This case study examines how Mission Cocktails co-founders Amit Singh and Marcin Malyszko built a premium ready-to-drink cocktail brand from scratch with no prior industry experience by combining real ingredients, hard work, and a commitment to donating 5% of all revenues to local food banks.
From Dog Walks to Mission Partners
Mission Cocktails began with an unlikely friendship. Amit Singh and Marcin Malyszko met at a charity event in their California neighborhood, but didn’t actually introduce themselves. A week later, Malyszko spotted Singh and struck up a conversation, discovering they lived a block apart.
“Despite a 20-year age gap, we became best friends very early on,” Malyszko explained. “Humble upbringings, values, morals, character, passions, vision—everything about how we operated as individuals just related on so many levels.”
Their friendship deepened over dog walks with cocktails in hand, frequent visits to restaurants and speakeasies, and a shared appreciation for quality drinks. When COVID-19 hit and forced bars to close, the two friends attempted to recreate their favorite cocktails at home using YouTube recipes.
“Our wives hated all the mess, our drinks sucked, and we were disappointed,” Malyszko recalled. They turned to canned and bottled cocktails instead, ultimately trying 60 to 70 different RTD products during the pandemic.
After sampling expensive bottled cocktails that failed to deliver on quality, the friends had a late-night epiphany: “There have to be other people who want something that tastes like it came out of a shaker, a real cocktail that uses real juice.”
They decided to build a mission-driven business. Mission Cocktails was founded with a commitment to donate 5% of all revenues (not just profits) to local food banks.
“If it were just a passion project, just something we wanted to do, we wouldn’t have that same passion,” Singh explained. “For us, it’s that give back that kept us going every single day.”
Starting From Zero Industry Knowledge
The co-founders knew nothing about spirits procurement, bottling, distribution models, or licensing. Their first research tool was remarkably simple.
“Before we even knew about Park Street University, we found this amazing feature called Google,” Singh said. “We literally just Googled everything. We didn’t even know the word distillery—we searched ‘what factory makes alcohol?'”
They spent weekends in their kitchens perfecting five cocktail recipes to their personal taste, assuming they could simply hand these recipes to a distillery for commercialization.
When they approached distilleries, the reality check was immediate. Producers told them that what they wanted to do was impossible because commercial production couldn’t use fresh lime juice the way home bartenders do.
“They said, ‘You’ve got to go to a flavor house,'” Singh recalled. “We were Googling in these meetings, ‘What’s a flavor house?'”
Most distilleries insisted they use artificial flavors and concentrates. However, Singh and Malyszko had established two non-negotiable principles: they would never deviate from their 5% revenue donation, and they would only serve drinks they were proud to offer to friends, using real, California-sourced ingredients.
It took two and a half years to find the right partners and develop the right processes. The result was a product line featuring real juice, including six limes in every bottle of their Margarita, and a handmade orange liqueur crafted with California oranges for their Cadillac version.
“If we did know about flavor houses, we’d be making water, food coloring, generic alcohol, and flavor droplets,” Malyszko noted. “We’d be at an entirely different product than we are today.”
Their first production run consisted of just 600 bottles. Friends loved the product, but Singh and Malyszko knew they needed objective validation. They submitted their cocktails to the San Francisco International Wine and Spirits Competition and won double gold.
The industry recognition gave them confidence to take their business seriously. They worked out the bottle economics and realized every bottle sold could fund one meal for families in need. Today, two years after launch, Mission Cocktails has funded over 100,000 meals.
Navigating Distribution Without a Roadmap
Not knowing the industry proved both a challenge and an advantage. Singh and Malyszko initially tried to avoid distributors entirely after reading “horror stories” on LinkedIn about the difficulty of getting attention in large portfolios.
Reality intervened when they began cold-calling CEOs of grocery chains. “They were like, ‘You don’t work with my six distributors, you’re never getting in my stores,'” Malyszko explained. “We realized the business we wanted to be in required a distributor.”
Their DIY approach did create early momentum. They convinced independent liquor stores to allow them to conduct tastings during busy periods. “I personally said I would buy back any inventory that didn’t sell,” Malyszko recalled. “It was just that confidence.” The tastings were successful, creating demand that began to attract the attention of retailers.
Strategic Partnership with Park Street
Park Street became crucial to Mission Cocktails’ growth strategy, providing the operational infrastructure they needed while they focused on sales and product quality.
“Park Street was huge for us,” Singh said. “We went from aggressively looking for a distributor to aggressively not looking for a distributor. Now we had the patience to look and take our time for that next level.”
The platform enabled them to expand their geographic footprint beyond what they could handle with their Sprinter van, opening accounts in Ventura, West Hollywood, and other areas they couldn’t efficiently service on their own.
Their first major retail wins came through this model. They secured placement at Total Wine, followed by BevMo, which started in Orange County and expanded.As Mission Cocktails proved its retail performance, larger distributors took notice. The co-founders deliberately pursued beer distributors rather than traditional spirits wholesalers.
