North County native debuts ‘elegant attire’ for creative cocktails
Long gone are the days when ladies and gents slipped on gloves and hats to attend regular cocktail parties, but there is a no-fuss way to add a glint of glamor to any glass thanks to Atascadero native Natalie Foss.
The Shell Beach resident is launching Lounge Attire Premium Cocktail Cranberries last month. The all-natural, juicy garnishes are lusciously red in hue and naturally sweet, adding an “elegant accompaniment” to martinis, mixed drinks, champagne and even sparkling water, according to the Cal Poly graduate. After working in sales and marketing, Foss decided to play with her own business possibilities. A passion for cooking, horticulture and entertaining coupled with time spent in the Paso Robles wine industry pushed her in the right direction. “How many cocktail garnishes can you think of? There’s only a handful, and there has been so much creativity happening with different drinks,” said Foss. There had to be something better than neon-colored, artificially flavored cherries or tired olives, onions, lemons, limes and celery sticks.
Foss, who partnered with a food scientist, set out to find red gold. “We sampled [cranberries] from everywhere until we found the sweetest, most exquisite berries,” she said. “You get all the best flavors of the cranberry without the intense tartness at the end. It seemed like such a natural fit to all the martini drinks, champagne or sparkling wine [drinks]. If you did a wine spritzer it would be so much fun, and with our California sparkling wines it’s just amazing.”
Fresh from her debut at the Night Club & Bar Show business convention in Las Vegas, Foss is glowing with optimism. She said her product was unique to the show and a big hit among fellow industry professionals. A diversity of garnishes may crop up in the future, but for now, Foss is focusing on her naturally sweet “drink dressers.” Each $15 glass jar is brimming with 100-plus buoyant berries and a dozen jars come per case. The fruit sits in a light syrup naturally colored by the berries themselves. Foss said she’s excited to partner with local restaurants and bars.
“There are some Paso restaurants that I can’t wait to approach that have more of a cocktail theme that would work beautifully and also there are some wineries out there that have their own sparkling wines. I think [Lounge Attire] would be a really nice compliment.”
