We love getting to know the stories behind our suppliers. This time, we speak to Dean and Ryan from Served, to celebrate the introduction of their brand new hard seltzer drinks into our collection.

What is Hard Seltzer, and how did it all begin?
“Hard Seltzer is the name given to a new and exciting category of alcoholic drink. Hard Seltzers are typically made with just three ingredients: sparkling water, alcohol and flavourings. 

Hard Seltzers were first developed in the US and were immediately a hit with a new generation of drinkers, who wanted all the refreshment and flavour, but without the calories, sugar and carbs. The category did £2.7bn in sales in the US alone last year.”

Where are you based?
“We are based in London”

How is Served hard seltzer made?
“Served hard seltzer is made using the world’s finest plant-based ingredients. We infuse fresh wonky fruit, with British spring water and our ultra-pure, four-times distilled, ServedPure™ gluten-free spirit.” 

What makes it stand out from the crowd?
“We realised that we are living in an age where people really care about the food they put in their bodies - for both themselves and the planet. With this in mind, we couldn’t get our heads around why companies creating alcoholic drinks all seemed to be packing them with sugar and cheap artificial ingredients and offering little to no ingredient or nutritional transparency. 

As a result, we set out to create a drink to feel good about. Not just for ourselves, but for the planet. Something lower in ABV, that was natural and refreshing, that tasted amazing, but without all the bad stuff. Pure. We embarked on an extraordinary 12-month journey to make this a reality; from wading through crystal clear natural springs in rural Staffordshire, to handpicking wonky raspberries with local farmers in the heart of Scotland’s Strathmere valley. Here’s what is in our drinks:

SERVEDPURE™ GLUTEN FREE ALCOHOL - Champagne-Ardenne, France
Our ServedPure™ gluten-free alcohol is four-times distilled from locally grown beet in France, to produce a crystal clear, ultra-clean tasting spirit, with a subtle smooth finish for pure refreshment. We use wonky beet to ensure there is zero waste. As our alcohol is so pure, it carries a whole host of positives which we have to share with you: extremely light in calories, contains zero sugar or carbs, vegan, gluten-free and GMO-free, 100% sustainable with zero waste.

SPRING WATER - Staffordshire, England
To achieve the perfect clean and refreshing flavour profile in our drinks, it’s essential that we source the very finest spring water. Our spring water is naturally filtered through red and grey sandstone and freshly sprung in rural Staffordshire.
 
WONKY LIMES - Catanduva, Brazil
We specifically select wonky limes that would otherwise go to waste, due to their, well... wonky, appearance. We source Tahiti limes grown in the Catanduva region of Brazil for their deliciously sweet, less acidic flavour. We use the whole fruit to maximise on sweetness and aroma when infusing them into our drinks.

WONKY RASPBERRIES - Strathmere Valley, Scotland
We love our wonky raspberries. With the perfect growing conditions and wonderfully fertile soil, we source our raspberries from local farms in the heart of Scotland’s Strathmere Valley, as they produce some of the world’s finest raspberries bursting with sweetness and flavour. Again, we aren’t afraid to select raspberries in all shapes and sizes, gently infusing them into our drinks to produce crisp, light flavour and a touch of natural sweetness.”

What would be the perfect accompaniment to your drinks?
“Served are convenient and refreshing lower-ABV drinks, designed for the modern health-conscious social lifestyle and are perfect for barbeques, summer picnics, or simply enjoying at home with friends!”

How has the product been received since its launch?
“We experienced a whirlwind sell-out launch in Selfridges - having debuted online and in all four stores, we sold a full month’s worth of stock within an hour of going live online! This has been an amazing launch for us and beyond anything we could have possibly imagined or expected. We are already planning on increasing our production run by 250,000 cans to keep up with demand.”

Try Served hard seltzer at a Hand Picked Hotel today! To find out more about Served, visit their website: www.serveddrinks.co.uk/