The canned cocktail realm is massive these days, and frankly, there’s a lot of mediocre-at-best stuff out there. In all of my tastings, I’ve really only come across a handful of brands that create bar-worthy results. That small sliver seems to grow a bit each year, but remains a number I could probably count on one hand (maybe two).
Straightaway from Portland is one of them and just raked in a bunch of national awards. One of the biggest ones of late was best in show at the renowned San Francisco International Spirit Awards. The winner? A Mari Gold Amaro that features prominently in a few of the brand’s canned cocktails.
Since its inception six years ago, Straightaway has seemingly done the unthinkable: create cocktails in aluminum that taste like they were made by a deft bartender. So why do the majority out there taste like duds or sugar bombs or some combo of the two?
Cy Cain is the CEO of the brand and was kind enough to shine a light on Straightaway’s deserved success.
Ingredients and staying ahead of the curve
“We have always been obsessive and uncompromising when it comes to what makes a great cocktail,” Cain says. “The best bars use world-class spirits and the freshest ingredients. We do the same thing with our farm-to-glass approach. We source fresh-pressed lemon and lime juice, sea salt from the Oregon Coast, maple syrup from Vermont, and build our own liqueurs, amaro, vermouth, orgeat, and falernum.”
Really, it’s like operating one of the best bars, in sort of a larger scale, to-go format. “Every choice is guided by how a world-class bar would approach crafting truly exceptional cocktails,” Cain continues. “In order to honor this methodology of how the best cocktails in the world get built, we actually produce, package, and ship all of our own product vs having it co-packed, to ensure we control every detail and ingredient of the cocktails and spirits we build.”
As Cain says, they’ll do whatever it takes to make what’s needed for a great cocktail. They’ve combined with acclaimed bars like Multnomah Whiskey Library to make Benedictine liqueur and a sweet vermouth for a limited-run Vieux Carre cocktail.
Just about every bartender will tout top ingredients, and fresh at that. “It’s far cheaper to use flavor house ingredients that replicate flavors found in nature, but we choose to invest in the best ingredients we can get our hands on, every time,” says Cain. “As an example, the Meadowfoam honey we use in our Accompani Coffee Liqueur is cultivated exclusively in the Willamette Valley and has a beautiful top note of a toasted marshmallow. Partnering with Stumptown Coffee, one of the best cold brew producers in the country, according to Bon Appétit and our own taste buds, certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to building our Coffee Liqueur and, in turn, our Nitro Espresso Martini.”
On batching and the merits of a tasting room
“Batching at our scale is very different from making a single cocktail,” Cain says. “Bitters and sugars, for example, can ‘bloom’ in large batches, throwing the drink off balance if you use the same ratios you’d use for one cocktail. To give ourselves time to work through all of those learnings, we began batching cocktails 14 years ago and spent five years of deep research and development and learnings, before we officially launched in 2018.”
And the scale is considerable. Straightaway is available on some Alaska Airlines flights and in some big-time retailers throughout the region. They even have their own bar of sorts.
In southeast Portland, Straightaway benefits from being able to host tasters, much like a brewpub or winery. “Having a tasting room gives us something invaluable: the chance to welcome people in, build real relationships, and meet our cocktail curious or cocktail connoisseur customers alike,” Cain says. “Because the category is still in its early chapters – these in-person moments, hearing what people love, what they are curious about, what they want next from us – directly shape how and what we build next!”
There, visitors can take cocktail classes or just settle into a drink. There are liqueurs and vermouths they make (many going into their canned cocktails), and there’s even a sipper’s club. It’s a community of sorts, eager to see what Straightaway will come up with next.
Transparency and the future
“We firmly believe that we can help make a positive difference for both people and the planet. Whether it’s connecting people through the magic of a well-made drink, thoughtfully sourcing and shipping our product, or supporting nonprofits like Friends of Trees, Oregon Wild, and PCUN, we wake up each day committed to doing our best work. Building a brand that stands for more than a widget on a shelf is central to our mission at Straightaway,” Cain says.
He adds that there are some exciting projects in the works, ones that will drop both at retailers on land and at 30,000 feet on select flights. A new related calendar has introduced new cocktails by Straightaway, like the Last World and Gold Negroni. “And there’s more on the way,” adds Cain. “Expect fresh cocktail and packaging innovations in the coming year.”