Their spirit-based product naturally belonged in cold boxes, where beer distributors excel. After careful evaluation, they partnered with Reyes Holdings, the largest beer distributor in North America, which had recently partnered with Tito’s Handmade Vodka in the spirits category.
“They really took a chance on us,” Malyszko said. “Being a tiny portfolio addition versus what they carry, but they’ve been fantastic.”
With Park Street continuing to support their warehousing and compliance needs as they scale with Reyes, Mission Cocktails exemplifies how brands can “grow up with Park Street” rather than outgrowing partnerships as they expand. Park Street helps brands maintain operational efficiency while focusing on what they do best: making exceptional cocktails and feeding families in need.
Retail Success and National Expansion
Mission Cocktails’ retail performance has exceeded expectations. Nielsen data for 2024 showed the brand ranking fifth among RTD cocktails in the 375ml format in California, which was particularly impressive given that they only entered major chains like Whole Foods, Gelson’s, and Pavilions in Q4, so the data doesn’t reflect a full 12 months. In May of 2025, Mission Cocktails launched a nationwide expansion with Total Wine & More, spanning over 240 spirits retail locations.
While Mission Cocktails focused primarily on retail, on-premise opportunities emerged organically. After serving as the exclusive alcohol provider at a charity event, they received their first hotel account.
Additional hotel wins followed. A major Hyatt in Orange County created Margarita and Mai Tai slushies using Mission’s bottles, which became the number-one selling and most profitable item on their pool menu. Ritz-Carlton locations now use the cocktails for special events with 300 to 500 attendees.
Advice for Aspiring Founders
For entrepreneurs considering the beverage alcohol industry, Singh and Malyszko offered hard-earned wisdom:
“If you’re not 1,000% convinced that you want to do this, then don’t do it,” Singh advised. “You will want to quit a thousand times. If you just think this will be cool, you’re not going to have the grit and hustle to see it through.”
Malyszko emphasized resourcefulness: “So many people say they don’t have the funding or knowledge or connections. Google can give you a lot of answers. Go to conferences—people are incredibly helpful. We went to our first trade show with a Photoshop image on a Listerine bottle, which had no liquid yet, and people were kind and offered help.”
Their final piece of advice centered on the importance of mission: “If it were just making a widget, we wouldn’t have that same passion,” Singh reflected. “When you can marry passion and purpose together, amazing things really do happen.”
The RTD market has already experienced massive momentum, yet there’s still significant room for growth as new brands and products continue entering the market. Gen Z is driving much of this expansion—but what does their enthusiasm for RTDs reveal about this generation’s values, purchasing habits, and consumption behaviors?
On this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, host Emmett Strack sits down with Ruby Honerkamp and Rob Minucci, Co-Founders of Talkhouse Encore, a spirits-based canned seltzer rooted in the legacy of Stephen Talkhouse, the iconic Long Island music venue. What started as a way to extend a family’s 50-year entertainment legacy during the pandemic has evolved into a brand achieving over 101% year-over-year sales growth—without the massive marketing budgets of their larger competitors.
Honerkamp and Minucci share exclusive findings from their Gen Z research, revealing unexpected insights about how this generation discovers, purchases, and consumes alcohol. They also break down how brands can leverage alternative distribution strategies to achieve sustainable growth.
Featured Guests:
Ruby Honerkamp, Co-Founder, Talkhouse Encore Robert Minucci, Co-Founder, Talkhouse Encore
The ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage market is one of the fastest-growing segments in the alcohol industry, capturing consumer attention with its convenience, creativity, and variety. From canned cocktails to spiked seltzers, RTD beverages have revolutionized how people enjoy their favorite drinks. However, as much as innovation drives this sector, success hinges on a less glamorous but equally critical factor: proper licensing.
The Rise of RTD Beverages: A Market Snapshot
RTD beverages have seen exponential growth, fueled by shifting consumer preferences toward convenience and premium experiences. According to recent industry reports, the global RTD alcohol market is projected to reach over $40 billion by 2030, driven by demand for diverse flavors, lower alcohol options, and on-the-go consumption.
For brands entering this market, it’s tempting to focus solely on product development and marketing. However, licensing requirements are a make-or-break element that can determine a brand’s ability to scale.
Key Licensing Challenges for RTD Brands
RTD products often occupy a unique regulatory space, blending elements of manufacturing, distribution, and retail. As a result, navigating the licensing landscape can be complex. Here are some of the most significant challenges:
Classification Confusion: RTD beverages can fall under different categories depending on their alcohol content, packaging, and production methods. For example:
Low-alcohol beverages may be classified as malt beverages, requiring beer-specific licenses.
Cross-State Regulations: RTD brands looking to expand nationally must comply with varying state laws, including shipping restrictions and distribution agreements.
Retail Placement: RTD products sold in grocery stores may require separate permits compared to those sold in liquor stores or bars.
