Stephen Talkhouse releases canned cocktails
Talkhouse Encore is a line of canned cocktails inspired by the iconic Hamptons venue The Stephen Talkhouse. Credit: Talkhouse Encore
Consider it a built-in after-party, at home — Talkhouse Encore is a line of canned hard seltzers inspired by the iconic Amagansett nightspot The Stephen Talkhouse.
The line of fruit-forward, ready-to-drink cocktails comes in five flavors that you could easily order at the Talkhouse bar — blood orange tequila soda, cranberry vodka soda, grapefruit tequila soda, lime vodka soda and a Hampton mule (vodka soda with ginger). The drinks are gluten-free and have no added sugar or artificial flavoring. Four-packs run $19.99.
For the uninitiated, Stephen Talkhouse is an East End bar and live music spot that has been pouring vodka sodas and hosting marquee and local bands for decades. Named for Stephen Taukus “Talkhouse” Pharaoh, a Montauk Native American who was known for his 25-50 mile daily walks from Montauk to East Hampton and Sag Harbor, the bar was founded in 1970 and still evokes youthful, hazy Hamptons summer nights full of tunes, surprise visiting musicians and maybe a few rounds of pool.
Ruby Honerkamp, daughter of Stephen Talkhouse founder Peter Honerkamp, said that while her brother, Max, started working there as a teenager, she didn't get the appeal of the place until she was older.
“Growing up, I couldn’t understand it. People’s parents were doctors or lawyers. We owned a bar,” said Honerkamp, whose exposure to the spot was limited, along with that of her brother's. “We would go to the bar the day after an event, and it was gross. We weren’t going to the shows, so we never got to experience the magic.
Inspiration for creating a line of canned cocktails came during the pandemic.
“We didn’t know what to do, but we knew we needed to pivot,” Honerkamp said. The ready-to-drink category was starting to take off, courtesy of brands like High Noon, mostly from large-scale companies like Anheuser Busch. The Talkhouse, the Honerkamps reasoned, “had a story behind us.”
Talkhouse Encore launched late in 2021, sticking close to home with distribution only in New York. Tastings and in-person service led to a bigger push with wider distribution.
Talkhouse Encore can be purchased at the bar itself, on the Talkhouse Encore website, from an online retailer like Drizly, and at local beverage shops. Next up, distributing in New Jersey.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
