The Good Bottle Podcast
Chris Sinclair owns a bottle shop, a bar and has been a world famous Bartender. Drew Garrison is a liquor broker and is known internationally as one of the afore most knowledgable people in the world of Agave and Rum
Sit and listen to the guys talk to amazing people who help breakdown the information of the moment and offer insight based in real world knowledge.
The Good Bottle Podcast
S.6 Ep.11 Farm to Flask: The Andrew Calisterio Story
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Ever wondered how a Future Farmer of America transitions into a renowned spirits ambassador? Our latest episode features Andrew Calisterio, the West Coast ambassador for Ron Zacapa and George Dickel, who shares his incredible journey from raising cows to mastering the art of mixology. Along the way, Andrew reveals how his early days at Starbucks honed his flavor-identifying skills, setting the stage for his current success in the spirits industry. Join us as we recount tales from a transformative trip to Greece and discuss the nuances of readjusting to daily life back home.
This episode is packed with fascinating insights into the world of hospitality and career transitions. We explore the importance of mastering foundational skills and the evolving culture of the hospitality industry. Hear about innovative practices like carbonating ketchup and the personal challenges and rewards of moving to new cities for career growth. We dive deep into the multifaceted identity of a brand ambassador, as Andrew shares his eclectic interests, from heavy music to dirt bike races, illustrating the value of being a "habitual hobbyist."
But that's not all—we also tackle the evolving local food scene and sustainable innovations in the spirits industry. Discover how unique dining concepts are emerging post-pandemic and the significance of community support for culinary ventures. Learn about eco-friendly practices in the spirits business, like using discarded fruits, and get a glimpse into the most valuable alcohol brands and the surprising growth of Baiju. To top it off, we sprinkle in some cultural recommendations and insights into our online presence and gaming community, ensuring you leave with plenty of new ideas and entertainment to explore.
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Good Bottle Podcast With Andrew Calisterio
Speaker 1Welcome to the Good Bottle Podcast . Join Chris and Drew , two self-proclaimed booze pundits with a lifetime of industry experience , as they walk you through the alcohol business and how today's headlines affect the industry . Each week , the guys will be joined by a special guest that will help them break down these stories and offer their own expertise to the podcast . So pour yourself a glass of your favorite drink and sit back . This is the Good Bottle Podcast .
Speaker 2This is the Good Bottle Podcast . We are back , baby . The wait is over . We're here , we're doing it , killing it , obviously , drew . Hey , man , long time no see on this lovely platform of ours .
Speaker 3Yeah , I don't want people to be confused . Chris and I have maintained our friendship despite not putting out our conversations on the interwebs , so it is good to be back . I know we were talking about this before a few . A few people have reached out and kind of been like what the fuck drew ? Why don't I have this on my morning walk or while I'm at the gym or while I'm just trying to be a better person and I'm like we're working on it ?
Speaker 3I'll tell you , you know , the break kind of started when I went on my trip to Greece , which was incredible . Can't recommend it enough . But there's something about being in a foreign country , especially a place like Greece , for two and a half weeks not working at all , and then coming back to your life and realizing that it fucking sucks and you just have to deal with it . You know like you just have to get through that and just kind of be like I can't believe I'm not on the gnc right now and I'm just sitting here having to sell tequila to people who don't fucking want it , and it's just . It's something that you got to come to grips with and sometimes I want tequila .
Speaker 3I'll fight them it's just , you know something , there's , there's criminals out there , chris , they're everywhere . You got to be , you got to be careful . Um , but I did . I did miss these conversations and , as we've been preparing for this episode and I was doing my deep dive on our lovely , lovely guest today , I just was like , progressively getting more and more excited me like , oh , like , oh yeah . This is why this is fun , this is why this is great , and I don't think that there's anyone better to come back with than someone that is a mutual friend of both of ours and has someone that I think people are going to get very excited about . He is the ambassador for the West , which I believe is the left coast best coast for both Sakapa and George Dickel . He's also a freelance photographer in menswear and food and cocktails . He's also a former cover model for Submerge Magazine . That's right , ladies and gentlemen , it is Andrew Calisterio . Andrew , welcome to the show , my friend . That was such a great cover too .
