Tales of (70cl), Olssøn Barbieri

Tales of (70cl)

The secret to a good premixed cocktail is really not a secret at all: ingredients. Naming and story though have proven to be as important to the success of a cocktail. Most of the cocktails we are drinking today where born between the 1880 and 1930 and "Tales of" celebrates these stories (or legends, distortions, half-truths) to reinstate the “soul” of every cocktail and lift the ingredients they are made of.

Year
2018
Client
Arcus
Goal
Create unique stories for each cocktail
Deliverables
Naming, Packaging, Identity, Storytelling, Branding

Industries
Beverage
Materials
Glass
Techniques
Spraycoating
Collaborators
Egle Zvirblyte, Illustration
Sigve Aspelund, Photographer
Lachlan Bullock, Design and copywriting

Awards
2018, Visuelt Diploma
2018, European Design Awards Bronze

Alcoholic Ready to Drink brands (RTD) have a reputation for being sweet, childish and artificial. The project was initiated by the department of innovation at Arcus Norway, who identified an opportunity to change the perception of the category by creating a series of crafted cocktails with natural ingredients for a more quality focused consumer with a renewed interest for process, origin, ingredients and taste-complexity. The first two cocktails in the rage are Sidecar and Oslo Mule (a Moscow Mule with Aquavit instead of vodka).

Sidecar – A bottled cocktail paying tribute to a captain, his motorcycle, and the barman who mastered the balance.

It was five years after the war when the 'Années folles’ had finally hit Paris. The café culture was sprouting with lingering artists in a dance of darting eyes, twirling moustaches & jazzed cocktails. It was in the midst of frivolities when a young American Captain broke the French aperitif protocol. For brandy was never to be drunk before dinner had been served. They say, those who knew the man, knew the drink. But it wasn’t until Fitzgerald & Hemingway took it to the Ritz that the American’s Sidecar became the latest barman's wink.

The sidecar

The earliest known recipe for the Sidecar appeared in two books published in 1922; Robert Vermeire’s “Cocktails and How to Mix Them”, and Harry MacElhone’s Harry’s “ABC of Mixing Cocktails”. There are two theories on the origins of the Sidecar recipe: The Paris School with the 1:1:1 ratio and the London School with a 2:1:1 ratio. Harry MacElhone first published the Paris School recipe.
During the prohibition era, the likes of Cole Porter, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and other expats fled America to live it up in Paris. In 1921 César Ritz opened the Ritz Bar rue Cambon. At that time, it went by the name of “Le Café Parisien” and was reserved for men. But when the wife of César’s son Charles invite herself in, it was decided in 1926 to open a second bar just across the way. Originally for ladies only, the “Petit Bar” was renamed Bar Hemingway in 1994.
The Paris School Recipe (1:1:1 ratio) 1 oz Cognac, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz Lemon Juice
Sometime in Paris, during or shortly after World War I, an American Army captain often traveled around in a motorcycle sidecar. One day, when he was under the weather, he requested something that would help him feel better, and the drink was named the “Sidecar”, as a tribute to its original patron. The story also evolve into the captain going to the Ritz Hotel on a regular basis, and this was his favorite drink to ward off the chill of the winter nights.

Oslo Mule – a bottled cocktail with a twist on fresh and spiscy "Moscow Mule" featuring a splash of Norwegian Aquavit.

The origin of Moscow Mule is based on two people, John and Jack. Two men, neither of major influence, neither of any importance. But both would sit and scheme, after all it was the 40’s and Hollywood favoured the bold. Jack had a restaurant, the Cock N’ Bull, where he made ginger beer. John was more exotic in nature and bought a russian vodka brand. We don’t know if it was John or Jack, if it was business or pure luck, but someone found a coppermug and blended the two together with a dash of lime all before Trumbo could put two words together and instigate the black list.

The Moscow Mule

In the late 1930’s John G. Martin helped to get Smirnoff (a vodka anonymous in taste, appearance and reputation) into the barescene in Hollywood by teaming up with an esteemed barman Jack Morgan (owner of L.A. restaurant Cock’n Bull).
The two came up with the Moscow Mule: a simple drink consisting of vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. By 1942, Hollywood was raving about the celeb-savvy drinking, writing: "There is a new drink that is a craze in the movie colony now. It is called Moscow Mule."
John G. Martin purchased one of the earliest Polaroid cameras (invented in 1947) and put it to use crafting one of the most effective marketing campaigns in history. He would show up at a bar, entice the bartender to make and try his Moscow Mule and then take a picture of them with his Polaroid. He would leave one copy for the bar to display, and would take the other—along with many more like it—to his next stop to prove his legitimacy. It was a serious case of “all the cool kids are doing it” marketing, and it worked.
Ad

Through the use of illustrations we're offering a contemporary take on the RTD category and a committed approach to quality ingredients with a factual and detailed back label. An overall masculine feel is injected in the products, assuring an independent feel and triggering curiosity to try the range. The brown bottle contributes to communicate a crafted product and helps to preserve the natural juices and ingredients.

An overall independent attitude is instilled in the products, triggering curiosity to try the entire range. The brown bottle contributes to communicate craft and helps to preserve the natural juice and ingredients.