Ruby Blue is the toast of Stockholm

Ruby Blue, premium handcrafted liqueurs from Spirited Drinks Ltd in Northern Ireland, has won its first business in Scandinavia with a distribution deal in Sweden.

The company, which is based at Dromore in County Down, has recently shipped the first consignment of its unique Ruby Blue branded berry liqueurs to a major distributor in Stockholm, 4Great Wines, a leading supplier of wines and spirits to many of the top cocktail bars in the Swedish capital and other cities.

The contract in Sweden was announced by Barbara Hughes, Commercial Director of Spirited Drinks, the company which has developed and is now marketing internationally the distinctive range of artisan liqueurs which are blend of berries and Irish grain spirits under the Ruby Blue label in Europe. Ruby Blue is available in three blends - cranberry, blueberry and blackberry. In North America, the liqueurs are marketed under the Boozeberries brand.

Mrs Hughes said: "Securing business in such an affluent and quality conscious centre as Stockholm is a tremendous boost for us as we implement our export strategy to develop a network of distributors with established business in the cocktail bars and lounges.

"The feedback we've received from an initial group of customers has been immensely encouraging. Our cranberry liqueur, for example, has already been described as the world's best for mixing a delicious Cosmopolitan cocktail.

"The deal in Sweden resulted from a request from 4Great Wines for a supplier of premium drinks listed on the UK Trade and Investment website. We responded, met the distributor in Stockholm and secured the business. We are now working with the distributor on measures to increase awareness of our liqueurs in key cocktail bars in the city."

"While the Swedish economy has been affected by the problems of the Eurozone, the nation remains among the most affluent.Stockholm continues to be among the most vibrant European capitals largely because of its position as Scandinavia's financial centre of Scandinavia and an acknowledged global hub for high quality research and innovations.

Formed by husband and wife team Stuart and Barbara Hughes in May 2010 as Boozeberries, Spirited Drinks has gained a series of international awards for its handcrafted products using cranberries, blackcurrants and blueberries in a grain spirit.

Awards won by the company include gold and silver at the recent Wines and Spirits Wholesalers of America, (WSWA), tasting competition in Orlando, Florida and in the UK Great Taste Awards.