I love discovering brands that take a familiar category and do something completely different with it, and that’s exactly what Quips has done. After trying the range for myself, it’s easy to see why these cocktail pouches are generating buzz. They’re fun, surprisingly practical and, most importantly, they taste great.
Created by Sydney founders Joe McGaffin and Calvin Koder, Quips has taken the classic RTD formula and completely reimagined it. Instead of another brightly coloured can promising bar-quality cocktails, they’ve packaged real cocktail flavours into resealable, freezer-friendly pouches that are designed for festivals, parties and weekends on the go. At 11% ABV and non-carbonated, they’re also noticeably stronger and smoother than many of the sugary RTDs currently flooding the market.
The standout for me was the Raspberry Passionfruit Martini. It absolutely nails that sweet, fruity cocktail profile without becoming sickly or artificial. The raspberry brings a bright tartness, while the passionfruit gives it that tropical finish that makes it dangerously easy to keep sipping. It’s the kind of drink that tastes like it belongs in a cocktail bar but somehow works just as well straight from a chilled pouch in the backyard.
I also tried the Tommy’s Margarita, which delivers a clean, citrus-forward flavour with just the right amount of tequila character, and the Mango Daiquiri, which tastes genuinely fresh thanks to the use of real mango nectar. Both were enjoyable, but I kept coming back to the Raspberry Passionfruit Martini, which was easily my favourite of the range.
What impressed me most about Quips is that the founders haven’t relied solely on the novelty factor. The pouch format is fun, practical and different, but the liquid inside actually holds up. That’s important in a category where plenty of products spend more time focusing on branding than flavour.
The story behind the brand is equally impressive. After struggling to find an Australian supplier capable of filling alcohol pouches, the founders sourced their own machinery and built the manufacturing operation themselves. Today, Quips is the only company in Australia producing alcohol in pouch format, using locally sourced juices and managing the process in-house.
Whether you’re heading to a festival, packing an Esky for a weekend away or simply looking for something different from the usual RTD lineup, Quips is worth checking out. The Raspberry Passionfruit Martini alone is reason enough to give the brand a try.
Quips is available online and at select independent retailers across Australia and retail for $29.99 AUD for a 4-pack. For more information on stockists please visit drinkquips.com
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