Spiritless Refounds Brand With National Total Wine Expansion and New Non-Alcoholic Espresso Martini

Co-Founder and CEO Lexie Lancaster Larsen is rebuilding the women-founded non-alcoholic cocktail company around an AI-enabled operating model, refreshed packaging and a renewed focus on premium cocktail rituals

AUSTIN, Texas — October 2026 — Spiritless, the women-founded non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails company, today announced a major new chapter for the brand: a company-wide refounding led by Co-Founder and CEO Lexie Lancaster Larsen, refreshed packaging across its canned cocktail portfolio, the national rollout of its newly redesigned Old Fashioned at Total Wine, and the upcoming direct-to-consumer launch of its award-winning Espresso Martini ahead of Dry January.

The moves represent more than a packaging update. Spiritless is being rebuilt around a leaner, more technology-enabled operating model, with Larsen using artificial intelligence across creative development, marketing, consumer research, operations and decision-making as she reshapes the company for its next stage of growth.

“This isn’t a new company, and it isn’t a new recipe. It’s a new chapter,” said Larsen. “We kept what consumers already loved about Spiritless and rebuilt the company around where we believe the category is going — better products, sharper creative, faster execution and a much closer relationship with the consumer. AI has given us the ability to operate with the speed and creative output of a much larger organization without losing the founder-led point of view.”

A Refounded Spiritless

The company describes the evolution as a refounding rather than a traditional rebrand.

The core idea: same recipes, new chapter, new vision.

Under Larsen’s leadership as CEO, Spiritless is repositioning itself as a modern cocktail company that happens to be non-alcoholic — rather than a wellness or abstinence brand.

The creative direction borrows the visual language of premium spirits: great glassware, sophisticated bars, real cocktail rituals and confident social occasions, with the product itself serving as the hero. That approach is reflected in the company’s new packaging, campaign imagery and voice.

Spiritless’ launch strategy similarly emphasizes founder-led storytelling alongside highly polished beverage imagery, positioning Larsen as the recurring face of the company rather than limiting the founder story to traditional PR.

Old Fashioned Gets a New Look — and a National Stage

The first major retail expression of the refounded brand is the newly redesigned Spiritless Old Fashioned, rolling out nationwide at Total Wine for the holiday season.

The liquid itself is the same Spiritless Old Fashioned consumers already know, but the product now arrives in a larger serving format and completely redesigned red-orange packaging built to command attention on shelf.

The holiday campaign is designed around a familiar cocktail ritual — crystal rocks glass, large clear cube and orange peel — with positioning that treats the product like a premium whiskey cocktail rather than a substitute.

Spiritless plans to support the Total Wine rollout throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas with retail, digital and social creative built around the new package design.

The Espresso Martini Returns in a New Format

Spiritless is also introducing its Espresso Martini in a 12-ounce ready-to-pour can, featuring an entirely new turquoise package design.

Available for pre-order direct-to-consumer, the Espresso Martini will ship in time for Dry January.

Made with real brewed coffee, each can contains 99 calories and 114 mg of caffeine and is designed to be chilled, poured into a coupe and finished with three coffee beans.

The launch campaign is built around the line:

“Shaken, not slurred.”

“Dry January customers still want dinner reservations, date nights, parties and beautiful cocktails,” Larsen said. “They’re not asking brands to make January less fun. They’re asking for better options. That’s the space Spiritless was built for.”

Award-Winning Before the Relaunch

The Spiritless Espresso Martini has already earned significant competition recognition, including:

• 2026 Gold — World Alcohol-Free Awards

• 2026 Bronze — San Francisco RTD Competition

• 2025 Platinum — L.A. Spirits Awards

• 2025 Best Non-Alcoholic RTD — L.A. Spirits Awards

• 2025 Best in Show — International Non-Alcoholic Competition

The company’s Old Fashioned also earned a 2025 Bronze — Zero Proof Choice Awards.

AI as an Operating System, Not a Marketing Gimmick

A central part of Spiritless’ refounding is the company’s use of AI throughout the business.

Rather than treating artificial intelligence as a standalone campaign or experimental tool, Larsen is incorporating it into the company’s day-to-day operating model — including campaign development, content production, consumer-insight synthesis, merchandising concepts, strategic planning and workflow automation.

The goal is not to remove human taste or founder judgment, but to allow a smaller team to test, learn and execute at a pace traditionally reserved for substantially larger consumer brands.

“AI doesn’t decide what Spiritless should be,” Larsen said. “It gives us more shots on goal. It lets us test an idea today instead of putting it into a six-week production queue. The taste, judgment and final decision still have to come from people who know the customer and care about the brand.”

The company expects the model to allow Spiritless to produce more creative, respond more quickly to consumer behavior and operate with significantly greater efficiency as it expands retail distribution.

One Brand, More Ways to Drink

The broader Spiritless portfolio includes Kentucky 74, Kentucky 74 Spiced, the redesigned Old Fashioned, and the newly repackaged Espresso Martini.

Across the portfolio, Spiritless is moving away from messaging centered on sacrifice and toward one simple idea:

Consumers do not have to stop participating in cocktail culture simply because they want less alcohol — or none at all — on a particular night.

Availability

The newly redesigned Spiritless Old Fashioned will be available nationally through Total Wine for the holiday season.

The new Spiritless Espresso Martini is available for DTC pre-order, with orders shipping in time for Dry January.

During the pre-sale, the Espresso Martini is available online in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans for $47.99. At retail, it will be sold in four-packs of 12-ounce cans.

About Spiritless

Spiritless is a women-founded non-alcoholic spirits and cocktail company creating products for consumers who want more choice in how they drink.

Founded around the belief that alcohol-free cocktails should deliver the same ritual, flavor and social experience as their full-proof counterparts, Spiritless produces bourbon-inspired spirits and ready-to-pour cocktails designed for modern drinking occasions.

In 2026, under Co-Founder and CEO Lexie Lancaster Larsen, Spiritless began its next chapter: a founder-led refounding combining refreshed brand identity, expanded retail distribution, AI-enabled operations and a renewed commitment to making non-alcoholic drinking feel every bit as interesting as the alternative.

Spiritless. Less proof. More possibility.