Speaker 4That was a great cover . It was a very cool photo . I don't know if they cover model . I don't know if that's like . I think those are like reserved for very specific magazine types . But I'll be that if that's what you mean .
Speaker 3Well , let me ask you this Now you work in this industry . You've been making cocktails for a long time , Were you on the cover of Submerge magazine .
Speaker 4Yeah , I definitely was .
Speaker 3Well then , that means that you are a cover model . Thank you so much .
Speaker 4Okay .
Speaker 3Follow-up question Growing up on the streets of Elk Grove , what was your time as a future farmer of America ? Like how does it still ? How does it still inform what you're doing today as a spirits ambassador ?
Speaker 4Wow , yeah , cool , sick cut . I do wish that I still had that , that FFA jacket , because those , if you are in the know , in the vintage world those actually go for a pretty penny . Um , but , uh , practical use . Um , I went to the state fair and I can differentiate different cows . Um , I actually have a pretty healthy background in agriculture because of it . But like you know that that might be too on the nose , which plays very close with our world , right , but I wear my FFA badge very proud . It's normally like three hangouts into a new friendship where I declare that I was also in FFA at some point .
Speaker 4You know if we're running out of things to talk about and I need to , you know , drop a wow bomb .
Speaker 2What animal did you showcase at the fair ?
Speaker 4A few , so I wasn't just one year . I raised a cow . I raised I like grew vegetables . I had a few things , but the big thing was I raised a cow .
Speaker 3That is big , that is quite literally big .
Speaker 4Yeah yeah , his name was Houdini . He just disappeared one day .
Speaker 3Oh .
Speaker 4Oh , and that's where you draw the line .
Speaker 3Well , I think it's important to bring this up because I think one of my favorite things about you is you know , despite working for , you know , one of the biggest if not , or I'm sorry , the biggest spirits company in the world . You're one of the few people who doesn't let that completely define their entire lives , and you have so many different interests and hobbies and things like that that just in my opinion , keep you very interesting and you know , as the Phoenix News Times 2015 Best Bartender of the Year , what are like , what has your journey been like ? Like , where did you start and where are you at now ?
Speaker 4Yeah , currently in my dining room . I started like bartending career wise I actually , I think I I think the coffee element is important . I did work for Starbucks and that was a cool , cool gig that . In fact , I was with my fiance today and we were drinking a couple , tasting a couple whiskey cocktails and she was asking about tasting notes and I was like , if you can differentiate coffee , you know , especially Starbucks where it's super roasted you can like differentiate flavors and everything . So I think that's that really attributes a lot to my start in this world .
Speaker 4But , um , I was a , a young go-getter and I was like I can bartend and grange was opening and , uh , at the citizen hotel I was a joie de vivre at the time and I went in there very bold and I was like , hey , I think I should work here and they're like a couple of things , you're not 21 , um , you have no experience . Uh , and I was like I'll bar back , I'll bus tables , I'll do whatever . So they hired me on as a bar back and a busser and one day , shortly after I turned 21 , one of the bartenders didn't show up for his shift and my manager was in the break room kind of pulling his hair out a little bit and um getting stressed about , like what are we going to do tonight ? We run a thin , you know thin ship and uh , I was uh in there because they had free food , um , so I was very early to my shift eating , um , stashing more into boxes because I knew that the lunch would go away and the dinner would come in , so that's like a whole nother meal to like stash away .
Speaker 4Um . So I was like in there and like watching this go down . I'm like I know the cocktails , I know the layout of the bar , I know the regulars , I can do it , put me in the far well , and you know , let me go . And I wish it was a story where , like you know this like immaculate , like clouds part and the angels sing down and like everyone was like , oh my God , he's the greatest bartender . It was very messy , um . I look back at some of those things , um , and I'm like I am very lucky to have had that shot .
Speaker 4I thought I was doing something by like convincing my manager afterwards and I'm like when I interviewed here , you were like you need seven years experience , you , you need all this stuff , blah , blah , blah . So , like you know , it'd probably be easier to promote me and then bring in a new busser and a bar back and they're like yeah , that's , that's fine . Like you know , like I didn't have to do such a pitch , but I was . I was the first person in that day , I was the last person to leave and , like you know , um , I can't say throughout my entire career that's been the case , but it's definitely like an ethos that I've tried to maintain . Um , and and I listened to a lot of those people that I worked with Um , then Ryan saying told me I was slow , so I went and got a job .
