AWARD WINNING
Spring of 1996 was so wet that Chicago construction executive Richard Krohn was faced with several weeks of unanticipated freetime. Rather than sitting around waiting for the weather to break, or leaving town for some golf in Florida, Krohn’s thoughts turned to an old recipe. He had developed the recipe when he was in the hotel business years before. As the rain continued to fall, Krohn regrouped in his kitchen and started recreating the Bloody Mary Mix that had been the standard in his hotel’s bar. Before long, he had the full-bodied spicy blend that had delighted his hotel patrons.
By August, Krohn had named the product Zing Zang®, trademarked it, incorporated Zing Zang Inc., received government clearances and a UPC code, supervised the development of the shocking-neon-green label, and fine-tuned the commercial formulation. The first production run was in September 1996. Zing Zang® was formally introduced at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May 1997.
In March 1998, Zing Zang® was the First Place Winner in the Fiery Food Challenge in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A panel of 50 culinary experts judged Zing Zang® the best in the Bloody Mary Mix category in a blind tasting.
Later that year, Zing Zang® introduced its other cocktail mixes: Margarita, Piña Colada, Sweet & Sour, Strawberry Daiquiri-Margarita, Lime Cocktail Mixer, and Grenadine.