As more consumers choose healthier alternatives for their food and beverages, brands, bars and restaurants continue to include better-for-you options in their product lines and cocktail menus.
After listening to customer feedback, one brand is shaking things up by offering a new, plant-based way for consumers to add to their coffees and mixed drinks.
“Fifty percent of the people who order an art latte are insisting on using plant-based milk, which makes it difficult to get the small long-lasting bubbles that you typically get from cow’s milk to create the art, but they’re insisting on it,” says plant-based milk brand PKN founder Laura Shenkar.
Due to this interesting dynamic, PKN has been working with the Specialty Coffee Association for two years to develop their new Barista plant-based milk. And now that Barista has officially launched, PKN is partnering with Cuvee Coffee and the Natiivo Hotel in Austin to bring consumers PKN-based cocktails.
PKN Coffee and Cocktails
The plant-based milk brand kicked off the partnership and new product with a launch party on December 9th at the Natiivo Hotel. Consumers were served coffee and cocktails featuring PKN’s new Barista product alongside Shenkar and Mike McKim, CEO and founder of Cuvée Coffee.
“We’ve been talking to Mike for over 18 months, which gave us an opportunity to develop a relationship. He’s investing a fair amount of creativity into this partnership, which really makes a difference,” Shenkar says.
To come up with different cocktails that could include PKN, McKim consulted with his mixologist, Angel Medina.
“Angel came up with a Western Old Fashioned, and then we’ve also got an Espresso Martini as well as a White Russian. But the Natiivo Hotel puts a unique twist on each cocktail,” Shenkar mentions.
Future Opportunities for PKN
Throughout the partnership, Shenkar says the Natiivo Hotel will be monitoring customer’s reactions to the new cocktails. “We’re also planning several events to bring people in and try the new cocktails.”
Even though this partnership just launched, Shenkar is already excited to work with other bars and restaurants in the future.
“We’ve been reaching out to potential partners to build on the exploration and try new combinations,” she says.