Speaker 4Uh , I went and got a job at golden bear . Uh , so I was working shifts at golden bear and working at the grange at the same time . Uh , golden bears turn and burn . You know , I think the at happy hour you can get a drink for a dollar 50 , which was like a crazy thing at the time . Um , yeah , jesus . So now I go into some of the best uh cocktails , uh , cocktail bars and restaurants in the world and I I go oh yeah , this kind of tastes good .
Speaker 4So yeah , I can see that . Oh , yes , I saw someone else do that Not that long ago . I mean , if you want to do that , it's fine .
Speaker 1I'm just joking .
Speaker 4I'm very grateful to be in this role .
Speaker 3So the I think you know also as I , as I did the deep dive and figuring out your journey and stuff . You're coming up in Sacramento and you work at Grange , you work at Golden Bear , you also do some time at Hook and Ladder . Then you're like , hey , I wish the talent would stay here in Sacramento . We need to build the city up more . Then you left for Arizona . That's something that's in print , just for the record . You're missing .
Speaker 4There was a San Francisco before that . Oh so you did San Francisco then to Phoenix , okay . And then back to San .
Speaker 2Francisco .
Speaker 4Back to San Francisco first and then came back .
Speaker 3With the U-Haul . I stopped in sack on the way to san francisco . There was , uh , there was an article that , where it does mention this is kind of like you know , returning to his home in the bay area , so um , which I , which I think is really great , but I think that I think what you know , what I like about that , is that you , you establish yourself in a completely new city and in a place where cocktails are really on the rise as well , and then you know , and all joking aside , it's like you you were acknowledged for being a very talented person , like in that city , and you know , we have so many new bartenders that are coming into , you know , into this industry right now . It's like we had this weird hangover with , with COVID and stuff , and a lot of people are getting interested in it and they're just trying to learn .
Speaker 3And you know your story , even going back to the grains , one that you just told , is like you know you wouldn't be like I'll be a fucking buster , it doesn't matter , it's like just let me get this opportunity , let me learn , and stuff like that , when you lot of these younger bartenders and you know , and people who are just breaking in as barbacks . Like what are some of the advice ? What's what's advice that you could impart now that you're like I wish I would have known this , but now I have the benefit of you know a little bit of time in this industry . Like what what are you trying to convey to younger bartenders now ?
Speaker 4yeah , um , I try to . I mean , I mean , the shortest answer is to shut up , um , not like in the like , bully , like , but I think there's a lot of value in like kind of just keeping quiet . This is definitely not something I've done
Career Transitions in Spirits Industry
Speaker 4. I think there's's a lot of opportunity to sometimes just kind of like listen and look and watch and take a little bit of time to , you know , be in a learning stage or learn something , as opposed to trying to rock it up to whatever you know flavor of the week you think is cool and what's happening . Because a lot of times the people that are in these positions , that we look up to or idolize as , like bartenders or celebrities or musicians , you know it took a lot for them to get there . You know , I think we're we , we , by the time you're tuning into them , they've already done the work , um , so I think that's something that maybe some younger audience could benefit from just recognizing that these people ought to learn something first .
Speaker 3I mean , I think it's hard for anybody at any age , right , I mean , I know that I still struggle with it , but I think it's still great though , because sometimes it's that obvious stuff that does need to be reiterated , where you're just kind of like hey , you know . I know it's easy to think that you know everything , and these are conversations that I've been , I feel like I'm having more and more recently , where we do have a group of people who seem a little bit more jaded than they probably should be at this point in their career , right , where , as much as I love , uh , like mover and shaker and stuff like that , like they've kind of made it cool to shit on hospitality and consumers , right and granted , there needs to be time for that , but there also needs to be time where it's like it's like , hey , it's , it's still hospitality and you still need to provide an experience , and , and I think that you've , you know , done that . You've done in a lot of different ways , like one of the other . The other ones that stuck out to me was in 2014, .
Speaker 3You were one of the first people to be like RTDs . It's time to go , and I'm going to carbonate ketchup . Have you been able to figure out a way to make that taste good , or is it still horrible as it was back then ?
