The creation of Swizzly Sticks™

A cocktail lover walks into a grocery store . . .

Jaime Fowler, founder of The Pursuit of Cocktails

Jaime Fowler, founder of The Pursuit of Cocktails and inventor of Swizzly Sticks™

This is the story of how a curly haired cocktail lover set about disrupting the canned drink industry.

The short version - fast forward to the good stuff:

May 2018 -  Early canned cocktail enthusiast 
Jaime writes her 1st ever “ready to drink” cocktail review for The Pursuit of Cocktails blog.
June 2019 - More than a koozie
Jaime starts thinking about a drink marker made just for cans and starts testing - and discarding - a bunch of different ideas.
September 2019 - The light bulb moment
On a *looooong* flight to Bali, Jaime has the idea to make a cocktail stick that attaches to the rim of a can that would serve as a drink marker while also serving as a way to add garnish to canned drinks which has been difficult to do. 
October 2019 - Back to the drawing board
A new round of prototyping begins, this time using paper, a well used Silhouette cutter, and a very precise specialty ruler borrowed from her dad’s toolbox.
November 2019 - Patent research
Jaime starts researching and reading current patents and decides it is time to speak with a patent attorney about her idea.
December 2019 - Time to move beyond paper
With her idea solidified, Jaime starts researching possible materials and manufacturing processes.
January 2020 - Taking the leap
Jaime makes her biggest investment to date in her business and purchases manufacturing equipment to produce her new product in-house ensuring it will be 100% manufactured in the USA.
February 2020 - New skills
Jaime teaches herself to use her new equipment to bring her vision to life, going through countless iterations as she perfects the product, while simultaneously working with her attorney to write a patent application. 
March 2020 - Full stop
Worldwide pandemic hits the US and the whole world shuts down.
April 2020 - Making it official 
With eyes on the future, Jaime files the official patent paperwork and receives a provisional patent.
May - June 2020 - One more thing
Jaime decides to use her new patent pending idea to create a version for drinkware that brings a brand new way to garnish drinks served in glasses as well.
July 2020 - Swizzly Sticks™ is officially launched!!! 
August 2020 - Swizzly Sticks hits retail stores.
September 2020 - The first custom Swizzly Sticks are made for One-52 Sports Bar & Grill

January 2021 - The first Swizzly Sticks wedding collection launches
 

The long version - taking it alllll the way back:

In 2016, Jaime was working a “dream job” at Nike in Portland, Oregon and running a small business side hustle on Etsy putting custom sayings on compact mirrors using vinyl and a Silhouette cutter, which at the time was still a new tool before it hit the masses and became a staple for every crafter. After a series of poor quality blanks came in from her supplier in China, she realized she needed to make a change in her business if she wanted to keep going. She had added custom party cups and tumblers a few years earlier and decided to double down on those and to stop selling the compact mirrors all together.

It was during this time that Jaime was also thinking of rebranding her business and refocusing her designs around a personal passion. Even though Jaime has never been a big drinker she has always loved fancy cocktails. To her cocktails are special, they are less every day than beer or wine, and in a way, a little out of reach. She had always preferred to order a simple drink like a rum and coke when she was out at a bar because she was too embarrassed to order the fancier, multi-ingredient cocktails she really wanted. So for her, a cocktail was a sign of strength, of celebrating your true desires, and of speaking that desire out loud. Plus so much of what she was seeing on the market for barware at the time was focused on just beer lovers or just wine drinkers. What about the cocktail lovers??

To her cocktails are special, they are less every day than beer or wine, and in a way, a little out of reach.

 In 2017 she rebranded her business from Blue Penguin Shop to The Pursuit of Cocktails, learned to build an ecommerce site of her own, and developed a new line of cups and tumblers that focused on puns and cocktails. Later that year, she moved to northern Nevada and continued to expand her line to wholesale and began having her designs manufactured by a third party for the first time. 


In 2018, Jaime started a blog and became an early adopter of the canned cocktail and ready-to-drink cocktail movement which would eventually lead her to patent pending Swizzly Sticks™.


About the Swizzly Sticks:

Swizzly Sticks are a brand new drink marker + cocktail stick combo that uses carefully designed notches to secure your garnish on drinking glasses, and for the first time ever - on canned beverages.

The Swizzly - a new way to add garnish to canned drinks + a drink marker

Swizzly Sticks for cans is disrupting how canned drinks are served. Carefully placed notches to secure the Swizzly Stick to the rim and tab of most styles of cans. Once in place, it serves as a drink marker allowing everyone to keep track of their drink - which is so important during this time of heightened germ awareness. Swizzly Sticks for cans is the first ever way to add garnish to a canned drink that will stay in place as you enjoy the beverage. No more lime wedges perched awkwardly in the can’s opening or hanging from the rim for just a few seconds until the drink is served. The Swizzly Stick elevates the canned drink experience by adding an Instagram worthy pop of style while also allowing you to fully garnish the drink the way it would be done at a fancy hipster bar - even if it is simple La Croix seltzer or Diet Coke.

The drinkware Swizzly Stick has an entirely different advantage but uses the same patent pending notches and drink marker design. One notch allows you to rest your garnish across the rim of your glass similar to a standard cocktail stick or skewer. The second notch is where it gets fun. You can use the angled notch to hang the Swizzly Stick with your garnish from the rim of your glass. Try doing that with standard swizzle sticks or cocktail picks!

The hanging option also lets you decide on the exact placement of your garnish. You can hang it on the outside of the glass to keep the garnish fully separate from the drink itself which is helpful when you are using a garnish that needs to stay out of the liquid until it is ready to be consumed such as cotton candy or a garnish that is more of a snack like a mini grilled cheese paired with a Bloody Mary. In both cases, if the garnish comes in contact with the liquid too early it will dissolve or get mushy.

On the other hand, you can hang the Swizzly Stick and garnish from the rim inside the glass where it holds your garnish just above or in liquid depending on your preference. This is perfect for garnish that you do want to infuse with the liquid such as bourbon cherries in an Old Fashioned.

The Swizzly Sticks for drinkware gives the bartender (professional and home bartenders alike) a new way to get creative with their garnishes by offering up a variety of placement options.

Both Swizzly Stick styles were created with cocktails in mind BUT they are perfect for any drink you’d like to add a little style to. Your sparkling waters will never be the same. Grab a Swizzly Stick and give your go-to drink an upgrade.


Shop current designs:



New Swizzly Stick designs launch every few months and most are limited editions. You can shop our current limited-edition Swizzly Stick designs here and make sure to join our mailing list for early access to all new designs. You can join the list here

Have custom Swizzly Sticks made:


Want to have the most unique drink accessory around made especially for your business or event? Custom Swizzly Sticks are are available and we'd love to collaborate with you to create the perfect design. Learn more about having a custom Swizzly Sticks made here.