Best Buds Aim for Tip Top of Industry

In a world focused on convenience, quality, and fun living, Neal Cohen and Yoni Reisman cultivated visions that rolled into a national beverage company, Tip Top Proper Cocktails, confirming that good things do come in small packages.

They envisioned prepared classic cocktails that deliver all the notes of traditional recipes in small portions, so modern drinkers can get balanced beverages “whenever and wherever.”

Reisman, co-founder and CEO, and Cohen, co-founder and chief brand officer, originally met while attending Greenfield Hebrew Academy (now Atlanta Jewish Academy). They were then in the same bunk at Camp Barney Medintz.

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Reisman was bar mitzvah’d at Congregation B’nai Torah and Cohen at Ahavath Achim. Cohen went to high school at the New Atlanta Jewish Community High School (now Weber School). Reisman went to Riverwood High School then to the University of Texas-Austin, while Cohen became a “wolverine” at the University of Michigan.

Neal Cohen went to the University of Michigan and is now chief brand officer for Tip Top Proper Cocktails. He wants to free drinkers from “squeezing and shaking” when they can have their drink more conveniently.

Cohen recalled, “We always were coming up with ideas for businesses with our group of friends; and at one point started building out a vision for a brewery music venue. As cocktail enthusiasts ourselves, over time we realized that there is a market for cocktails that are high quality, true to the original cocktail recipe and convenient. That is how Tip Top Proper Cocktails was born.”

Now they lead the prepared classic cocktail brand, producing cocktails on par with what one could expect from a well-trained bartender, all out of the Atlanta headquarters.

Both young men were in the music festival industry prior to founding Tip Top. Cohen was in marketing at Superfly, producing festivals like Bonnaroo and Outside Lands. Reisman co-founded the Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York City. While leading that, Reisman identified a huge gap in the available concessions. Cocktail culture was on the rise and good cocktails were in high demand; but the vending at music festivals didn’t allow for careful preparation needed for a good cocktail. That stuck with Reisman and propelled him to concoct a solution.

Tip Top can be ordered online or at local retailers — primarily liquor stores. Their distributor in Georgia is Savannah Distributing. To make buying easy and uncomplicated, all cocktails are priced the same; and in Atlanta price points are around $3.99 to $4.99 per can. Their most sought-after cocktails coincide with the most popular ones at bars around the country: Old Fashioned, Margarita and Espresso Martini. Then, there are creative combos of Rum Boxes ($89.99), Gin Boxes, The Everything Box, all curated with 18 cans. The Proper Party Variety Pack looks to be the most fun with three cans each of six flavors in various combinations: Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Negroni, Bee’s Knees, Margarita, Jungle Bird, Cosmopolitan and more.

Yoni Reisman went to the University of Texas and is now CEO of Tip Top.

The tiny cans have graphics of a giraffe with a monocle wearing a top hat. Being able to ship alcoholic beverages opens a gift window to transport nationwide to friends and family. The website also touts merchandise — Polo and racer hats with the giraffe logo, T-shirts and crewnecks, travel shakers, Yeti tumblers, and glasses ($30 each). Their culture has an on-trend vibe, especially when thinking about not having to make your own concoctions, accumulating the right sugar, bitters, peels, whiskeys, and what not.

Cohen explained, “We see great cocktail options available anywhere you could want one, from a friend’s barbeque to a sporting event, to simply when you want a good cocktail at home on the couch without all the effort of measuring, squeezing, shaking and stirring. We believe that quality and convenience can indeed go hand-in-hand. People are drinking less; and yet, when they choose to drink, they are drinking higher quality options.”

Tip Top is certified kosher, making it a good fit for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and bris l’chaims. Free shipping on orders $99-plus. The catchy marketing tag line is “Always balanced, never too sweet.”

Not so tongue in cheek, the website suggests musical playlists to drink by, Good Libations travel guides to scores of “proper” bars in Atlanta and most major cities.