Rittenhouse Rye Partners with Bartenders for 'Cocktail Creatively'

Rittenhouse Rye leans into its heritage as a bartender favorite by turning ‘cocktail’ into a verb and urging those behind the bar to be inspired to ‘Cocktail Creatively’ in a new on-premises and online micro-influencer campaign created by Heaven Hill Distillery and its agency Method1.

The ‘Cocktail Creatively’ campaign highlights the creativity of renowned bartenders sharing cocktails they have invented using Rittenhouse, complete with the ingredients for other bartenders to make them. On-premises posters and menu cards lean into the Philadelphia heritage of the brand, featuring graphics depicting its famed Rittenhouse Square. All design elements are reflected on the brand’s website which was designed and developed by Method1.

“Rittenhouse has long been embraced by bartenders across the globe as the go-to Rye for crafting the classics,” explained Max Stefka, group product director at Heaven Hill, which owns Rittenhouse. “By leveraging the voice of noted mixologists and sharing their unique creations with other bartenders, our campaign will inspire a whole new range of Rye-based cocktails.” 

On-premises sales at bars and restaurants are the primary driver of sales of Rittenhouse, which is why bartenders are the primary target of this new campaign. Rittenhouse Square Rye was introduced after the Prohibition Era ended in 1934 by Continental Distilling Corporation and was originally made in Philadelphia. Heaven Hill acquired the brand in 1993.

“Rittenhouse was made famous by bartenders during the cocktail revolution in the early 2000s,” said David Muldoon, executive creative director for Method1. “The bottled-in-bond attribute of the brand makes it perfect in cocktails because its taste is never lost in the mix.” ‘Cocktail Creatively’ cements this attribute in the minds of bartenders everywhere and recognizes the creativity of some of the most famous influencers in the field, including bartender/mixologists Meaghan Dorman (@gingerrickey), Joaquin Simo (@simojoaquin), and Dale DeGroff (@kingcocktl).