Solana Beach couple launches Miixt, kombucha cocktails in a can

With Miixt, Solana Beach residents Kate and JP Franklin have created the first to market ready to drink vodka-kombucha cocktail. The brightly colored kombucha cans first got on the shelves at Cardiff’s Seaside Market last week and sold out within 24 hours.

“I’m just so excited about the response,” Kate Franklin said.

Miixt combines two of the fastest growing categories – kombucha and ready to drink cocktails. The all-natural fizzing cocktail has a light flavor and is easy to drink, great out of the can or on ice.

“It’s a unique product, it’s different from hard kombucha,” said Franklin, noting hard kombucha requires a second fermentation process which adds additional sugar and yeast. “This is just non-alcoholic kombucha mixed with vodka. It doesn’t have the yeasty aftertaste, it’s just a clean vodka cocktail.”

The new canned cocktail comes from the makers of Mighty Booch, the kombucha born in the Franklins’ Solana Beach garage before they moved into their larger brewing facility in Oceanside. The Franklins, parents of an Earl Warren seventh grader and Torrey Pines High School junior, have seen Mighty Booch grow since launching in 2019, expanding into new markets and building a successful subscription service.

“What we found is our kombucha makes a great mixer for cocktails,” Franklin said. “We thought ‘Let’s just put it in a can to make it super easy and portable and accessible to everyone’.”

The new Miixt kombucha cocktails.

(Sachi & Pepá)

The refreshers are simply premium American vodka, sparkling water and their craft-made kombucha, a 4.5% ABV in the 12-ounce can.

“I wanted something low calorie, low sugar with no additives, nothing bad in it,” Franklin said. “It’s super clean, with only 110-calories and just five grams of sugar from the fruit juice.”

Miixt is starting out with four flavors: strawberry lemonade, mango, tangerine and peach—the peach recently received a silver medal at the 2023 Denver International Spirits Competition.

Sold by the four pack, Miixt is now in about 10 stores throughout San Diego including Minute Shop Liquor in Solana Beach with more being added every day—soon they will be in all San Diego Total Wine locations, including Encinitas.

A perfect refreshing summer drink, Franklin hopes to be featured at local events and festivals in the coming months, starting first with Taste of Cardiff on May 4.

For more visit miixt.com