladar Tequila produced by the Orendain family, who have made tequila since 1844 and are the last of the independent founding families of tequila. And also Griffo Pot Distilled Vodka produced in Petaluma, CA, showcasing the beauty and bounty of Sonoma County.”

The Drifter Craft Cocktail packaging references air travel in the 1950s and 1960s, an era of Boeing 747s and Pan Am.