August 3, 2021
Black Woman Cocktail Consultant and Author Tapped to Create Special New Summer Drink #BlackBusinessMonth
Cocktail consultant and spirits educator Shannon Mustipher just released summer’s newest tasty bourbon drink in collaboration with LiveWire Cocktail Co.
Orange-colored and packaged in a black labeled bottle, Mustipher’s “Holy Tiger” cocktail is a combination of flavors, including lemongrass, Straight Bourbon, Rockey’s Liqueur, coconut, lime, and Jamaican #1 Bitters.
“I chose bourbon as the base, and made it tropical by fat washing the spirit with unrefined coconut oil,” she told Essence. “This does two things—first and most importantly, the coconut oil gives a floral aroma to the spirit. Second, it adds a silky texture to the liquid and the cocktail in general. To further amplify the tropical notes, I use a lemongrass infused simple syrup.”
Mustipher told Essence she was excited to create the special “beach drink” for LiveWire, a cocktail company that highlights the talents of bartenders by showcasing their drinks.
“When LiveWire approached me for a collaboration, I was excited to put something out in the market that would fit the brand’s M.O., which is to offer cocktails built on easy and familiar templates with a special approach to picking out unique ingredients and flavor profiles to make it a notch above the typical well drink,” she shared with Essence.
Mustipher also had a hand in designing the drink’s label, which features a pulp-inspired drawing of a tiger soaring out of ocean waves surrounded by pink flowers.
“The process of selecting the recipe, creating the recipe, and last but not least, working on the label and the strategy for promoting the product, was a fantastic collaboration in which my ideas and creativity were welcomed and encouraged,” she told Essence. “I feel like the customer is not only getting to experience my vision of a tropical whisky sour, but to feel my vibe and attitude around cocktails via the artwork on the packaging as well as in the images we have created for the promo.”
In her 2018 book, Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, the Brooklyn-based author showcases her exotic tiki skills. The book features her original recipes, techniques, tasting notes and recommendations, and tips on style and music. Mustipher also founded Women Who Tiki.
To get your hands on a bottle of “Holy Tiger,” pre-order online at www.livewiredrinks.com for $24.99 each. The drink will soon be available in stores in New York and California.