Jumping on the celeb-back booze train, Cardi B is now peddling liquor, but her “authentic” spirit isn’t tequila or rum — it’s vodka-infused whipped cream. Whipshots by Cardi and Starco brands are available on Whipshots.com in 500-can-per-day Whip Drops, and the three launch flavors — vanilla, caramel and mocha — have been selling out in under four minutes daily since Dec. 1.
“I’m not really a hardcore liquor-drinking person. And I like things that are sexy and tasty. It’s going to be a party in every can,” Cardi tells Billboard. “At one time I was planning to do margaritas, but this is more fun.”
On Dec. 4, Cardi debuted Whipshots with a sweets-themed party at Pharrell and David Grutman’s The Goodtime Hotel in Miami. Parading into the party with an entourage of music heavyweights including Offset, Mary J. Bilge and Timbaland, record producer Tainy, actor Winston Duke and football player Dale Moss, she popped a few cans, removing the plastic wrap with her teeth and shot the cream into the mouths of party guests. It was served in cones, cocktails and on desserts throughout the event, with chief mixology officer and Las Vegas bartender Rob Floyd putting some flair in the cocktail making.
The Whipshots suggested application is to “enjoy on cocktails, desserts, lovers or solo as a shot.” But Cardi says her current favorite way is on eggnog — just in time for the holidays.
“This is eggnog right here,” Cardi says. “The vanilla one I’ve been eating for a week. We are going to have different flavors next year.”
Starco Brands CEO Ross Sklar says that Cardi was the perfect partner for Whipshots because her fun, playful personality perfectly matches the ethos of the product. Sklar believes they have created the perfect trifecta: highly appealing flavors, plus creative direction and celebrity/influencer strategy.
“We commercialize products and technologies that are meant to be behavior changing,” he says.
And while other companies have tried to release similar products over the years, what makes this one unique is it 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), does not require refrigeration and is non-dairy, made of oat milk and coconut milk, different sugars, flavorings and distilled vodka. Sklar says it is ideal for espresso martinis, or with vodka and soda water, spray on a dollop and mix it in to give a creamy texture. It even works with rum and coke.
“We look at all the sectors that we play in spirits, and food was really lacking innovation,” Sklar says. “We saw this tried in like 2005 and it didn’t work because the product life had issues. From a technology standpoint, and from a formulary vantage point, it’s very hard because the alcohol depresses the foam. You really have to balance it until you find a sort of utopia. And then dialing in packaging, the back end and the automation and supply. It’s a huge enigma to solve. We’ve been working on it for just over four years. It’s an innovation in the celebratory category.”
And then, just add Cardi.
“You’ve got to find somebody that has a personality that is transparent, super fun, super playful. Someone who doesn’t mind being flirty, but above all, is herself. The product delivers and the personality delivers … That authenticity delivers credibility,” Sklar says.
Outside of the daily Whip Drops, Whipshots will hit stores early next year and is priced at $5.99 for 50 mL, $13.99 for 200 mL and $19.99 for 375 mL bottles, respectively.
This was Cardi’s second big partnership announced during Miami Art Week, a convergence of multiple art fairs including Art Basel, Design Miami and Art Miami, among others — and in recent years, a heavy presence from the music, technology and fashion industries. On Friday, Playboy revealed that the rapper would now be its first creative director in residence.
“I’ve been meeting with them since May. I gave them some ideas that I have because I want the brand. I want sex. Sex appeal. I’m a wild girl,” Cardi says. “And that’s what I want on the brand. I want to have conversations that people are afraid to have. I want beautiful women. I just think of Playboy like back-in-the-day Playboy. That’s what I want. I want to bring that back. I’m excited but now I’m getting a little bit overwhelmed because I could get a lot of pressure, but I know that I could do it. “
