Himkok RTD

Himkok is a longtime clients and one of the top 50 best cocktail bars in the world, with a passion for experimenting with ingredients and techniques to create new flavours. During the pandemic, when all bars and restaurants were forced to close, it became imperative for Himkok to enter retail with their own products. We were excited when they asked us to develop their first low-ABV cocktails on cans.

Starting from the identity and packaging that we developed for their spirits, we created the platform for their ready to drink products in aluminium cans. The first two products are Oslo Mule and Oslo Paloma, made with Himkok´s legendary unaged Aquavit and with 4,7% ABV (max alcoholic strength allowed in Norway to be sold in retail).

Himkok is Norwegian for ‘moonshine’ and is a generic term for small-scale distilled alcoholic beverages made from endemic ingredients reflecting the customs, tastes, and raw materials available in each region.

“Something local” is also a Norwegian indie-slang for moonshine, signifying another aspect of Himkok, and speaking directly to the fact that the products are distilled with local botanicals. To develop the recipe and to fill the cans they collaborated with the local brewery Aass, 30 minutes drive from Oslo.

The cans are screened with a matte white color, leaving the metallic can to shine through in selected spots to give luster to the snake (the only Norwegian venomous viper) and selected typography, reducing the color palette to the minimum retaining the apothecary clues from the bar while delivering on freshness and attitude.

On the front the hierarchy prioritise the sender, to capitalise on their credibility, and the name of each cocktail followed by the main ingredients. The color coding is achieved with a metallic Pms that catch the light and create a subtle navigation between the different flavours. The identity system provides flexibility to introduce new products with a strong affiliation to the mother brand.