If you fancy a good old mojito or margarita but don’t have a cocktail shaker and all the ingredients handy, then locals Ben and Emma Connelly can help. The couple, originally from the UK, moved to Hawke’s Bay four years ago with a dream of starting their own alcohol business and it was during lockdown last year that ‘Fling’ cocktails-in-a-can became a reality.
“We decided that despite having a toddler in tow and baby number two on the way, it was now or never. So we spent the year developing the drinks and in December, just after welcoming our daughter into the world, we launched our first two ready to pour cocktails into the New Zealand market.
“We knew we wanted to showcase Hawke’s Bay fruit in the cocktails and so the Mojito is made with local lime juice from St Andrew’s Limes. Both the mojito and the margarita have been a huge hit nationwide,” says Emma.
It helps that the couple are “huge cocktail fans” and many a night over the past few years were spent testing recipes with friends and deliberating over ingredients. “We knew we wanted to create a range of drinks that were convenient but also tasted like a freshly shaken cocktail.”
It’s become a full-time job for Ben, who spends time on the road spreading the Fling love and new flavours will be launched over the next few months.
Fling cocktails can be bought online at www.flingcocktails.co.nz or in selected liquor stores here in HB and from Matakana to Wellington.