In the last five years, canned cocktails have become ubiquitous, with offerings from MOTH: (packaging by Pentagram) and Whitebox (cans created in-house) among the strongest designs competing on the shelves of off-licenses, delis and bottle shops. Convenience and a post-pandemic demand for ‘on-the-go’ experiences have helped drive this trend, with Mintel data demonstrating that sales of spirit-based ready-to-drink beverages increased by 226 percent from 2016 to 2021.

Williams Cocktails creates premium canned cocktails including the classics – your Negroni, Cosmopolitan, Martini – alongside alcohol-free options (Nogroni 0% ABV) and canned snacks like almonds and olives. The company originated as Williams Canteen, a bricks-and-mortar establishment in Rotterdam, but was forced to shift its sales strategy during the COVID lockdowns, switching emphasis to a pre-packaged product in order to deliver its signature craft drinks direct to consumers’ doorsteps.

For packaging Williams turned to Offff, a creative agency also based in Rotterdam, specialising in bold designs ‘because attention means sales’. The result is a suite of labels that re-trace the original establishment’s aesthetic and ethos, celebrating ‘the stylish and sincere philosophy of the bar’. Suited and booted for a sophisticated night in with all the features of a great night out, the cans are striped, with the lower half in a tasteful light taupe while the upper stripe comes in a colour palette of jewel tones: emerald for Margarita, ruby for Cosmopolitan, and teal for Daiquiri.

The typography is vintage-inspired with smart flared serifs adorning the wordmark and a seal-like supporting device with a capital ‘W’. Offff also commissioned a series of lifestyle and product photographs of Williams’ inventory. Shot by Adinda De Boer, the cans are paired with the Rotterdam skyline, tasteful glasswear (heavy tumblers filled with ice, modern martini serves), and impeccably manicured hands in a way that feels highly curated. It’s a type of style reminiscent of the early Instagram and peak Flickr era, where the art direction strives for a balance between spontaneity and artful composition.

While a vintage-inspired and neo-nostalgic aesthetic is by no means unheard of in ready-to-drink cocktails (see Hochstadter or Social Hour), what transpires in Offff’s packaging is an elevated idea of fun that is both attainable yet refined, something that taps into recent nostalgia for Millennials, yet feels refreshing to younger customers.