RubyBlue Irish berry liqueurs in Lebanon deal

RubyBlue, the unique artisan berry liqueur produced in Northern Ireland, has won its first business in the Middle East. The company, which handcrafts four liqueur products, is now supplying IKOF, a distributor of a range of spirits in the Lebanon and other parts of the middle east.

The deal in the Lebanon is the latest export success for Ruby Blue, a product proving increasingly popular with mixologists in cocktail bars in Britain and Europe.

The liqueurs are produced at Lisburn in Northern Ireland by a husband and wife team, Stuart and Barbara Hughes, who own Spirited Drinks, which crafts the award winning liqueurs at Hughes Craft Distillery. The liqueurs have recently rebranded as RubyBlue®. They were previously known as Boozeberries.

In addition to three existing and successful berry liqueurs - Blackcurrant, Wild Cranberry and Wild Blueberry, the company has recently introduced a Chilli Pepper liqueur for a bit of added spice. IKOF in Beirut is now distributing all four liqueurs in the range.

Barbara Hughes, RubyBlue commercial director, commenting on the new business in Lebanon, says: "We met the IKOF managing director during his recent visit to Dublin and had the chance to allow him to sample the liqueurs.

"He was very impressed by the products and packaging and saw an opportunity to market them to key clients in high-end hotels and cocktail bars in Lebanon and other mid east markets. As a result of this discussion, the products are now on sale in the Lebanon, our seventh export market."

As well as Lebanon, RubyBlue liqueurs are on sale in Scandinavia, the Benelux region and Turkey.Other recent successes include Sweden, the Netherlands and Turkey.

RubyBlue Liqueurs are hand-made in small batches from real fruit blended with Irish grain spirit, and allowed to age in the bottle before being released for sale. The Chilli Pepper liqueur, described as a 'fiery infusion' includes real chillies for authenticity.

"We introduced Chilli Pepper in response to requests from leading mixologists, particularly in London, for a liqueur with a 'bit of a kick' that wasn't too hot. It's proving extremely popular. It's our first move away from berries as a base for our liqueurs," she adds.

The liqueurs are available in distinctive 350mls at 17% ABV. Unlike many competitor berry liqueurs, which are made from pureed fruit, syrups or other flavourings, RubyBlue uses whole fruit, which remains in the bottle.



Delicious on their own as an after-dinner liqueur or with ice as a pre-dinner aperitif, the range of premium liqueurs is hugely versatile and can be included in cocktails, mixed with champagne, Prosecco or white wine and even as part of a dessert.