Nicholson innovates with pre-mixed cocktails

English brand Nicholson Gin has launched a range of cocktails on tap and entered the ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail market with four signature serves.

First introduced in 1736, Nicholson London Dry Gin was acquired in 2017 by descendants of the brand founders, Nicholas Browne and Tim Walker. A rebrand followed in 2022. Now led by CEO Alex Johns, the brand is setting its sights on 'transforming the drinks industry’s relationship with pre-batched cocktails' with the launch of Nicholson Original Cocktails. The new RTD range offers four serves: Original Gin & Tonic, Blood Orange Gin & Tonic, Paloma, and Pomelo Spritz. Nicholson has also introduced cocktails on tap for the on-trade in the UK, Europe, and the Caribbean, with four additional flavours: Espresso Martini, Classic Margarita, Tommy's Margarita, and Negroni. With demand for pre-batched cocktails on the rise, Johns and his team saw an opportunity to build on Nicholson’s heritage. He said: "When we picked up the business, there was one product: a very famous, but somewhat dusty London dry gin. In a world with thousands of London dry gins, we decided that focusing on another element of Nicholson’s history – cocktails – might be a better strategy. “Sales of RTD cocktail cans were growing, and bars were starting to introduce cocktails on tap, so we thought this would be a great place to focus our efforts." The Nicholson team has spent 24 months innovating the liquid to create high-quality, easy-to-serve pre-batched cocktails, with sustainability another focus. Johns continued: "Each cocktail might have six different ingredients, meaning six bottles and six deliveries. Our on-tap cocktails can change all that without sacrificing taste. Better still, we can serve 10 of them in a minute." The company plans to relaunch the brand in retail and at British music festivals and sporting events from June. Looking for inspiration Johns first encountered Nicholson through his cricket network. A former professional cricketer, he is also related to three England cricket captains: Peter May, Harold Gilligan, and Arthur Gilligan. The gin brand’s founder, William Nicholson, was one of the original donors and creators of Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The cricket connection led Johns to the tropical Caribbean island of Antigua, where the brand researches, develops and tests new products in a ‘dynamic’ and more cost-effective environment. Johns said: "Nicholson might be a very old brand, but we were almost approaching it with the mindset of a start-up. We focused on the UK in our first 12 months, but the environment is massively competitive. We needed somewhere we could experiment and innovate. The cricket link led us to Antigua." The company trialled its tapped cocktails during the 2024 T20 World Cup, serving thousands of customers daily for nine matches. The products are also stocked in resorts such as Jumby Bay Island. Antigua is also home to the company’s cocktail bar, Up, which is dedicated to testing innovations. The bar currently serves 35 on-tap cocktails. At The SB Spring Blind Tasting 2025, Nicholson Blood Orange Gin won a Gold medal.