A new bourbon cocktail in a can, Ponyboy Slings, is reinventing the idea of “mix and mingle” — by eliminating the mixing in favor of more mingling — and it hits Total Wine shelves this month.

Ponyboy Slings was started by Louisville residents Janell and Mike Bass. | Photo by Ponyboy Slings

With a name like Ponyboy Slings, a wild ride to the beginning of this carbonated bourbon drink is expected.

Shortly after meeting on Bumble during the pandemic, Janell and Mike Bass, now married, are putting their combined 50+ years of service industry experience to good use. They originally started a consulting company called Punchbowl Projects, creating cocktails for big-name bourbon brands.

Mike helped start the cocktail scene in Orlando, FL + Janell has worked as a bartender in many chef-driven restaurants and is also a voice-over actor. | Photo by Ponyboy Slings

“Little did we know we had already done a kind of test market," Janell said. "We were having to make cocktails for 200 to 300 people at a time — so when we were picking what we wanted to put in a can, we basically picked our bestsellers.”

Those cocktails developed into three Ponyboy Slings flavors:

Bourbon Popstar — dry vermouth, strawberry juice, lemon bitters
Derby Cream Soda — sherry, bitters
My Cherry Amour — dry vermouth, sour black cherry juice, bitters

Each cocktail uses premium bourbon, fortified wines, real fruit juices, and bitters. | Photo by Ponyboy Slings

The 7% ABV cocktails pride themselves on being a new way to drink whiskey.

“The brand is laid back, like ‘break off a can from the pack and toss it to my bud in the backyard’ type feeling," Janell said. "We’re showing people you can mix bourbon just the same as you do vodka and tequila and have a delicious, balanced cocktail that doesn’t have to be so strong and spirit forward.”

The name, an accidental reference to the book “The Outsiders” — in which Janell says she’s well versed in now — is a nod to Kentucky and their dog Whiskey, who they lovingly call Whiskey Boy.

“We didn’t want to limit ourselves in the name in case further down the road we wanted to play around with different spirits,” Janell said.

Ponboy Slings will be available at Total Wine, as well as bars and restaurants around town — like High Horse Bar, Garage Bar, and PG&J’s Dog Bar.

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