Organic may have started with the most basic of foods, but today it reaches astounding breadth and depth. The category spans the elemental, from produce and dairy to sophisticated niches, such as cocktails.
Drinkers who are already spending more on their top-shelf vodka or rare Trinidadian rum also seem inclined to purchase all-natural, organic or premium cocktail mixers. Companies like Fever Tree, Stirrings and Modmix offer accompaniments like effervescent bitter lemon soda or organic mojito mix.
“When we created the line, we were thinking, ‘Why isn't there a top-of-the-line gourmet mixer available to mix with premium and ultra-premium spirits?’” said Tricia McCracken, co-founder of Modmix, a West Hollywood, Calif., manufacturer of six Certified Organic mixers. Distribution has recently expanded to include Whole Foods Market, H-E-B Central Market, Sprouts Market and similar retailers.
Besides organic certification, manufacturers are capitalizing on other wellness preferences. The makers of Q Tonic, for example, claim their product contains 60% fewer calories than conventional tonic water and is made using organic agave and hand-picked quinine from the Peruvian Andes. Stirrings, of Fall River, Mass., uses hand-harvested Fleur de Sel (French sea salt) in its popular club soda.
