Mixing It Up with Fresh Victor

For Ken MacKenzie, entertaining has always been second nature. As a veteran in the spirits industry – he founded a tequila importing business in 1999 – hosting gatherings in his home was a big part of the evening.

However, mixing cocktails with their multitude of ingredients often takes a lot of time. It was then that he started brainstorming ideas to create high-quality craft cocktails that wouldn’t take so much effort.

ken mackenzie

In 2017, he came up with Fresh Victor, a mixer that gives consumers a healthier option, free of artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrups. The cold-pressed, all natural premium juices are crafted in small batches in San Francisco, California and are used to elevate everyday cocktails and mocktails.

Fresh Victor currently offers nine flavors ranging from their most popular – Mexican Lime & Agave – to Cactus Pear & Pomegranate. “People gravitate to what they know or are familiar with, so it makes good sense that [they] love making margaritas and daiquiris,” MacKenzie said of Mexican Lime & Agave’s popularity.

Other flavors in the Fresh Victor roster combine less common pairings, like the company’s Three Citrus & Mint Leaf or Pineapple & Ginger Root. “I attempt to stay away from the mundane or what has already been done over and over in the past,” he said. “I wanted to marry flavor combinations that I found to be both delicious as well as versatile.”

MacKenzie didn’t set out to create single use mixers like a margarita mix or a Bloody Mary mix. Instead, he wanted to formulate “something that you can mix with whatever your favorite libation may be without having to think too much about it.”

Said MacKenzie: “Mixing interesting flavor profiles together that compliment all types of spirits, as well as wines and non-alcoholic choices, was the goal from the beginning.”

So far the company is proving its mettle. The brand won multiple Double Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this past year and was also ranked as the number three Best Mixer in America from USA Today.

MacKenzie said the mission of Fresh Victor was to take away the difficulties experienced when one is overwhelmed by fresh ingredients. “We take the ingredient list, as well as the measuring, out of folks’ hands so they don’t have to worry about it,” he said.

“I once had a chef in Texas mix our Jalapeño & Lime with a red wine to make a fresh sangria. My initial thought was that I would never ever put those two things together as the basis of a drink. However, when I took the first sip I realized that it was absolutely unique, as well as delicious.”