Amanda Victoria, founder of Siponey. Image via Siponey.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the co-founder of Siponey, a family-run operation with big plans to help the environment one canned whiskey cocktail at a time.

Amanda Victoria is a veteran cocktail and spirits expert, and her partner in life and business, Joseph Mintz, is a horticulturist with a background in operations. Together they have made a canned cocktail that is both good for the planet and good for people.

The pair decided to go with the highest quality when it came to ingredients, compared to other canned cocktails (we’re looking at you, White Claw). As a result, consumers can enjoy a canned Café flavor, including cold brew, or the classic Royale flavor.

Amanda Victoria and Joseph Mintz. Image via Siponey.

Their ingredient list includes a small, clean lineup.

·     4-year old New York State rye whiskey
·     Sparkling water
·     Fresh lemon juice
·     Local NYS wildflower honey
·     Cold brew coffee (Siponey Café)

And if you think for a second that the lemons can’t possibly be that fresh coming out of New York, think again. According to the Siponey website, “Lemons don’t typically grow in New York, but our supplier is based there to minimize our shipping footprint. We use real lemon juice, not from concentrate.”

Siponey’s method of using clean ingredients and minimizing its shipping footprint has served the company well, as Siponey recently won two Gold medals for both of its current offerings from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

However, the shining star of the cocktail, for me, is surprisingly not the locally sourced rye, but the honey. The couple’s devotion to bees and how helping them is the first step in saving the environment is inspirational.

Joseph Mintz. Image via Siponey.

Their website says, “Honeybees are the first step in recovering the environment,” and their business model not only talks the talk but walks the walk. With 100% of their merchandise proceeds going to partners like Detroit Hives, a non-profit organization working to build up bee populations by transforming vacant urban lots into pollinator-friendly spaces.

“It’s hard to buy products that make you feel good about the planet.” Victoria says. “We strive to produce a cocktail that has minimal impact on our fragile ecosystem, while still giving you the quality cocktail that you deserve.”

The Future For Siponey

Siponey uses only the highest-quality ingredients, making this product good for people and for the planet, a formula that Amanda hopes will one day make the company a household name. Considering the explosion in popularity the new brand has seen, there’s a good chance this will be a reality in the near future.

Siponey will be available at Total Wine and is shipping nationwide from shopsiponey.com.

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