Cutthroat Gin and Tonic

The Cutthroat® brand is a new beverage choice with a sophisticated steam-punk attitude, and distilling processes that evolved in the 18th century. Cutthroat cut will offer a variety of premium blends each with unique attitude, and a tonic water made using authentic cinchona bark from India. We want a packaging design that will reflect this character and stand out in international markets.

We focused on the ‘sharpness’ that characterizes the new brand’s motif. We examined the historical and cultural context of the distilling tradition that the brand reclaimed. We studied the philosophy of gin, and the intricate story behind its origins and evolution, including the politics, influences, social impact, the fluctuating gin revolutions, and the romantic gin craze. The Cutthroat brand also taps into the myths and lore of a darker and more nefarious sentiment of the 1880’s, such as those that emerged from the fame of Jack the Ripper, pioneer feminists, American gangsters, sophisticated Englishmen, burning slashes, wild tastes, razor-sharp spirits and many more stories and legends. We were inspired by the cutting-edge quality of the new product with the fascinatingly old and diverse background. We designed the brand logo and the containers (for gin and tonic) by emphasizing ‘the cut’, i.e. the decisive gesture that acutely separates and clearly distinguishes the brand from all others.