Stories Behind the Blend: Sweet Dixie
It’s finally summer. Along with summer comes warm weather and a season of fun; events, activities, vacations, it seems as though everything comes to life as the temperature rises. Kids are out of school, not a weekend goes by without at least one event happening, and the sandy shores of the coast fill with people, eager to soak up some sunshine and savor the sound of the ocean’s waves. That’s where Sweet Dixie all started.
“Our family has never been the beachiest of families. We have always been more of the mountains and lakes type. Our family vacations (we could call them reunions except that we all live near each other, so it's more of a temporary pilgrimage) are almost always spent in the mountains. So, the idea of releasing a beach blend was kind of a curve ball for me.
**WARNING: WEIRD BEACH RELATED RABBIT TRAIL AHEAD**
I've always liked the beach as a general concept, but the idea of taking our kids to play where the largest and most dangerous creatures on the planet are just swimming around waiting to eat us as soon as we aren’t looking isn’t exactly my first choice. And if the sharks don’t get us, you know the riptide will. Or the jellyfish. Or the red tide.
Then again, a few years ago, MaryClaire (Co-Owner, Sister, Production Director) and her husband, Micah, convinced Brigette and I to go to the beach with them. Kind of embarrassingly, it was several of my kids’ first time going to the beach.
We LOVED it.
Come to find out, the real reason we did not like going to the beach was the sand would get everywhere and all the babies would be crying and sad which made us sad. Well, this place we went to had not only a shower on the boardwalk, but ALSO a pool between us and the beach, which meant everyone was required to rinse off in the shower and take a dip in the pool before they were allowed back in the house. It was life changing. We’ve been back to the beach every year since (so about twice).
So back to the blend. We came out with Sweet Dixie before all this beach nonsense hit our lives. Instead of having happy beach memories to go off, we lived our happy imaginary beach lives vicariously through our friends. These friends would go on and on about their most amazing beach trips, which always involved piña coladas on the beach.
Anyway, one day, Brigette just looked at me and said- 'why haven’t you come up with a piña colada blend yet??' So, I made one, obviously. And I hope you like it as much as we do.
When I drink Sweet Dixie (which is normally iced and unsweet, or if I’m feeling frivolous/ sleepy/uninspired, I might add a touch of sugar) it takes me back to the windy beaches. Where it’s so windy and everything is blowing away. But for some reason everyone is happy, wet, sunburned, and covered in sand. Everyone is happy because they are drinking Sweet Dixie.
Sweet Dixie is a beautiful expression of summer. It’s a refreshing breeze of coconuts and pineapple, tinged with bright hibiscus, and a smattering of other ingredients. Chamomile brings the coconut a bit more down to earth while still retaining the soft creaminess. Blueberries, apples, and peaches provide the locally sourced flair we always need in our blends, while also giving this fruit blend a solid base to work from."
- Caleb
