Inspired by Havana’s five biggest social clubs in the 1950s, Big Five Rum’s branding celebrates the breezy, cosmopolitan leisure of those clubs and the vibrant Cuban spirit that flowed through them. There were no bigger clubs at the time than the Big Five: The Vedado Tennis Club, the Miramar Yacht Club, the Biltmore Yacht & Country club, the Havana Yacht Club, and the Casino Español. Florida’s coast is only 90 miles from Cuba, and we wanted to hone in on the relationship and roots between the two exotic destinations and their legendary back-stories when creating the labels for the Big Five Rum collection.

As an extension of our branding project for the Florida-based rum, Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine asked us to design packing for their new Big Five Canned Cocktails line. The canned cocktails showcase Big Five Rum’s silver rum in four different pre-mixed drinks paying homage to the popularity of rum drinks at Cuban social clubs. The packaging for these cocktails—while based on the label designs we created for the Big Five Rum collection—gave us the opportunity to expand the brand with a bright and fresh take on the original line’s labels to reflect the laid-back yet effervescent energy felt throughout the Cuban social scene.

Similar to the label design for the Big Five Rum collection, our objective was to create an aesthetic that would provide a general tone representing the Big Five social clubs without directly linking to any one club in particular. The design needed to feel approachable and fun while still being lavish and elevated like the rum labels. The foiled 5 is meant to feel like it’s floating above a large stage, such that you can almost imagine stage lights and velvet curtains in the scene, while the bright colors reflect the bold flavors of the refreshing cocktails.