This summer in B.C., the hottest accessory isn’t a sun hat or a floatie, it’s a floral can. Across the province, Please! Beverage Co. is everywhere, perched on beach towels, clutched at outdoor concerts and stacked on liquor store shelves. What began as a quiet local brand last year has grown into one of the province’s most talked-about cocktail makers, winning fans from Kitsilano to Kelowna.
The rise of Please! began where many great summer stories start — by the water. A partnership with The Batch in Vancouver placed the brand’s products in two of its popular locations : one in the heart of downtown and the other steps from Kitsilano Beach. Both offered sunlit tables, a buzz of conversation and a common sight — Please! cans scattered across almost every table.
“Please! just makes really good drinks using fresh, real ingredients,” says Charlie Millar, operations manager at The Batch. “They’re one of our most popular drinks by far.”
Sunny stages and cell phone screens
The brand’s momentum carried into Kelowna’s Rock the Lake, the Okanagan’s signature summer music festival. Please! was pouring behind the bar as crowds soaked up hours of live music. The cans held more than cocktails, with a discreet QR code that linked to a personal video message from Canadian actress Cobie Smulders, best known for her roles in How I Met Your Mother and Marvel’s Avengers films. In the clip, Smulders, a Vancouver native and part-owner of the brand, shared her thoughts on Please!’s focus on quality ingredients, balanced flavour and an easygoing style. It was part celebrity cameo, part brand manifesto and it clicked instantly with festival-goers. Demand was so high the drinks sold out before the headliner took the stage.
What’s next
Please! is teaming up with liquor retail heavyweight JAK’s on a new creation: The Verdita Margarita, a bold and refreshing blend of cucumber, jalapeño, pineapple and mint. The limited-edition cocktail combines Please!’s creative flair with JAK’s province-wide reach and chatter about its Labour Day weekend launch starts almost as soon as it is announced.
“Why wouldn’t we jump at the opportunity to combine two quality brands?” says JAK’s operations manager James Franey “Plus, everything they make is delicious.”
With the launch just days away, anticipation for the Verdita Margarita is already moving from patios to social feeds. If the past few months are any indication, Please! is charting its own course in B.C.'s crowded cocktail scene.
To learn more about Please Beverage Co. and stay up to date on their newest releases, visit pleasebevco.ca.
