As the Covid-19 pandemic closed many Chicago restaurants and bars last year, to-go cocktails became one of the ways those businesses could continue to bring in revenue. The city legalized the practice of selling mixed drinks to go in June 2020, and the practice could become permanently legal in Chicago under a new proposal from Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The state of Illinois officially expanded the booze to-go law for three years earlier this month, meaning restaurants can continue offering carryout cocktails until at least 2024.
But while the legalization of cocktail carryout is good news for the local restaurant industry, the process of manufacturing your own libations isn't exactly easy. From bottling to labeling to making sure the taste is the same as what you'd expect at the bar itself, already thinly staffed restaurants are hard-pressed to add more to their plate.
That's where Blue Blazer Cocktails comes in. The Chicago startup, which launched last year, partners with some of Chicago’s most well-known bars and restaurants to make premium, ready-to-drink cocktails they can sell. Blue Blazer works with the restaurant to develop a drink that meets their standards, handles all the bottling at its facility in Skokie, and labels the drink with the restaurant's specific branding.
Blue Blazer sold its first to-go cocktail last November to Billy Sunday, a popular bar in Logan Square, with its Billy Sunday Old Fashioned. Its expanded lineup today features a Lula Café Bloody Mary, a Federales Margarita, a Pub Royale Cup, and a Arami Japanese Negroni, among others. It also offers a Murray Bros. Caddyshack 19th Hole in partnership with Bill Murray's restaurant in Rosemont, and it's planning to launch another drink with the famous actor's restaurant later this year that's a canned vodka soda, co-founder Joe Kreeger said.
The company sources high-quality spirits from brands like Letherbee, Driftless Glen and CH, mixing the drinks with house-made juices to keep them tasting fresh.
Blue Blazer was founded by Kreeger, Brian Troglia and Josh Kaplan, three lawyers who specialize in the food and entertainment space. Their product helped local restaurants create an additional revenue stream as many were struggling to survive during the pandemic.
"There’s a significant demand for high quality, ready to drink cocktails that are of an authentic bar quality," Kreeger said. "To be able to have that in a to-go format is a big boost for restaurants."
Along with offering to-go options, Blue Blazer is also stocking these restaurant-branded cocktails at Binny's, Foxtrot and other local liquor stores.
"If you’re up at Highland Park at Binny’s and you’ve got the Billy Sunday Old Fashioned, the next time you’re in Logan Square you’re much more likely to stop by Billy Sunday," Kreeger said.
The startup has also experimented with other revenue streams, like selling to golf courses and offering corporate brands the ability to wrap their logo on a cocktail. Kreeger said Blue Blazer also expects to sell to concerts and music festivals, as well as hotels, where it could offer its products inside the mini bar. The company has so far raised $750,000 in a seed round.
