Bittermilk LLC5813Joe and MariElena Raya, husband and wife team and Culinary Institute of America grads, decided to shake things up—literally— opening The Gin Joint, a cozy cocktail bar dedicated to serving pre-Prohibition-style drinks and next-level bar snacks. As customers kept asking for their complex cocktail recipes to make at home, they had a lightbulb moment: why not create high-quality mixers so people could make great drinks without all the fuss?
In 2013, Bittermilk was born, launching with three craft cocktail mixers that made it easy to whip up sophisticated drinks at home. It didn’t take long for the brand to take off, earning national awards and shoutouts from The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, and GQ for its attention to quality product made with unique, flavor-creating culinary techniques.
As Bittermilk manufacturing increased, the Rayas launched Tippleman's syrups in 2015—a line of complex bar and coffee syrups. Then in 2017, they launched Barcoop Bevy, a laid back, quality cocktail mixer brand made for everyone, from casual sippers to cocktail nerds. In 2022, Joe took cocktail-making one step further, diving into distilling spirits and introducing a line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails, Drinkmanship.
Today, the Rayas handcraft all Bittermilk Bottling Co. family of products, along with private label and custom beverage projects, in their own facility in Ravenel, S.C.