Each of these challenges underscores the importance of understanding and securing the proper licenses before bringing a product to market.
Licensing plays a pivotal role in determining where and how RTD products can be sold. For example:
On-Premise vs. Off-Premise Sales: RTD brands need specific licenses to sell directly to consumers in bars and restaurants (on-premise) versus retail outlets (off-premise).
E-Commerce Opportunities: As online alcohol sales grow, brands must navigate shipping licenses and compliance with direct-to-consumer (DTC) regulations.
International Expansion: Exporting RTD products requires compliance with both U.S. federal regulations and the laws of the destination country.
Without the proper licenses, brands risk losing access to lucrative markets and missing out on growth opportunities.
The Cost of Non-Compliance
Operating without the correct licenses can lead to severe consequences, including:
Fines and Penalties: Regulatory agencies can impose significant financial penalties for non-compliance.
Market Delays: Licensing issues can prevent products from reaching shelves, delaying revenue generation.
Brand Reputation: Legal troubles can damage a brand’s reputation, making it harder to win consumer trust.
The stakes are high for RTD brands. Proper licensing isn’t just about following the rules—it’s about safeguarding the business’s future.
Proactive Licensing: A Strategic Advantage
For brands willing to invest time and resources into licensing, the rewards are significant. Proper licensing enables:
Faster Market Entry: Streamlined processes for launching new products.
Stronger Investor Appeal: Demonstrating compliance builds confidence among stakeholders.
Operational Flexibility: Having the right licenses allows brands to pivot quickly, whether entering new markets or launching innovative products.
In a competitive market like RTD beverages, compliance can be a powerful differentiator.
The RTD beverage market offers immense opportunities, but navigating its complexities requires more than innovative products and clever branding. Proper licensing is the foundation that allows brands to access markets, comply with regulations, and build long-term success.
For entrepreneurs and established brands alike, investing in licensing expertise is an essential step toward thriving in this booming industry.
In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Heather Boyd, Managing Director of U.S. RTD at Beam Suntory, overviews the paradigm shifts that the ready-to-drink space is causing in the beverage alcohol industry.
Boyd breaks down the major players and innovations driving the RTD segment, the guiding forces behind the trends in the category, and how emerging brands can navigate this new regulatory environment. She shares Beam Suntory’s RTD innovation strategy from a legal compliance perspective, something she considers key in a category where regulatory lines are often blurred.
Boyd’s talk was recorded at Bar Convent Brooklyn in June of 2022.
To listen to more Park Street Insider Podcast episodes, visit our home page on Apple, Spotify, Buzzsprout, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Ready-to-drink alcohol products have taken the U.S. by storm in recent years further blurring the lines between the three traditional categories of beer, wine and spirits. RTD cocktails alone saw a 35.6% overall increase in consumption from 2019 to 2020, compared to 4.6% growth for the entire spirits category, according to data from Beverage Information Group. The category represents just over 9.1 million cases.
In 2020, the leading brands were Jose Cuervo, Monaco Cocktails, 1800 Ultimate Margarita, Cutwater and Chi-Chi’s, but there were quite a few brands further down the rankings that saw a big jump in performance last year including: Twisted Shotz (+26%), Skinnygirl (+19%), BuzzBallz(+19.5%), and Bacardi RTD (+310%)
Below are the top ten markets for prepared cocktail consumption based on nine-liter cases sold in 2020.
1. California: 1.2 Million Cases
Along with representing the top market for overall consumption, California also saw the biggest year-to-year increase in consumption of all the top markets, with consumption spiking 37.1% from 2019.
2. Texas: 745k Cases
Texas took the second overall spot with the Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington area consuming 170k of the state’s 745k total cases.
3. Florida: 740k Cases
The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area represented a top five metropolitan area in the country for RTD cocktails, consuming 207k cases.
4. Illinois: 569k Cases
The Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area was the top ranked metropolitan area in the nation for consumption of RTD cocktails, consuming 504k of the state’s 569k cases.
5. New Jersey: 375k Cases
New Jersey also ranked 10th overall in per capita consumption with 58 cases consumer per 1,000 people.
6. Missouri: 330k Cases
Missourians worked hard to make it into the top markets for RTD cocktails, consuming 73 cases per 1,000 people and coming in third in the nation for per capita consumption.
7. Pennsylvania: 319k Cases
Pennsylvania is the top control state for RTD cocktail consumption and the only control state to show up in the top ten markets for overall RTD consumption.
8. New York: 291k Cases
New York also saw strong year-over-year growth with a 36.4% increase in RTD cocktail consumption from 2019.
9. Colorado: 285k Cases
Colorado was another market in the top five for per capita consumption, with 66 cases consumed per 1,000 people.
10. Indiana: 275k Cases
Indiana sold 70k more cases of RTD cocktails in 2020 than they did in 2019 to earn their way into the final spot in the top ten markets.
If you’d like to learn more about the top markets in beverage alcohol, check out our summary on the Top Ten States for Tequila Sales.
