The Meyer Legacy: From Supper Club Roots to Modern Mixology

There is a specific kind of magic that only exists inside a Wisconsin supper club. It’s the sound of ice hitting a heavy rocks glass, the low hum of a packed dining room on a Friday night, and that unmistakable scent of brandy, cherries, and orange zest hanging in the air. For us, that isn’t just a nostalgic vibe, it’s our DNA.

Every great story has a foundation, and ours was built brick by brick (and drink by drink) in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin. Long before Meyer Cocktail Co. was a name on a bottle in your local liquor store, it was a family business rooted in the hospitality of our mother and father, Marge and Lenny Meyer. From 1962 to 1983, Meyer’s Supper Club was the heart of the community. It was the place where you went for the all-you-can-eat fish fry, the place where families celebrated milestones, and most importantly, the place where Marge and Lenny perfected the Old Fashioned.

The Man Behind the Mix

Lenny Meyer wasn't just a business owner; he was a master of the craft. He understood that a cocktail is more than just a list of ingredients: it’s an experience. Back then, "mixology" wasn't a trendy buzzword. It was just called making a damn good drink. Lenny spent years refining his signature Old Fashioned recipe, balancing the bitters, the sweetness, and those essential notes of bitters and orange until it was, quite simply, legendary.

When the supper club closed its doors in 1983, that recipe didn't disappear. It lived on in our family gatherings, holiday parties, and at the cabin. It was our "secret sauce," the thing that made a Meyer family party feel like home. But it took us a few more decades to realize that something this good deserved to be shared with the rest of the world.

Six Brothers and a Cabin Epiphany

Fast forward to 2009. Picture six brothers: all of whom grew up working in that supper club, washing dishes, busing tables, and watching Lenny work his magic: sitting around a cabin in the Northwoods. We were enjoying a round of those famous Old Fashioneds, and the conversation turned to the legacy our dad left behind.

Why isn't there a way for people to get this flavor at home without having to muddle a dozen ingredients or settle for a subpar neon-red mix?

The answer was simple: there wasn't. Not yet.

That was the spark. We decided right then and there to bottle Lenny’s legacy. We didn't have a massive bottling plant or a corporate marketing team. We had a licensed kitchen, a lot of ambition, and our father’s recipe. In those early days, it was a true labor of love. We did everything by hand. We’re talking about a process so intensive that an entire day of hard work would yield just one single case of twelve bottles. One case.

We weren't interested in cutting corners then, and we aren't interested in it now.

Expanding the Vision

When we officially launched Meyer Brothers LLC, we started with what we knew best: the original Premium Old Fashioned Mix. We knew that while the Old Fashioned was our flagship, the modern cocktail enthusiast wanted more ways to bring high-quality flavors into their home bar.

From the beginning, our plan was to expand every line we created. We didn't want to be a "one-hit-wonder" brand. We wanted to build a complete toolkit for the home bartender. Whether you wanted a pour-and-serve Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet or the ingredients to build your own masterpiece from scratch, we wanted to be the ones you trusted.

Innovation isn't without its challenges: and believe us, we've had our share: but the North Star has always been the same: simple, legendary flavor. If it doesn't taste like something Lenny would have served over his bar in 1975, it doesn't make the cut.

The Supper Club Soul in a Modern World

People often ask us what makes Meyer Cocktail Co. different from the dozens of other mixers on the shelf. The answer is soul. We aren't a corporation trying to capitalize on a trend; we’re a family honoring a woman and man who spent 27 years making people feel welcome.

We believe that a cocktail should be easy to make but complex to taste. That’s why we use real ingredients and stick to the proportions that made those Wisconsin nights so memorable. We’ve grown from that one-case-a-day operation to having our products in liquor and grocery stores across Madison, Milwaukee, and beyond. But even as we grow, we keep our standards personal.

As we look ahead, we’re constantly asking ourselves: Does this feel like us? Does this honor the legacy?

This commitment to quality is why we offer a 100% money-back guarantee. We’re that confident in what we’re putting in the bottle. If you don't think it's the best mix you've ever had, we want to make it right. It’s the same way our dad ran the supper club: if you weren't happy, he wasn't happy.

Crafting the Future

Today, we’re still "in the lab" (which is often just a fancy way of saying we’re in the kitchen tasting and testing) working on new additions to our RTD lineup and our specialty syrups. We’ve seen the world of mixology change, but we’ve found that people always come back to what’s real.

We love seeing how you all use our products. From a classic Meyer Brothers Manhattan to a creative Wisco Flip, seeing our family’s history become a part of your celebrations is the greatest reward we could ask for.

As we move through Junel and look toward the summer months, we’re excited to share more of our journey with you. There are more stories to tell, more recipes to share, and definitely more cocktails to pour.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. You aren't just customers; you're the people who make it possible for us to keep Lenny’s dream alive. So, the next time you crack open a bottle of Meyer Brothers Mix, know that you’re drinking over 60 years of Wisconsin tradition.

Cheers to keeping things simple and making them legendary.

Cheri & The Meyer Cocktail Co. Team