With National Cocktail Day upon us on 24th March, one new Leamington Spa business is hoping to shake things up with their own takes on some popular classics. Launching next week, Pergola Drinks has been created by husband and wife team Rahul and Sheetal Murthy. The company is a cocktail creator, wholesaler and retailer, with a focus on the premium end of the market.
Rahul and Sheetal created the concept after being inspired on a holiday to Tequila in Mexico, where they sipped exquisite margaritas under a beautiful pergola (hence the name). However, on returning home, they found the pre-mixed cocktail market had room for improvement.
Rahul explains:
“Everyone has a favourite memory from a favourite bar on a favourite trip. Ours were the margaritas we had under a stunning pergola in Tequila and we came away inspired. Pergola Drinks is our tribute to that bar and those wonderful flavours and memories.
The current premix market is often more akin to a “tribute” to certain cocktails, but the price points retail-wise mean that some manufacturers struggle to use the premium level ingredients that really pack the punch we all enjoy. In fact, some of the existing cocktails are indeed just that: a cocktail of all manner of ingredients designed to bring the prices in line with the market expectations and to extend the shelf life of the product.
There is room for that – and obviously high demand – but we also believe there is room at the top end for a premium cocktail range. Our first two are Tequila Sunset, akin to a slightly sweeter margarita, and then in contrast we have Poolside, which is markedly more sour.”
The great news for cocktail lovers is that there’s no need for fancy liqueurs, cocktail kits or recipe cards. Pergola Drinks have done all the work to make their cocktails as effortless as possible for everyone, whether they are being enjoyed at home or in bars and restaurants.
The company also use only 100% blue agave tequila in their margaritas as they strive for the most authentic experience possible.
“It’s not always easy, but nothing else will do,” says Sheetal. “We are passionate about this new venture, which is going to be a lot of fun but also going to require an incredible amount of hard work, vision and focus. Thankfully, we work very well as a team and it is fair to say that we don’t tolerate any half measures!”
