Created with the finest ingredients, no artificial colours or preservatives, FUNKIN has been democratising cocktail making since its inception in 1999.

We talk to Hyppolite Civins, FUNKIN brand ambassador, about how the brand has managed to remain top of the cocktail pack for 25 years and how it plans to stay fresh and relevant in the future.

Do you remember the first thing that you made a cocktail with a FUNKIN product? 

I do! Perhaps unsurprisingly it was FUNKIN Passion Fruit Purée in a Pornstar Martini.

What are the key missions of the brand?

The key mission of the brand is always to help people truly understand the quality and premium nature of our products, especially our purées. From the very beginning, we’ve been rooted in the on-trade – our founder comes from an industry background and created our purées as a solution specifically for bartenders, making it easier for them to craft consistent, high-quality cocktails every time. 

We want to be at the heart of the bartender community, making sure they know we have the solutions for anything they need. We’re the number one solution when it comes to premium cocktail creation and that’s the vision we want to keep pushing.

FUNKIN is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. How do you manage to stay relevant and keep engaging bartenders?

We know bartenders like to be competitive and showcase their creativity, so we launched the FUNKIN Heritage competition where we spotlight our recently developed Liqueurs and ask UK bartenders to use them as a base for their creative serves.

Plus, to keep things fresh, we’re constantly keeping an eye on trends and emerging flavours, tapping into CGA data and – most importantly – listening to bartenders themselves. 

We regularly invite panels of bartenders into our office and ask them about the flavours they’re seeing coming through and any new techniques that may have come into play and what’s inspiring them. It’s all about finding ways to match their creativity and needs. 

We also stay mindful of what’s happening globally. Take our B Corp status for example. It’s important for us to be more environmentally friendly – not just for the moment but also for future generations. 

Besides helping with their drink serves, the brand was set up with supporting bartenders in mind. How does that come into play 25 years on? 

From day one, FUNKIN has been all about supporting bartenders, and 25 years later, that commitment is stronger than ever.

One way we do this is through our partnership with The Drinks Trust. We host training days for bartenders from different backgrounds, with workshops on the different career opportunities that are available to them. There’s often this perception that becoming a brand ambassador is the only logical next step to stay tied to the bar world, but that’s far from the full picture. Whether it’s sales, marketing, or other roles in the drinks industry, bartenders have the skills and creativity to excel in so many directions.

On those training days, I lead sessions focused on advocacy, talking about how to create drinks, and how to communicate effectively with guests and customers. We also offer sessions on digital marketing, brand positioning and even sales – giving bartenders a 360-degree view of the possibilities ahead of them.

Other ways we support bartenders is through drink development. For bartenders short on time or simply looking for fresh inspiration, we help them explore the potential of our products and how they can elevate their serves. Additionally, we provide training for bars and groups, tailoring it to their needs – whether it’s introducing new techniques or just keeping their teams engaged and inspired. And of course, we also provide bar tools and kits. 

How did you celebrate the 25 year milestone? 

We wanted to make it special for everyone who has been part of FUNKIN’s journey. Internally, we had celebratory parties with the team. For the trade, we celebrated our anniversary at the same time as our Heritage competition, which was a meaningful way to honour our history, celebrate our legacy and look ahead to how we innovate for the future. 

Celebrations aside, are there any preconceptions that people have about the brand? And if so, how do you go about dispelling those myths? 

The main thing we hear is that people think FUNKIN might be too complex for them. The truth is, we’re all about making things easier for bartenders and venues of all types. That’s where our One, Two and Three step solutions come in: 

Solution one: Our ready-to-drink cocktails, available in bottles and nitro-infused cans. These are perfect for bartenders who might not have the formal training or tools to craft cocktails. This solution makes shaking up a cocktail as easy as pouring a beer. 

Solution two: This is a two-step process, which involves mixers, where you just add a spirit – meaning it is as easy to make as a gin and tonic or vodka soda. It’s just two steps: shake and pour, then you have a perfect cocktail. 

Solution three: For the more advanced bartenders, we have our purées, liqueurs and syrups, made with real fruit to create cocktails from scratch.

Basically, we have something for every venue. And once they see how easy it is – and how much customers love the results – they’re all in and that’s when we step in with the training to keep building their confidence and creativity. 

Can you describe those solutions in more detail?

Of course! Step one is our nitro-infused cans. We’re very proud of these as we’re the only brand doing these in the cocktail space. Inside the can is a widget, similar to what you find in a Guinness can, that creates a velvety texture and nice foam on top of the drink when opened. It gives the cocktail that premium, bartender-made look with zero effort.  

