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The Roaring Twenties, an era of flappers, jazz, and women’s right to vote, brought many freedoms but was also the time of Prohibition – a law which banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Not surprisingly there were many unintended consequences of Prohibition like bootlegging, organized crime, and speakeasies or blind tigers, establishments which illegally sold alcohol but were much more than that. For Rebecca Styn, founder and CEO of Blind Tiger, the 1920s represented a time of inclusivity, especially at speakeasies which created a space for social interactions between people of different backgrounds, races, and genders. 100 years after this time in history, at her modern-day speakeasy in Pennsylvania, the idea for Blind Tiger, spirit-free, ready-to-drink cocktails that capture the defining flavors of the 1920s, was born.
Blind Tiger has masterfully created sophisticated, ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages or cocktail mixers with natural ingredients. Whether you’re taking a break from alcohol, have given it up all together, or enjoy an occasional spirited cocktail, Blind Tiger is all-inclusive. Their award-winning beverages have been carefully curated to feel and taste more elevated than a traditional mocktail and easier than mixing all the ingredients for a spirited drink, while still holding true to the flavors of vintage cocktails.
Named after classic cocktails, Blind Tigers’ drinks are ready to be enjoyed right out of the bottle, shaken up with just a few additional ingredients, or even used in unique recipes.
Bee’s Knees
By the 1920s the term ‘bee’s knees’ meant something outstanding, and this non-alcoholic cocktail is no exception. The acidity of the lemon juice doesn’t distract from the honey but rather highlights it leaving the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Shaken with ice and topped with club soda feels so refreshing you won’t miss the alcohol, but if by chance you do, this mix pairs perfectly with dry gin, creating a smooth cocktail – much smoother than the ‘bathtub gin’ cocktails created during Prohibition that relied upon ingredients like honey to mask the smell and taste of homemade gin. This cocktail is so good it makes a believer out of a gin-skeptic.
Take your spirit-free Bee’s Knees to the next level and create a drink with purpose beyond just taste with the Gingerly Bee. The addition of ginger adds some health-promoting benefits and may help with digestion, nausea, and inflammation. Choose the amount of ginger based on your spice preference, grab your feather boa, and delight in an upscale drink that took minutes to make.
The classic Southside cocktail combines lime and mint with gin that some stories say was a preferred drink of Al Capone during Prohibition and named after the southside of Chicago. Blind Tiger has expertly recreated these bright and refreshing complementary flavors and combined them with hints of juniper that mirror the flavor of gin. Enjoy the drink in a coupe with a mint garnish for an experience that’s less mobster and more flapper.
Prefer the lime and mint flavor combination in a mojito instead? Southside is the perfect base for this Cuban drink as well. Like all Blind Tiger’s beverages, a 2:1 ratio of mixer to alcohol works well. Combine 3 oz. Southside with 1.5 oz. rum in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, strain into a glass with ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a lime. Creating this fizzy, minty drink has never been so easy.
Another perfect pairing is cranberry and lime and this unique Southside Cranberry Sauce is the tangy addition to your holiday spread you didn’t know you were missing. It’s so versatile you can pair it with warm brie on your holiday charcuterie board, serve it next to your turkey, spread it on turkey sandwiches, or even use it on leftover turkey tacos instead of salsa.
