The News
Straightaway Cocktails, a Portland-based cocktail company, has appointed Nora Furst as Director of Innovation. Furst, an award-winning bar owner and beverage consultant, will oversee liquid innovation and work within Straightaway’s vertically integrated model. She has experience with bars in San Francisco, Delhi, and others, and is co-founder of West Bev, a Michelin-recognized firm.
The spirits market is increasingly focused on ready‑to‑drink (RTD) products that blend craft quality with convenience for at‑home consumers. Straightaway Cocktails’ decision to hire Nora Furst as Director of Innovation reflects that shift, bringing a seasoned bar‑pedagogue into the company’s product‑development engine.
Straightaway, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, has built a reputation around high‑margin 750‑ml bottled cocktails priced near $45. The new appointment signals an intent to expand beyond the premium line toward RTD offerings that can reach broader shelves while maintaining craft credibility.
Furst—co‑founder of West Bev and former judge for the ASCOT Awards—brings a global flavor perspective and hands‑on bar experience. Her role is to lead “liquid innovation” across Straightaway’s vertically integrated model, covering formulation, sourcing, technique, and technology.
The company’s 2024 Advent Calendar demonstrates the scale of its RTD plans: 12 cans (100 ml each) priced at $60 total, or roughly $5 per can. That price point provides a concrete benchmark for margin expectations in an RTD space that is crowded with mid‑tier offerings.
Straightaway also earned Certified B Corp status in 2025, positioning it as one of only a handful of distilleries worldwide to carry the ESG‑focused certification. This credential could be attractive to wholesalers and retailers that prioritize sustainable sourcing and responsible business practices.
For operators, Furst’s expertise offers a pathway to craft‑inspired, limited‑run cocktails that can be introduced quickly—either on‑premise or off‑premise—without diluting brand equity. Distributors who already carry the premium line may view the new RTDs as an opportunity to test higher‑volume products under the same quality umbrella.
The move underscores a two‑pronged strategy: maintaining Straightaway’s boutique, high‑margin bottled lineup while launching cost‑effective RTDs that can capture the growing at‑home market. As brands continue to pivot toward packaged cocktails, the blend of bar pedigree and scalable innovation may become a defining competitive advantage.
Original Press Release
Straightaway Cocktails, a Portland, Oregon-based, mission-driven cocktail company, has hired award-winning bar owner, speaker, and beverage consultant Nora Furst to spearhead the brand’s next phase of innovation.
Nora has devoted her career to hospitality at the highest levels. For Nora, “Food and hospitality are the lens through which I understand everything in the world.” She opened the iconic San Francisco bar BUDDY in 2021 (earning a spot on Esquire’s Best Bars in America list), is a partner in the new Chicken Fried Palace bar and diner, and has activated nearly 30 bar programs around the world, from San Francisco to Delhi. Across those projects, she has developed a palate shaped by global flavors and ingredients, a foundation she brings to Straightaway’s next wave of innovation.
She is also the co-founder of the beverage consulting firm West Bev, a Michelin-recognized Bay Area firm, and serves as a spirits judge for the ASCOT Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, among the nation’s most prestigious. Nora has also been a fixture at industry events such as Tales of the Cocktail and BCB as a speaker and educator.
In her Director of Innovation role, Nora will lead Straightaway’s north star mission to build world-class cocktails by overseeing liquid innovation and setting the standard through technique, technology, sourcing, and beyond. She will be working within Straightaway’s vertically integrated model that brings R&D, batching, and scaling under one roof. With a deep respect for provenance, terroir, and process, she brings a distinctly creative approach to cocktail making.
“At all points in my career, the consistent, yet straightforward goal has been to simply create things that taste good, and working with Straightaway Cocktails allows for innovation without guardrails. There’s an opportunity to think outside of the box, experiment with unique ingredients, but also tap into classic cocktails and mixology history to craft award-winning drinks that are crowd-pleasers in spaces big or small,” shares Nora Furst, Director of Innovation, Straightaway Cocktails.
Commenting on Nora’s new role, CEO and Co-Founder Cy Cain said, “Nora’s leadership, creativity, knowledge, and incredible talent will take Straightaway to new heights. Her alchemist skill set is uncanny, and her views on how to express flavor and balance in a cocktail are inspirational. I am beyond excited for our customers to be able to sip the new cocktails we have coming online this year.”
Sources consulted (web research):
- Review Straightaway Cocktails
- Review Straightaway Cocktails Advent Calendar 2024
- Straightaway Cocktails Profile B436f47fc1fdf9e2
- Who We Are
Source: BevNET