We also have 70cl bottles that are ready-to-drink cocktails to serve 4 people which are 10% ABV. These aren’t nitro-infused so we suggest shaking them before serving for that perfectly foamed cocktail head. 

Next, we have the two step solutions which are again, designed for simplicity. They’re named after classic cocktails, like Mojito or Strawberry Daiquiri, and match the CGA’s top ten UK cocktails. All you need is 100ml of mixer and 50ml of your chosen spirit – shake it, and you’ve got a fantastic cocktail. You can even get creative by mixing the flavours to create something new.

And then on the three step we have the purées, which are all made with at least 90% real fruit (100% for lemon and lime) and come in a range of flavours with Passionfruit being our hero product. It’s the secret ingredient in the very first Porn Star Martini created by Douglas Ankrah. 

We then have our syrups and liqueurs all made with real fruit to add more flavour and balance to the structure of your cocktail.

Tell us about Tiny Orchard and your partnership together?

Earthwatch planted the UK’s first Tiny Forest in March 2020 in Oxfordshire, with partner Witney Town Council. Since then, we’ve continued to plant more Tiny Forests across the country in collaboration with a wide range of amazing partners. By 2030, they want to see more than 500 Tiny Forests being established in the UK and cared for by their local communities. We aim to engage 100,000 people with our network by 2030, with a focus on underserved communities in urban areas. 

Is this the first orchard you have planted?

Yes. Monica Esposito-West, Business Development Manager at Earthwatch said: “We are thrilled to welcome FUNKIN as a partner and to work together on such a creative project. The Food Garden will be the first of its kind as part of our Nature in Cities work, and a great example of FUNKIN’s commitment to environmental sustainability and social impact”.

How long have you been working together?

The project officially kicked-off on 22nd April with a walking tour of the area to inspire ideas for the garden, followed by a brainstorming session. Over the summer and autumn months FUNKIN and Earth Watch have collaborated to design and plan all elements for the Orchard leading to the planting day this December to officially create the Orchard. 

What are the wider sustainability/B Corp goals for FUNKIN?

Since the start, the FUNKIN team has been ambitious to create a sustainable cocktail business. In 2023, we were incredibly proud to become the UK’s first cocktail company certified as a B Corp. We’re working together towards one common purpose and with a vision to be the world’s greatest cocktail company for the next generations to come. FUNKIN are currently exceeding the high B Corp standard with a score of 88.4 (businesses have to be awarded 80 points to qualify). 

What are your favourite products to use personally and why? 

I’m a big fan of FUNKIN’s Banana Purée. It’s a bit thicker than some of our other purées, but it makes an absolutely banging daiquiri! It’s like you’re literally eating liquid banana.

You say that you’re always looking to innovate and keep up with trends so tell us about some of the recent initiatives at FUNKIN?

The most recent is probably the nitro can collaboration we’ve done with Irn Bru, that’s getting a lot of attention as you can imagine! But in the on-trade we’ve also been more active at all the bar shows. We spent 10 days in Edinburgh for the inaugural Edinburgh Cocktail Week, we had stands and showcased our products, projects and innovations at BCB in Berlin, and for 2025, we’re going to get involved with the new BCB in London. 

Beyond trade events, we’re focusing on festivals to bring premium cocktails to more people. Whether it’s a cocktail bar, a shop, or even a festival we want people to enjoy top-quality, well-balanced cocktails no matter where they are. It’s all part of our mission to democratise cocktails. 

Speaking of democratising cocktails, are you pushing lower and no ABV cocktails as well? 

When I’m proposing drinks solutions to bars with purée or mixer , I’m always talking about non-alcoholic and low alcoholic options as well. We also have our non-alcoholic Passion Fruit nitro can for example which is our Passion Fruit Martini without the alcohol – and we’re adding two new flavours soon. Just like everything else we do, we want to have drinks for every occasion and preference. 

What are you most proud about working with the brand? 

Our FUNKIN Heritage competition stands out because it brought us back to our roots, connecting us deeply with bartenders. But what I’m most proud of is our consistency. After 25 years, we’re still at the top of our game, making premium products and listening to our community. We’re always aiming to be number one in terms of new flavours and new solutions but that being said, we still want to be connected and down to earth, listening to bartenders. It’s this balance of innovation and staying grounded that makes FUNKIN so special.