The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
No flash in a can
Louisville couple taps success with canned bourbon cocktails
After launching in July, Ponyboy Slings is shaping up to be much more than a flash in a pan.
But the couple behind the bourbon cocktail-in-acan company may do some of their best work while washing dishes.
Ahead of the BevNET Cocktail Showdown, Mike and Janell Bass practiced plenty at their Louisville home, with much time at the sink, for a “Shark Tank”like pitch they considered a big shot for their little brand. The hours of prep paid off.
The husband-and-wife team made a big splash at the December competition in Santa Monica, California. The pair had their five-minute presentation, plus potential answers to any questions, memorized.
“Not only were bourbon lovers totally digging it, but non-bourbon drinkers were also drinking and saying, ‘I guess I like bourbon now,’ ” Janell Bass told the Courier Journal, in a similar way she explained during the presentation. “Our whole idea is to show people a new way to drink whiskey.”
During the BevNET Cocktail Showdown, Ponyboy Slings and seven other up-and-coming brands from across the country in the growing category of spiritbased ready-to-drink products faced off in front of a live audience and three judges.
In a video of the showdown, Mike, 53, and Janell, 39 seemed to wow the judges, who used words like “perfect” and praised the couple’s creation of flavors and 1970s-themed branding.
Ponyboy Slings won first place. That came with an engraved trophy, an advertising package valued at $10,000, and some swagger in the industry.
“Even getting in the competition was huge,” Janell Bass told the Courier Journal. “To win was really cool for us, especially being such a new brand.”
But it wasn’t the first important first impression for the couple. That happened on a different sort of stage.
In December 2020, Janell and Mike were strangers. She came back to her hometown of Louisville after living in Los Angeles for a decade. He, a Florida native, took some consulting work here, in between other gigs.
During a short span of 10 minutes, they saw each other’s profiles on the dating app Bumble and matched.
Messages and texts and a four-hour phone call followed.
“When we finally got together, we felt like we had already known each other for a long time,” Janell Bass said.
At some point, but not right away, they talked about their many years of bartending experience and success in the food and beverage world.
“When it was time to make a cocktail, we were fighting over the cocktail shaker,” she said.
A few months into the relationship, they started a cocktail consulting business for bourbon brands called Punchbowl. A few months after that, they got engaged. And a few months after that? They got married and gave life to the idea that is now Ponyboy Slings.
“We hit the ground running,” Janell Bass said. “We just decided we would be better together.”
The ground was laid at one of those Punchbowl events when a passerby was amazed at the concoction served up by the couple, a carbonated combination of bourbon, locally sourced fruit, and house-made flavors all mixed in a keg.
That interaction turned into an angel investment.
They quietly spent over a year on all the things that go into launching a canned craft cocktail, including working with a scientist and brainstorming the branding. They perfected the taste profiles that would make their bartender-hearts happy. The result? Ponyboy Slings launched with three 12-ounce cans at 7% ABV and three options, including “Bourbon Pop Star,” “My Cherry Amour,” and “Derby Cream Soda.”
“Ponyboy Slings are a new way to drink whiskey,” the site reads. “We take bourbon, fortified wines, real juices, bitters, and natural flavors, then fully carbonate it to give you a tasty cocktail in a can.”
Even the can speaks to the easygoing vibe, printed with these instructions: “Chill it. Pop it. Giddy up.”
True to the name and the spirit inside, Ponyboy Slings is off to the races exclusively in Kentucky for the foreseeable future. You’ll see the canned offerings locally at The Party Source, Liquor Barn, the Myriad Hotel, 900 Baxter Ave., and the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, plus at watering holes such as ShopBar, 950 Barret Ave., High Horse, 1032 Story Ave., and Galaxie, 732 E. Market St.
Janell Bass says she’s happy to “be in the trenches” with her husband. “Bourbon culture can feel slightly unapproachable,” she said. “We’re trying to bridge that gap between those two worlds.”