On the heels of the success of their canned Brandy Old Fashioned RTD collab, which hit stores earlier this year, Central Standard Craft Distillery and Leinenkugel’s have added two more canned cocktails to their lineup and expanded into Minnesota.
The new flavors are Cherry Vodka Lemonade with a lemon nod toward Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, cherry for Central Standard’s Door County Cherry Vodka and a dose ofraw Wisconsin honey; and Bourbon Old Fashioned with Central Standard’s Red Cabin Bourbon, combined with flavors from Leinie’s brews, like cherry, cranberry and orange.
“Crafting these RTDs has allowed us to flex our creative muscles, thinking deeper about what cocktail lovers want next,” says Central Standard co-founder Pat McQuillan.
“We’re all on the move these days, even more so in the summer. From festivals to fairways, these products offer a premium option for on-the-go enjoyment without compromising quality or taste. Even better, we’re making it happen right here in Milwaukee with the iconic Leinenkugel’s.”
Each of the three canned RTD cocktails is 8 percent ABV. They are sold in 12-ounce four-packs in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“At Leinenkugel’s, we’ve always strived to push the boundaries of what’s possible in brewing,” says Leinie’s President Tony Bugher.
“This collaboration continues that tradition within another category, bringing exceptional, ready-to-drink cocktails to market that we believe will resonate with cocktail lovers past state lines.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
