Photo courtesy of Julia Johnson
Julia and Bobby Johnson of OG Beverage Creations came up with OG Speedball, a cold brew coffee, tequila cocktail.
Drop by any area liquor store or local bar and you’re likely to see something new on the shelf: Speedball.
A combination of cold brew coffee, tequila and other ingredients, Speedball was developed by Vestavia Hills residents Bobby and Julia Johnson.
Doing business as OG Beverage Creations, the Johnsons jumped into the world of canned cocktails after retiring from their vastly different careers in 2022.
Julia Johnson spent 43 years in corporate America with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama in operations, sales and marketing. Her husband, Bobby, spent 42 years as a bartender working at various Birmingham restaurants and bars, most recently with El Barrio in downtown Birmingham and The Battery in central Homewood.
The couple, who were married in 2021, started their new business after realizing retirement didn’t exactly agree with them.
"We don't know how to be retired,” Julia Johnson said. “So I pretty much went back to work part-time and got involved in some volunteer stuff, and he created a drink.”
The drink Bobby Johnson created is loosely based on a popular cocktail featured on El Barrio’s brunch menu, a Mexican spiced coffee with other flavors, including amaretto, brown sugar and cinnamon. With the full knowledge of El Barrio's management, he experimented with flavor profiles and different ingredients and, after weeks of trial and error, eventually landed on an ideal recipe.
“I thought I could make a better version and can it. So we made a cold brew coffee, tequila, sea salt, caramel, with a touch of cream, canned cocktail,” Bobby Johnson said. "We went through many iterations of it for about five weeks until we came up with what we thought hit the sweet spot.”
The Johnsons sought feedback from family and friends and gave several gallons as Christmas presents, and they were convinced they had a winner on their hands. In January 2023, the Johnsons filled two water jugs with their homemade Speedball and drove to Charleston, South Carolina, to meet with the management of Hard Scoop Distillery, a business specializing in alcohol ice cream, to turn their dream into a reality.
Initially, the Hard Scoop team wasn’t enthusiastic, Julia Johnson admitted. "You always hear that ignorance is bliss right? Well, we were ignorant enough to think, 'No, we think this is going to be amazing,'" she said. "We had done our research, and there was nothing in the market that looked or tasted like Speedball."
Eventually, the Johnsons won Hard Scoop over, and Speedball was officially born. The Johnsons turned to Birmingham-based marketing firm Dotedison to design the Speedball can, packaging and website. They also leaned on connections, such as Feizal Valli, owner of The House of Found Objects, and Michael Carpri, owner of Lou’s Pub, who offered support and helped them navigate the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board process.
Photo courtesy of Julia Johnson
TOG Speedball, a cold brew coffee, tequila cocktail, by OG Beverage Creations.
With Speedball now available in most ABC and package stores and in many popular bars around Birmingham, the Johnsons are eager to get their drink into new locales. They will be promoting Speedball in Tuscaloosa and Auburn in anticipation of football — and tailgating — season. Along the way, they continue to meet people who are intrigued by Speedball, but think they won’t enjoy it because they don’t like tequila or coffee.
“Our little phrase that we’ve used is ‘get a can in the hand,’” Julia Johnson said. “Because if you get a can in the hand, even people who don’t like coffee will go, ‘Wow, that’s really good.’ The word ‘dangerous’ has been used a couple of times!”
Learn more about Speedball canned cocktails at ogbeveragecreations.com.
Editor's note: This story was updated at noon on June 28 to correct the last name of the owners of the company. Their names are Bobby and Julia Johnson.
