As temperatures rise across the country, many consumers look for a cold cocktail or a frozen treat to cool off and relax. Now an California-based company is giving them the chance to have both at the same time.
SnoBar, a line of ice pops and ice creams, don’t just replicate the flavor of alcoholic cocktails, they actually contain a full serving of alcohol.
“There’s really nothing out there like it,” says SnoBar Founder Eddie Masjedi, who perfected his product in his home.
SnoBar offers two ice pops: Margarita, made with premium tequila, lime and triple sec, and Cosmopolitan, made with premium vodka, triple sec and cranberry. The company also makes ice cream infused with various spirits. The flavors — Grasshopper, Pink Squirrel, Brandy Alexander and Brandy Alexander with Chocolate Chips — draw inspiration from classic cocktails.
According to the company, each serving of SnoBar ice pops and ice creams have an equivalent alcohol content of between 3.59 and 6.41 percent, or the equivalent alcohol percentage of a full cocktail.
“It kinda' started at home, where my wife loves ice cream and I love a good cocktail to relax in the evenings,” says Masjedi. “We started testing to see if we could mix the best of both worlds together.”
It took nearly 100 attempts, but the duo perfected the ice pop and ice cream mixes and the product debuted in Arizona restaurants, bars and liquor stores in December before hitting the Las Vegas market this spring. In addition to liquor stores and bars, SnoBar is making its products available at Las Vegas clubs and resorts such as Tao, Wet Republic, Bellagio, MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace.
SnoBar's price reflects its status as a “cocktail on a stick.” The $8 to $12 price tag for an ice pop or a 1.75-liter tub of ice cream is comparable to what clubgoers would pay for a cocktail.
While distributing any frozen product raises its own set of challenges, distributing a frozen product with alcohol raises a few more. Many alcohol distributors and liquor stores are not equipped to distribute and sell a frozen product. Masjedi has worked to smooth the process.
“We’ve had to make this as painless as possible for them and address all the concerns they might have,” he says.
That includes providing stores with branded freezers from which the product must be sold. The freezers help to not only maintain the quality, but also allows the company to place locks on the freezers to help ensure the product isn’t confused with traditional ice pops or ice creams, and that it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. The packaging also seeks to make it obvious that this is an age-restricted item.
In addition, with an alcohol content similar to a non-frozen alcoholic beverage, Masjedi points out consumers need to exercise caution when enjoying a SnoBar.
“It’s actually more potent than a regular cocktail because it’s in a 100-milliliter bar and you’re consuming it a lot faster, so we remind customers that they have to be careful.”
The company is expanding distribution state by state, but hopes to be a national brand by the end of this year. Masjedi is counting on the product's uniqueness to set it apart from other new alcohol offerings.
“It’s totally different and it’s a fun way to be able to enjoy a cocktail,” he says. “Rather than having a new asparagus-flavored vodka, or whatever the next crazy-flavored vodka to hit the market is, SnoBar is something unique.”
Questions? Comments? Email us at consumernation@cnbc.com. Follow Tom Rotunno on Twitter @tomrotunno.
