How COVID-19 and boxed wine helped inspire a new wave of “bag-in-box” drinks

A person (off-camera) squeezing a lime over a margarita from Crafthouse Cocktails. The brand is one of several that's launched a "boxed cocktail" line, which makes it easier (and cheaper) to serve .

 Last year’s rise in to-go cocktails meant we were frequently imbibing large-format drinks out of everything from plastic pouches to swing-top bottles.

 But as far as convenience goes, nothing could top a box. As in bag-in-box, an increasingly popular format for distilleries to present their artisanal cocktails in a way that’s easy to transport and serve.

 And yes, the (unfairly) disdained concept of boxed wine was an inspiration, as St. Agrestis Spirits co-founder Louis Catizone tells us. “I was on a trip to Minneapolis visiting our distributor and got to talking about the desire for larger-format offerings,” he tells InsideHook. “As we were talking, I’m literally staring at a stack of boxed wine, and that’s when the idea hit — why not put our bottled Negroni in a boxed format?”

 St. Agrestis launched the cocktails during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they turned out to be a hit. “It’s value and convenience,” says Catizone. “You’ll get a consistent drink every time. It’s like a Negroni fountain in your fridge.”

 And starting with a Negroni was also a deliberate choice. “It’s booze mixed with booze mixed with booze,” as Catizone notes. “It’s very shelf stable.”

 Anheuser-Busch is paying attention to this new trend — the drinks giant recently announced a line of Boxology Cocktails.  But until we get our hands on those (right now, they’re a trial release in Arizona and Georgia), we present some bag-in-box cocktails that are ideal for this upcoming holiday weekend, when you may be faced with large gatherings and/or on a lazy getaway where you don’t want to handle home bartender duties.

 Last year’s rise in to-go cocktails meant we were frequently imbibing large-format drinks out of everything from plastic pouches to swing-top bottles.

 But as far as convenience goes, nothing could top a box. As in bag-in-box, an increasingly popular format for distilleries to present their artisanal cocktails in a way that’s easy to transport and serve.

 And yes, the (unfairly) disdained concept of boxed wine was an inspiration, as St. Agrestis Spirits co-founder Louis Catizone tells us. “I was on a trip to Minneapolis visiting our distributor and got to talking about the desire for larger-format offerings,” he tells InsideHook. “As we were talking, I’m literally staring at a stack of boxed wine, and that’s when the idea hit — why not put our bottled Negroni in a boxed format?”

 St. Agrestis launched the cocktails during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they turned out to be a hit. “It’s value and convenience,” says Catizone. “You’ll get a consistent drink every time. It’s like a Negroni fountain in your fridge.”

 And starting with a Negroni was also a deliberate choice. “It’s booze mixed with booze mixed with booze,” as Catizone notes. “It’s very shelf stable.”

 Anheuser-Busch is paying attention to this new trend — the drinks giant recently announced a line of Boxology Cocktails.  But until we get our hands on those (right now, they’re a trial release in Arizona and Georgia), we present some bag-in-box cocktails that are ideal for this upcoming holiday weekend, when you may be faced with large gatherings and/or on a lazy getaway where you don’t want to handle home bartender duties.