December 5, 2016 | Food & Drink
The super-cool sisters behind the brilliant Austin Cocktails get into the holiday spirit.
Jill Burns and Kelly Gasink started Austin Cocktails as a way to simplify happy hour.
Throwing a memorable holiday party doesn’t mean you have to work Santa-like hours. Just ask Jill Burns and Kelly Gasink, the sister entrepreneur team behind this season’s coolest line of specialty craft beverages, Austin Cocktails.
Their bottled cocktails were inspired by a summertime tradition Burns and Gasink remember fondly from childhood. At 5:30 every night, their grandfather Fred, a farmer, would drop everything and gather his family for what he liked to call Cocktail Time. “It’s the backdrop for all of our most beautiful memories,” says Gasink, remembering how aunts, uncles, and cousins (sipping Shirley Temples) would unite to enjoy the good things in life.
Thirty-plus years later, Burns and Gasink decided to bottle their grandfather’s inspiration and founded Austin Cocktails. “We’re trying to make a really beautiful craft cocktail as easy as nice wine or beer,” says Burns. “We build everything out with natural ingredients sourced from all over the world.” These cocktails come in five distinct varieties, including Cucumber Vodka Mojito, Bergamot Orange Margarita, and the festive Fred’s Ruby Red—a mix of vodka, grapefruit, lime, mint, and agave that will look fabulous under the mistletoe.
“Our idea really is to simplify entertaining,” explains Burns. And when wowing your guests with a perfectly mixed drink is as easy as twisting a bottle cap, you’ve got lots more time to enjoy your own party. Available at Twin Liquors stores and other retailers
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYNN MYERS