Speaker 4The ketchup never carbonated by the the way it's just like a whipped ketchup thing um yeah , well , I don't even remember what that was from , um , I definitely remember the experience , um . But uh , there is . I mean , you know I I still love to you know mess with an isi . I still think rt I like I . I kind of I'm taking a little break off of alcohol right now , drinking so much , but I do love an RTD .
Speaker 4I like to taste them and see what they're working with . I love to read the ingredients and see where they're coming from . I think that stuff's super interesting . But I mean , you know , if you are in a bar like a cocktail bar right , I mean , there's so many , many subcategories of that . But if you're in a cocktail bar and there isn't somebody nitrocharging or force carbonating something , they're behind the times . It's kind of cool to see that become an important tool next to your Hawthorne strainer and your mixing glass , which I mean . Getting a cool mixing glass used to be such a highlight of my bartending . I was like this thing's rad , check out this etching .
Speaker 3Well , I think it's part of everybody's journey , right Is that you're going to be excited about that stuff and different things like that are going to pop you like a cold bar spoon or whatever as well , and eventually you do make the transition to coming to the dark side and you join House Spirits and I just , you know , I'm curious like what's the hardest part of making a transition to a position like that , and why was it selling aqua beat ?
Speaker 4man , I love aqua beat . Uh , I love crocs . That I could read , in fact , um , on the payroll , still on the pay , I , I wish man honestly , if , if christian ever gets a hold of this , I'd love for him to send me another bottle . I was up in portland not that long ago . I caught lunch with him . Christian is the , um uh , original distiller for house spirits , the , the brains behind the situation .
Speaker 2He came into book good bottle like maybe two months ago and he just like he popped into town , rolled his bag and was just like you got a bottle of wine you want to hang out . I was like yes , yes , I do , absolutely yeah I had no idea he was coming nothing .
Speaker 4I was like this is no , that's how he rolls literally um , yeah , I , you know , I think like going into that . So I was . I was originally offered the first brand ambassador role under brooke arthur who is still one of my closest friends , also a Sacramento resident and I said no . I was like I think like being an ambassador would be like selling out , and I legitimately told her this and I was like I feel like I have so much more to learn and at this time I was like kind of battling with like what are what am I doing ? Where am I going ? What do I want to like invest in ? I was working in like a turn and like kind of battling with like what are what am I doing ? Where am I going ? What do I want to like invest in ? I was working in like a turn and burn kind of divy college bar . I was also working at like a fine dining hotel bar that had union benefits and none of those things that matter to you when you're an idiot , like if .
Speaker 1I was still there , man .
Speaker 4I'd be bankrolled right now . I think I'd be like sitting on the top of the citizen hotel and I don't know whatever those perks are , but I truly meant it . I was like I think I have something to still to learn before I can like make a transition like that . And I decided to move to San Francisco and at that time I also had like , kind of , I was talking with a bar about working some shifts there and figuring out what that would be . So from that conversation where it was like , do you want to do this now , I kind of made that decision to stay with the bar and then came , did a bunch of events with them . I still kept like around them and then kind of I don't know if you'd call that like freelancing with them , but still did a ton of house spirit stuff , worked them into like cocktails and events and everything that I was doing . Uh , lo and behold , that is the job , um , but uh , that I was doing on the side , um . And then , uh , yeah , after , after , um , uh , after Phoenix , I went full time with them and that was , uh , I love it , I , I and still to this day I mean obviously , I , I , I do a very similar job .
Speaker 4Um , I I think the hardest part is is , um , sometimes you lose a little bit of the creativity of being a bartender . Um , and you're . You know you're out kind of promoting and celebrating the things that other people are doing really creatively . Right , like I mentioned Christian Krogstad , and like Miles Monroe and all the people that are there making like really cool stuff , you know you're to celebrate them as opposed to what you would do with it , or you know the bartenders that are receiving it and kind of helping promote that . So that is a little bit of a bummer sometimes , but there's other ways to express yourself creatively .
Speaker 3Well , and I think that's a perfect segue
Identity Beyond Brand Ambassadors
Speaker 3. I mean , again , one of the things I love the most about you is that , while , yes , you have been very effective as a brand ambassador over the years and working for you know brands that people really love and respect and things like that Like you also have like this weird online following for all these different things and achieved like weird levels of mini celebrity , like the one that immediately jumps to mind is like there was a time when you and the actor tom hardy were like synonymous with each other . Like you know , that's so wild .
