Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
august 2018 / the tasting panel / 1 13 BLENDING TIMING WITH HARD WORK: SPA GIRL COCKTAILS According to Spa Girl Cocktails founder Karen Haines, "low-calorie has never been so stylish"—and she's proving it directly through her brand, which debuted in California, Nevada, and Arizona just three years ago. Already award-winning, Spa Girl Cocktails is gaining traction in chains and is also on its way toward market expansion. Haines, who worked for decades in the hospitality and travel industry, applied the aforementioned motto to the current high demand for a low-calorie yet high- quality spirit. The result? Her ready-to-drink Spa Girl Pear and Cucumber Martinis ($25). "I created Spa Girl Cocktails because I truly believe there is a need in the spirits industry for a low-calorie, fabulous-tasting cocktail option," she explains. Spa Girl Cocktails blends six-times-distilled premium vodka with all-natural ingredients for the Martinis, which are packaged in elegant 750-mil- liliter bottles. The gluten-free, 33-proof drinks are only 48 calories and one Weight Watcher point per 1½ ounces, reducing the guilt of drinking while still enabling consumers and guests to enjoy a fresh and delicious cocktail. Spa Girl Cocktails can be enjoyed straight out of the bottle or shaken over ice with a garnish of fresh fruit. They mix beautifully in cocktails in place of other flavored vodkas—as Karen says, "Be creative." This spirit is not only about what's in the bottle: It's about a lifestyle that brings friends together and elevates any get-together into a gathering to remember. KAUFFMAN CONSULTING, LLC The Bungalow ◗ 3 oz. Spa Girl Martini ◗ 1 oz. fresh pink grapefruit juice ◗ Splash of coconut water Shake over ice, strain, and add fresh mint.