Prototypes for a brand of canned cocktails from Lawrence's Replay Lounge are shown. The cans and their design are still pending regulatory approvals.

A band and a can have produced many a plan in Lawrence. But this one is different than most.

Nick Carroll, founder and owner of The Replay Lounge in downtown Lawrence, has filed plans to open a small manufacturing facility near 10th and New Hampshire streets to house his new canned cocktail business.

The cocktails — made from local recipes popular at The Replay — will be named after local bands. The plan is to sell the canned cocktails not only at The Replay, but also at liquor stores and bars throughout the greater Kansas City region.

Carroll, who opened The Replay in 1993, is betting big on the new venture. The bar/live music venue began getting serious about selling pre-made cocktails — mainly in bottles or on tap — during the pandemic. State law changed then so that bars could sell cocktails curbside as a way to stay in business during the shutdowns.

The days of shutdowns are long over, but the cravings for the pre-made cocktails have continued. In 2022, Carroll said the pre-made cocktails were the bar’s biggest seller.

And that is when it hit Carroll that he was experiencing something akin to what he’s watched as a music promoter who books bands for a living.

“It is like when you have a band and after one practice, you just know that this is going to be a real band,” Carroll said of the popularity of the drinks. “There are too many things working in favor of this to not do it.”

Well, there is one problem. The Replay Lounge at the corner of 10th and Massachusetts can’t very well be a manufacturing facility for a canned cocktail business. But there is vacant commercial space just east of the alley that runs behind The Replay. Carroll has struck a deal to move into that space at 947 New Hampshire St., but the project needs a special use permit from Lawrence City Hall before it can proceed. That permit is being considered by City Hall currently.

The owner of The Replay Lounge plans to opening a facility to create canned cocktails inside the multi-story brick building at 947 New Hampshire Street building, pictured above on April 5, 2023.

There’s also another issue: Cans are a lot more fun to crush than they are to buy.

“If you buy small quantities of cans, they are really expensive,” Carroll said.

But if you buy them in packs of 8,000 or more, they become cheaper. (I’ll mention that alternative the next time someone in my house complains about the amount I spent on a six pack.)

Indeed, Carroll is taking that route, buying in bulk with the idea of selling a lot. He’s close to finalizing a deal with a liquor distribution company, and he’s already got his first two products planned.

The expected headliner cocktail of the brand is called the Roseline, named after the Lawrence band that has taken its strumming sound everywhere from Europe to the one-time hit television program “Nashville.” As for what type of drink a Roseline is, it features tequila, grapefruit and lime, making it a local version of a paloma.

The second cocktail in the line is the Beltane, also named after a band, which shares its name with an Irish/Gaelic holiday. So, in its drink form, Beltane trends green, with cucumber vodka paired with gin, lime and mint.

Other cocktail recipes may be in the offing, but Carroll said the venture is focusing on those two to start, with the company going through significant work to get those formulations and other issues approved by federal and state regulators before the canning process can begin.

Carroll hopes to have all issues with regulators and City Hall finalized soon so that production can begin in the summer, with sales happening shortly thereafter. Once the venture is on the market, Carroll plans to sell on both the Kansas and Missouri sides of the state line, plus he think the canned cocktails will be popular at music festivals throughout the region.

The cocktails, which will be branded with a Replay Lounge logo, are aiming to fill a niche with area consumers who like the idea of a canned cocktail, but don’t like the idea of going to one of the mega drink companies that are now entering the canned cocktail market themselves.

“We think we’re going to be a little more authentic than the big boys,” Carroll said.

The cocktails do have an origin story that is rooted in drama. Carroll said he and fellow co-workers Chris Maddox and Taylor Dunavan began perfecting the cocktail recipes during the pandemic. The cocktails, which were sold curbside due to shutdowns, became more than just a needed revenue source. The venture had an important psychological function too.

“We would all just meet up and sit our required 6 feet away from each other and talk about the project,” Carroll recalled. “It is what kept us focused and from getting too depressed. It just kept everybody going.”

The Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts Street, is pictured on April 5, 2023.