Speaker 2yeah , that's like he got a new tattoo or something like that .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah yeah , that was unreal those two weeks , two weeks of celebrity yeah , so you so you so you have things like that . I mean , and again , I think it's really easy to get caught up in your brands and really have them become a part of your identity . But you know , and I get it , I've suffered from it at times and fortunately was able to break the addiction , still maintaining like your own , like self-identity , and not becoming just a brand Like . What are some of the like , what are some of the things that you actively try to work on , just to make sure that you don't fall too much into only being a brand ambassador for people ?
Speaker 4Yeah , I think it's kind of like I mean really with anything , right , I have a lot of identities , right , I have a lot of interests and a lot of like niche things that I'm into .
Speaker 4I listened to , like you know , a lot of heavy music and I go to shows and there are people that are like fully absorbed in that ethos and and are you know , the only like clothing they have is like hardcore band t-shirts and , uh , as , to be honest with you , that's a big majority of my attire .
Speaker 4But it's also , you know , because it's like a badge , right , I was at the show , I was at the place , I saw them at you know , 2011 , you know , um , but you know , I think that , personally , I , I , you and I spoke about this a little bit earlier too it's like I am , I am definitely a habitual hobbyist . I love to like see something to the bottom . I want to learn everything , every angle about it , and I am born and raised on the internet . It feels like these days , I have access to like the world's information and I just I can , I utilize that , I try to go for it . So I want to learn everything , um , about everything , all the time , and I think that if I were to just kind of narrow myself into like one identity , I would get really bored .
Speaker 4Um , and I think that kind of you know seems . I think most people have a lot of different interests , right , but I think a lot of people will kind of like pick one thing to like define themselves as like a way of , you know , showing their identity . I'm more interested in learning about that thing that you're really into and why you're into it . That sounds really cool to me . I would love to know what makes you obsessed or you know what brought you to this point . So I think you know I feel like I'm getting . I have like a really bad habit of rambling . I have like six or seven conversations that happen . I think I should probably talk to a doctor about that at some point .
Speaker 3but Well , not today . Today is perfect for for what we're doing . I mean , and again , I do think that , like , all your stuff is incredibly random , like whether it's your time as a photographer , you know , or being , you know , a food enthusiast or a metal head , or going to fast fridays in auburn to watch dirt bike racing which so I live . So I live down the street from this racetrack . That that , andrew ? What is it ?
Speaker 3an , you know , 45 minute drive for you to get up to you , it's a commute and it's just kind of like and like and I go , I go like once a season and you're there every week and like when you've described to me , you're like it's the coolest thing in the world , like what do you like ? How are you not more intense ?
Speaker 3and I'm like I've been there I've been , like it is cool . I just don't know if I could do it every week . Is is is my thing ? I mean , is that , you know ? Is that love or is that like obsessive compulsive disorder , like which one is or is a little bit of both ?
Speaker 4yeah , you know , it's I . I really enjoy it , you know , and I love bringing friends there . Um , it's excellent people watching . Um , oh , for sure , yes , yeah , yeah , um , you know , not a place to be very , oh no , you could be very politically vocal , but , um , you know , choose your team um yeah , but but you know it's , it's high octane thrills .
Speaker 4It feels it's , you know it's . The most interesting is that it feels nostalgic for , as like it feels nostalgic for like a time that I wasn't around . It feels like something that , like you know , would have been like the streaming service of , like you know , rural America in like the seventies and , um , you know , these people are this , this shit's risky man . They're they . They have no breaks . It's flat track on dirt , no brakes .
Speaker 4Yeah , it's yeah and sometimes you're like , you know , walking . If you're like going and getting a beer , um , you're walking too close to the , you know , to the wall . You'll get a little dirt kicked into your beer . It's , you know it's a thing , um , but can you explain what ?
Speaker 2what fast fr Fridays is for our listeners .
