Luxury tonic brand The London Essence Co. has launched in Malaysia, its 4th market in Asia after Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The 3-year-old brand was created by Wisehead Productions, part of the Britvic Company which is the biggest distributor of Pepsi in Europe as well as numerous soft drinks and syrup brands. When the company chanced upon recipes in the over a-century-old essence archives, the Fortune500 corporation went on to engage Nick Strangeway, well-regarded bartender and an authoritative figure in the London bar scene, to refine the recipes and develope this “by the bartenders for the bartenders” tonic range.
Colin Chia, the Asia Pacific Brand Ambassador for The London Essence Co., led the launch with an introduction to the production of the tonic and their use in cocktails. “We want to work with bars that take care of their mixers,” stressed Chia while talking about the brand’s approach, reiterating that bars should chill their tonics just like how they would take care of their wines. The tonic brand can now be found in award-winning bars in the region such as Manhattan Singapore, Coley KL, Bar Trigona, Employees Only and more.
Three flavours from the range were introduced for the Malaysia market – Classic London, Grapefruit & Rosemary, and Bitter Orange & Elderflower. Each tonic has its signature distillate essence, which is then paired with a citrus base.
The brand is hitting markets with drinkers who are growing to be more discerning and health-conscious. With the increased awareness in drinking more quality than quantity, the market trend is starting to welcome low calories, low sugar and low alcohol drinks, but without compromising on flavours and experience. “When you pay a premium for your spirits, why compromise on your mixers?” said Chia.
The London Essence Co. is brought in to Malaysia by HRZ Beverages and now also available in high-end supermarkets.
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