Stirrings in the pre-made cocktail mix world

June 18, 12:16 PMDrinks ExaminerBill Dowd

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Last September I wrote a piece on pre-made cocktails, called "Not all drink mixes are created equal."

In particular, I zeroed in on a line of such mixes bearing the brand name Stirrings. As I noted at the time, "I do agree that many of the pre-made drink mixes are loaded with ingredients one neither wants nor may even understand, but as in all things culinary there are exceptions. One such, in my view, is the line of Stirrings drink mixes. I actually like them. A lot.

" ... I've tried the Fall River, MA, company's margarita, mojito, peach bellini and apple martini mixes. Excellent, all, with none of that 'What's in this?' wrinkly-nosed result. Not yet tried: blood orange martini, bloody Mary, chocolate peppermintini, cosmopolitan, lemon drop, lemonade, pear martini, pomegranate martini, spiced apple and wild blueberry martini. Some of the latter I'd never try, simply because such concoctions do not appeal to me no matter whether they're made from a mix or made using ingredients just shipped from farm or factory. I refer specifically to the likes of a chocolate peppermintini and a wild blueberry martini. Blecch."

I bring this up now because the company founded in 1997 by Bill Creelmann and Gil MacLean also attracted the eyes of drinks giant Diageo, which bought a 20% stake in the company.

Now, it has completed the process, buying up the remaining 80% to become sole owner. Charles Cowdery, the Chicago Drinks Examiner for Examiner.com, reports on the transaction.