Speaker 4Yeah , yeah , yeah , that's probably a good call . So Fast Fridays is flat track motorcycle races and it's these like 250cc motorcycles that they like kind of strip down just the bare bones . I mean , like I said , no brakes , the bare bones . I mean , like I said , no brakes , um and uh , where , if you imagine kind of like an oval and people racing around a track , um , you might envision that like kind of banked wall , like in nascar when they go up sideways and that helps them to turn a little bit . Uh , there is no banked wall . So basically they kind of whip their rear tail out , stick , stick their left foot , which generally has kind of like a big metal boot in it , into the dirt and like angle the motorcycle sideways to like get around the turn .
Speaker 4It's , it's wild and it's something that's been , you know , it's it's a time honored , tradition , but it smells like gasoline . People , you know , get injured . There's dirt flying , it's during the summer , so it's , you know , there's days it goes into the early fall , but there's days like sweltering heat and you're sitting on these like you know , metal bleachers in Auburn , but they , you know , they also have Side-X , the one , if you ever are planning on going or anybody listening is planning on going . I definitely suggest you look at the first off . Go to the website . I don't know if Squarespace is a sponsor , but they could use some help from Squarespace or just leave it the way it is . It's a little out of date , like a Flash player , I think , to be able to see it .
Speaker 3It's's brutal .
Speaker 4But the one I would suggest going is when they have their sidecars act and it's basically like a larger motorcycle sometimes , like you know , used to be Harleys and they weld a triangle frame to the side of this motorcycle and there's literally somebody holding on to this frame on while another person's riding the motorcycle and they throw their body weight to try to get the motorcycle to go around the turn and there's other people racing at the same time . So you know they're bumping into each other . They have the like most gaudy paint jobs . It's very fun , it's , you know .
Speaker 3Yeah , they're called like . They're like monkey , like the position's like monkey something and it's .
Speaker 3It is crazy like one of . So when , when I've gone , I've gone with a guy who , who actually does do some racing , and I was asking other questions , as I think , andrew , I , I take those deep dives I'm like you got to tell me everything about this whole situation , like as I'm getting pelted with dirt and the thing is like , if you want to do this , like if you want to be one of these racers there's there's not really a time to practice because it's super expensive to rent out the track . So it's like a lot of times people's first time on a bike is in a race , and then you just kind of figure it out as time goes on and and you can obviously tell like who's been doing it forever and then who is like , oh , that's their first day and they're just trying to rip it around this track . It's . It's pretty intense , but again , like this is again to show just all the random shit that that and into and has nothing to do with our industry whatsoever , which is probably one of the best parts about it .
Speaker 3So , before we move on to our top stories and Chris , if you have a question , we'll let you jump in as well , but my question is there are a lot of people who do like to make the jump from bartender to the sellout position that you're currently in now . That's described by you . Those are your words , those are not mine . What are some pieces of advice that you would give to people ? It's like hey , if you want to get noticed by a brand , these are the things that you should do . And maybe more importantly at this point because , again , so many young bartenders know everything what should they not do if they want to get to that side ?
Navigating Brand Ambassadorship in Spirits Industry
Speaker 4I mean , obviously there's a lot of different ideas and opinions and there's a good , healthy group of people that are doing a similar role to me . My particular version of it is kind of unique to the advice that I give out and how I like to speak to it . But I think , just to get the not to do's out of the way , to do's out of the way , for me a big and there's there's plenty of examples of people , you know , completely throwing this out the window but for me a big one is just to not really talk shit about other people's brands or their jobs or , you know , just try to like not , just it's actually funny . There's , there's some close friends that do a similar role and my advice to them is always just be cool , just be the coolest person in the room , just be chill . If something's bothering , you , figure out how to handle it or solve it , or you know what I mean . But , like you know , be an adult , be a professional , have fun and recognize that , like you know , this is none of this stuff is necessary . This is all indulgent and and great and amazing and cool to be here , you know , be grateful for that . Um , you know , so getting caught up in in in the drama and deciding that , like you don't like what somebody else is doing or what's happening , um , you know , I think , outside of , like you know , acts against humanity , I don't think you should really comment on it , you know . Or , like you know , just if you're going to do it , be around trusted friends and be smart about it . But then you know , maybe use that to grow , um , things to do to get the jobs . Um , I mean , I am very lucky that you know there I mean , there was brand ambassadors when I was starting this and I was watching them and I would go to their events .
