Once upon a happy hour, long before Fling existed, there were two real-ish Kiwis — Ben and Emma — who fell head over heels in love… with cocktails.

It started innocently enough: a shared drink here, a cheeky happy-hour there. Then came the deep dive — books, blogs, “research sessions” (the fun kind), and ultimately, a full-blown obsession with tracking down the best cocktails wherever they went.

We travelled the world “for the job” (tough gig, we know), sipping our way through rooftop bars, hidden hole-in-the-walls, beach shacks, and anywhere someone whispered the words you’ve got to try this.

Some people collect souvenirs. We collected cocktail inspiration… and maybe a few hangovers. But someone had to do it.

Eventually we came home buzzing with ideas (and caffeine from many, many espresso martinis). Aotearoa had craft beer, craft gin, craft everything — but where were the craft cocktails you could enjoy without needing a bartender, a bar trolley, and 47 ingredients?

So in December 2020, we launched Fling with two humble canned cocktails — Classic Mojito and Classic Margarita — plus that big Kiwi “let’s just give it a crack” energy. Then came Passionfruit Martini and the first New Zealand-made canned Espresso Martini, making us the first to release real cocktails in a can right here at home. Craft cocktail pioneers? Yeah… we’ll claim that one.

We sent cocktails from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, poured drinks on tap at events, and added our own mixers to the lineup — including the wildly loved Rosebud.

But like any good drink, the recipe evolves.

By mid-2025 Aotearoa’s taste buds were shifting — more non-alcoholic, more flexibility, more “I want flavour without fuss”. So we made the call to retire our canned range and focus on the thing Kiwis kept coming back for: our cocktail mixers.

Our mixers are now stocked in stores across the country and built for however you like to celebrate — cocktails, mocktails, nights in, nights out, drinks for one, or drinks for the whole crew. Same real ingredients. Same clean flavours. Same Fling energy. Just more freedom in every bottle.

We’re taking the same Kiwi ingenuity that helped us pave the way for craft canned cocktails and using it to push the next chapter of cocktail culture in Aotearoa. New ideas. New flavours. Real drinks made fun, easy, and un-fussy.

Because at the end of the day, our motto still stands: Real Cocktails. Real Ingredients. Made by Real-ish Kiwis.

And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cheers to shaking up the cocktail scene — one Fling at a time. 🍸✨