Despite the explosion of canned cocktail offerings in recent years, Nicole Craven and Alexis Smith found themselves waiting for their favorite libation — the espresso martini —  to appear in a convenient, ready-to-drink format. After months of waiting, hoping someone else might bring their vision to life, the two publicists quit their agency jobs to pursue a profit-promising gap in an already booming market, and Après Hours was born. (Après Hours, 2022)

Après Hours is a new line of ready-to-drink, canned espresso martinis designed for a gluten-free, dairy-free lifestyle. The brand officially launched in Dallas on August 1 is now available in select liquor stores throughout the city and online with nationwide shipping to 39 states.

“We’ve always preferred our espresso martinis with tequila instead of vodka, which is where we got the idea to use agave-wine as our base,” says co-founder Nicole Craven. “It gives the entire cocktail a smoother, rounder flavor and allows us to be sold in grocery stores as well as liquor stores.”

Après Hours is available in three gluten-free and dairy-free flavors — Salted Caramel, Classic, and Vanilla. Each 12-ounce can is 10% alc/vol and contains 40 mg of Colombian caffeine, slightly less than a standard shot of espresso.

However, building a business was not as easy as balancing a beverage. Craven and Smith ran into multiple roadblocks along the way, especially with funding. These initial difficulties made the sudden success and warm reception of Après Hours by Dallas shoppers even sweeter. Their first run sold out the day it hit store shelves. According to a recent study by BevAlc Insights, less than 2% of companies with an RTD offering are owned by women. Hence Après Hours’ tagline, “It’s time to shake things up.” 

“We wanted to honor the tradition and craft of bartending while communicating a greater message to aspiring female entrepreneurs,”  says Craven. “We’re so proud of the work we’ve done to build this brand and we hope to inspire other women and girls to do the same. That’s why we’ve established our “Après Hours Grant Program” to help fund female-founded start up businesses.

The goal of the program is to streamline the fundraising process for women and girls to create businesses of their own. Applications will be accepted via the Après Hours website beginning in September 2022.

Après Hours is currently available in bars, restaurants and liquor stores across the Dallas area, including POGOs, Dallas Fine Wine and Spirits, Roots Market, Uptown Liquor, Monticello Liquor, Cafe Duro, Castle Spirits, Lucky’s Liquor, Buddy’s Booze, Jerry’s Liquor and Biagio Wine and Spirits. Retail prices range from $13.99 per 4-pack to $55 per 12-pack.

Founded by two female marketers turned entrepreneurs, Après Hours is a Dallas-based spirits and lifestyle brand born from Nicole Craven and Alexis Smith’s obsession with espresso martinis and a lack of the classic caffeine-infused cocktail in the ready-to-drink spirits industry. As female community leaders who are always on the go, Smith and Craven developed a sophisticated yet convenient canned espresso martini cocktail that combines daytime fuel with a wind-down buzz, perfect for any after hour activity. Providing the pick-me-up needed to take on the day or night, Après Hours is available in three dairy-and-gluten free flavors: Classic, Salted Caramel and Vanilla. Après Hours and its social club seek to create a culture that empowers change, encourages women to break boundaries and levels the male-dominated playing field to change the dynamics of drinking overall.