A line of spirits that will debut with ready-to-drink canned cocktails being released this week in San Diego and beyond is a new venture from the legendary co-founder of the Beach Boys, Mike Love, whose brand Club Kokomo Spirits — named after the band’s chart-topping hit song from the 80s — will be produced by local distillery Seven Caves Spirits.
Love has purchased a majority stake in the Miramar-based distillery, which was established in 2016; founder and distiller Geoff Longenecker will now serve as head of distillery operations for both Seven Caves and Club Kokomo Spirits.
The partnership between Longenecker and Love started either this year, when they worked together to create a limited run of the canned cocktails for a cruise celebrating the 60th anniversary of the iconic band. Ringing in at 10% ABV, they include the Kokomojito™, named by Love for his favorite cocktail, a mojito, made with lime, mint, lemongrass, and rum from Seven Caves, as well as the tropical Mystique, which combines guava and lychee with jasmine tea-infused rum, Afternoon Delight, a combo of citrus, maple, ginger, allspice, rum that can be served cold or warm like a hot toddy, and Excitation, a gin cocktail with notes of black cherry, passionfruit, and citrus.
Longenecker, who recently released his own line of tiki-inspired canned cocktails under the Seven Caves label, told Eater that he will continue to expand the distillery’s small-batch and exploratory spirits while creating new seasonal canned cocktails for both brands. Next up for Club Kokomo are light, aged, and spiced rums that will debut in 2023.
Love, who performs regularly in San Diego with the Beach Boys, spent a number of years living in Rancho Santa Fe while his daughter was going to school here. The singer-songwriter told Eater that he and Longenecker are actively looking in the area for a larger production space for the growing distillery and are also planning to open a series of restaurants and bars under the Club Kokomo name in San Diego and other resort-style settings.
Club Kokomo Spirits will be available at local and national retail stores as well as at Seven Caves’ by-appointment-only tasting room.
