Zeke Bronfman, grandson of Edgar Bronfman Sr. former chairman of Seagram Co., is launching his own company, XED Beverages, while still a student at Williams College to make and sell a line of canned drinks with the authentic flavor profiles of popular cocktails in a low-calorie, sessionable format.
The four drinks are inspired by Bronfman and his Williams College partner, Nate Medow. Each of the four – Mojito, Moscow Mule, Gin + Tonic, and Vodka Soda – contain only 1 gram of sugar, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 120 calories, 5.7% ABV, and no gluten.
“XED was born out of necessity,” says founder and CEO Zeke Bronfman. “We were tired of being bloated from beer, and many of the alternative drinks lack authentic flavor and are too expensive. We saw a gap in the market — so we started mixing our own drinks and eventually could not keep up with demand.”
XED (pronounced “crossed’) is brewed from cane sugar. “By brewing rather than distilling our alcohol, we are able to sell a quality cocktail that won’t break the bank,” the company’s website says.
The product officially launches in April, but 10,000 cases have already been distributed in New Jersey. Next state on the expansion list: New York.
XED is backed by an advisory board which includes Strauss Zelnick (Founder, ZMC & Former Chairman of CBS), Edgar Bronfman Jr. (Former CEO, Seagram & Managing Partner, Accretive LLC), Adam Zoia (Founder, GloCap), and others.