Canned Margaritas with a Yacht Club Soda Connection
Lindsay Sgambato, from the same family as Yacht Club Bottling Works, launched the Goat Island Beverage Co. Agave Margarita.
Goat Island Beverage Co. Agave Margarita. Photo courtesy of Eat Drink RI.
From the same family as Yacht Club Bottling Works comes a new canned craft cocktail brand. Goat Island Beverage Co. was created by Lindsay Sgambato, who helps run Yacht Club Soda as chief taste tester, with her husband, owner John Sgambato. The first canned cocktail off the line is the Agave Margarita made with tequila, lime, agave syrup, orange cognac (triple sec), a hint of lemon and a pinch of salt. Each can is ten percent alcohol, sold in twelve-ounce four-packs.
The Rhode Island-based, woman-owned business is in good company with more than a century of experience running the family-owned business Yacht Club Bottling Works, established in 1915 in North Providence. After serving the Agave Margarita to friends and family at parties, the Sgambatos were encouraged to can and sell their version.
“I started Goat Island Beverage Company to bring a top shelf cocktail to the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage world,” says Lindsay Sgambato. “By tapping into our family’s vast, generational knowledge of flavor development and craft beverages, we have taken spirits to a whole new level using the simple ingredients, natural flavors and art of carbonation we have perfected over 100 years.”
Lindsay wanted to create a beverage that could easily be transported from a cookout to a boat without having to lug around multiple ingredients. “There are plenty of canned cocktails out there, but we wanted ours to stand out with a fresh, handcrafted taste that you can enjoy straight from the can or elevate with your own personal touch,” she says.
The beverages are not canned at the Yacht Club factory. The family partnered with a canner specializing in creating shelf-stable cocktails. They came up with the RTD canned cocktail name because they love visiting Goat Island in Newport, and wanted to have an iconic Rhode Island connection on the can.
Drink it directly from the can or pour it into a salt-rimmed glass with ice. Goat Island Beverage Co. Agave Margarita is available in Rhode Island, distributed by McLaughlin & Moran, Inc. Distribution in Massachusetts and Connecticut is coming soon. Follow Goat Island Beverage Co. on Instagram @goatislandbeverage.
