We could tell you that Liqueur Shack was formed as a Limited company on the 6th of July but a companies house registration isn't where things start. Where things really start is in the front room turned bedroom of number 8 Fitzroy street.
The time is 12ish (in the PM’s) and the scene is of a low lit student room with a conveniently placed mini bar on the shelves where text books probably should be. A call from the sofa located the other side of the bed was for a drink with rum in it. Typically a very unspecified ask, It’s then when (concept creator) Will’s brain started firing out possibilities...
Pop goes the lid of an open carton of pineapple, glug went the banana liqueur and ting, cling, ping was the sound of the 3 remaining ice cubes* bouncing of the walls of the glass before splish, splash, sploshing into drink.
... Just short of it’s citrus balance the YELLOW WAS BORN!
*The recipe would usually call for more ice ... but that's all that was left in the mould.
Yellow Recipe:
In a glass pre-filled with ice (don’t be shy)
White rum - 1 shot (spirit)
Banana liqueur - 1 shot
Lemon or Lime - to taste
Pineapple juice - to top....
That night in front of a television playing presumably some Youtube conspiracy or Rick and Morty it wasn't the creation of the Yellow cocktail that was significant. It was really the birth of the Liqueur-Mix, a formula for our long drinks and buckets. Our formula not only keeps things simple, but also improves massively on boring spirit and mixers usually found in bars and clubs.
Excited with a new way to do drinking and a little underprepared, a meeting with the student union was booked. Mis-thinking the arrangement was to be a more casual event Will mentally stumbled at the sight of what looked like ALL the union managers sat around a table waiting to hear something concludable. With just a couple colourfully scribbled pages in a moleskine and 4 google searches worth of research he pitched what was then the awfully named: Mixsquisite. The idea didn't exactly go down like champagne at the races, perhaps a little more like prosecco... but what was taken away from the engagement was that HE NEEDED TO KNOW HIS SH*T.
Sooo. A few months later, in the union office meeting room. This time with around 14 pages of notes, a folder of favourited websites and 100 sheets of questionnaire they were back asking for space to test more guinea pigs (run a focus group). Under the disguise of a ‘business networking event’ and for a bargain £4 for 3 drinks the concept was trialled. As suggested by the title image above.. Yes, we did turn up with our menu written on a whiteboard and Yes, Will has awful, awful hand writing.
Assignments and studies resumed for the team until preparations for the University’s End Of Year ball had started. After many more emails, meetings and number crunching everything was ready to set up a beach themed bar, in what was the clubhouse. We used buckets inspired by Thailand's infamous Full Moon Party and inflatable palm tree ‘s found by spending too long on Ebay, looking for decorations that weren't too cringy. The buckets sold out but the palm trees.... Wow they were cringy, and refused to deflate until we got help from a fruit knife.
Despite being set up as far away from the action as possible, people followed a trail of Liqueur Mix filled buckets to eventually find us in our tiki shirts bottle in hand ready to pour. We all had a great night serving flavoursome drinks to the distant sounds of Pidgeon detectives whilst fending our friends off from all coming behind the bar. After the ball we were ready for summer.. and not so ready for our second year exams.
Now out of nowhere third year was here. Soo... a dissertation to contemplate, a business plan to write and a whole world of Liqueurs to keep trying (had to keep ‘spirits’ up). After signing up for the Starting a new business module, it was time for ... well, Business. Unknowingly we were on the toughest module available and to make it tougher this time we were the guinea pigs. Actually Guinea Goats, in a competition to climb to the top of the Savvy GHOAAAAATTT* mountain.
and We did it! We won £500 to spend on a BIG NIGHT OUT WITH BOTTLES, BOOZE AND GREASY FOOD! Nope... Reality is it went towards the set up of Liqueur Shack (just the bottles and booze part).
Moving forward from being just a business concept in a business school module and “back by popular demand” we brought our Liqueur Mix cocktails to the University's 2018 End of Year Ball. Which again ran a success, selling out of most of our liqueur and spirits despite thinking we’d over done it on the order (a sad time for Will’s conveniently placed mini bar). After the ball we said our goodbyes to Sowmyan and Ting shown above who graduated and moved back home. Since then the team currently stands as Will and Callum pictured in the centre and left of centre.
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That’s all for Chapter 1: It’s been strange referring to myself in third person the whole time and I finish on a responsible drinking disclaimer.
Liqueur Shack aims to add a burst of flavour and intrigue to dance floor, end of year ball, festival field and party drinks. Bridging the gap between sipping high end cocktails and the stuff only drunken to thicken the glaze over tipsy eyes. Drinking for us certainly isn’t a means to a wobbly end its an adventurous coastal path with options in all directions, hence why we bring you the choice to Build your own drink. And please do! It’s great to see what’s invented when the tongue starts talking.
Thanks for Reading this. (I burnt my dinner whilst typing... so I hope it was worth it.)
The Liqueur Shack team
