Local Siblings Launch Hamptons-Themed Beverage Company

Traveling through Egypt four years ago, Phil and Merritt Piro found themselves enthralled by the exotic teas and fruit drinks attached to the ancient civilization. And it got them thinking.On their flight back to the United States, the brother and sister realized their East End hometown—though it paled in age to the country they were just leaving—did not have a signature taste, or drink, of its own.

The duo, who have spent every summer in the Hamptons since they can remember, took the matter into their entrepreneurial hands with the launch of Captains Neck & Co., a low-calorie, health-conscious carbonated beverage inspired by their childhood memories. With the help of a silent partner, the Piros are now peddling their drink across New York, aiming to conjure up recollections of the East End with just one sip.

“We were inspired by the area, by the East End,” Ms. Piro, 22, said. “Captains Neck comes from the street that we grew up on out here, so everything is inspired by Southampton.”

Captains Neck & Co.—named after Captains Neck Lane in the village—officially got off the ground last month, after two years of planning and just a few days after Ms. Piro graduated from Trinity College in Connecticut.

The goal for the summer, she said, is to get the two drink flavors, Citrus Mint and Grape Ginger, sold in as many local stores as possible before moving into the Manhattan market. The glass bottles are already stocked in the coolers of a dozen East End stores, including the Southampton locations of Schmidt’s Market and Peconic Beverage.

The ideas for both alcohol-free flavors actually came from ingredients found behind a bar. A cocktail called “The Transfusion”—which mixes vodka with grape juice and ginger ale—inspired the Grape Ginger drink, while the Citrus Mint flavor, Ms. Piro said, hails from a “Southside”—a combination of lime, citrus fruits, mint and gin.

With two flavors in mind, the brother-and-sister team hired a food scientist to create the carbonated drink, while considering the health of the consumer. Every few months, they would do a tasting. Ms. Piro had samples mailed to her in college, where she held taste tests with her friends, until they found the perfect combination of flavors.

“I knew toward the end of the parties when we couldn’t taste the alcohol that this was a very good drink,” Ms. Piro said.

Both drinks are concocted from all-natural ingredients and sweetened with Stevia, a plant extract that is more powerful than sugar, Ms. Piro said. Each 12-ounce bottle contains just 40 calories.

“I have always been health conscious,” she said. “Going into this, we knew we wanted to do a fun spin-off of a virgin cocktail, but I always really wanted to push the health part, so we kept it low-calorie.”

From there, the Piros designed a logo that nods to the nautical nature of the East End and launched limited taste tests at local colleges and Manhattan bars. Recently, they joined the farmers market circuit, frequenting Bridgehampton, Southampton, Shelter Island and Greenport.

A four-pack retails wholesale for $5.59, with a suggested sale price of $6.99, Ms. Piro said, while individual bottles can be purchased for $1.99. The Piros sold more than 1,200 bottles in their first three weeks.

On Thursday, June 19, the siblings plan to celebrate their early success by throwing a launch party with their friends and family at the Grey Lady on Delancey Street in Manhattan, where their drinks are already included on the menu. While the Grey Lady is the first bar to use their product, Ms. Piro is working to have the fruity cocktails added to menus on the East End, and has already garnered interest from several local spots.

“Both flavors are really refreshing,” Ms. Piro said. “We are marketing them as a healthy alternative to soda with the option to add alcohol. We have a lot of fun options right now and it is really versatile.

“It has been non-stop running around from Southampton to Montauk,” she continued. “It has been a really crazy summer, but it has been a lot of fun.”

And they are only getting started.

For more information about Captains Neck & Co., including purchasing locations on the East End, visit captainsneck.com.