Speaker 4It sounds like a plug , especially , you know , for those who have done this job . It's like we do sometimes need people in the room , which is just kind of a crazy thing to me , because when I was starting , I was like , oh , there's , you know , four roses in town and they're doing a blending session and I'm going to learn about OESK . You know , why is that like ? Why is that the one that I like of this ? You know , blended barrel , and you just continue to like , absorb and learn and in that time you learn about what avenues are available , but you also learn about what you'd like and what you don't like , and once you find something you like , then use it and reach out to them and be part of . You know what helps them grow .
Speaker 4Whether you are still a bartender and you want to be an ambassador , use them , shout them out , talk about why you like them . I work with George Stickle now , and when I took this job or before I took this , two years prior to taking this job I went there on a personal trip with my mom and we went to Cascade Hollow and toured the distillery and tasted it and learned all about it and I didn't fathom in my mind that I would work for them . I just I've been a fan of the brand for a long time , been around it and thought that would be a cool thing to take my mom to . So we were out there for my cousin's wedding and we were just kind of tripping around Tennessee and Kentucky . I think put the time in , but also find something that you can genuinely be behind .
Speaker 4I think sometimes people probably take the job that's available as opposed to the job that's right . And you know , if you have a good thing going , if you're bartending and you're able to like , sustain yourself , continue to do that until the right thing is available , as opposed to trying to jump into , you know , whatever weird niche thing comes up and they're like , hey , we've never done this before , but we need an ambassador . And then all of a sudden you're in a bad deal and they're in a bad deal and you might be soured to the whole thing or you may maybe make a bad name for yourself and you know , in the industry . So find something you like and then , you know , put your targets on that .
Speaker 3I like it , no , and I mean , and again , I think one of the things that you do better than most is you get the job done . You represent the brands well , but then you also have these other things that you get to do .
Speaker 4Yeah , it's cool .
Speaker 1Just be interested . It's very silly .
Speaker 4The whole thing , all of the stuff that we're doing . We're on a podcast talking about something . This is so rad , it's cool . We got gotta remind ourselves , you know yeah , absolutely , chris .
Speaker 3Did you have any questions ?
Speaker 2yeah , man , uh , you've been around as we've discussed . Uh , you know , I met you when you were , when you were bartending at grange , and uh yeah , and long time , buddy your career is fucking blossom man , but you've always been a . You've always been a cheerleader . I think , better than it's it's . It's definitely one of your more admirable traits . You uh , you always uh , shine other people up . I I'm curious what uh .
Speaker 2Let's take our city like the last few years post like lockdown and everything should have just been wild . What do you see is like right right now , like what's ? What are the things that people should pay attention to that are really , really cool that it's happening in our , in our town right now yeah , you know it's there's .
Speaker 4This is my home , right , obviously , as the article state , I come back here , I live , I live in Sacramento . You know , this is where I want to be , this is the city I believe in and invest in . And you know , I think one thing that kind of used to hold us up a lot was who our industry caters to . Right , because at the end of the day again , this is hospitality . So , you know , sacramento is considered one of the most diverse cities in the country . In the country , plenty of other companies and brands come here to test their markets , to see how they do with different , you know , ages and races and genders and everything just here , and I don't think we necessarily pay enough attention to that .
Exploring Local Food Scene Growth
Speaker 4I think , after having everything kind of shut down and , like the state worker you know , built in economy where , like you can sell chicken , caesar salads and Arnold Palmer's for lunch at every single place down the strip , I think that was tested out and people are like , ok , how are we going to sustain the people that live here ? How are we going to sustain the urban environment that is like a downtown and a midtown , right , and so what's been really cool is people are doing like food concepts that are distinct , you know , or , like you know , taking like a pizza place and making it the best pizza you can get , not just like the fastest or the quickest , but , like you know , really putting a lot of thought into it . And what's cool is they're pulling in other people from the industry to like get into that . Other other leaders that have , you know , ran their own restaurants or had their own ideas and concepts are like supporting each other and collaborating behind . You know , more defined dining .
Speaker 4I think that's like the thing to really look for . People are taking a little bit more risk , and if we want to continue to see risk , not just in those places , we need to spend our money there and we need to go there . We need to talk about it and like support it . You know we can . We can have all of the cookie cutter big box places that are going to serve the general and generic , and , and and those hold a value in our society . Um , but you know , if , if you want to see something fresh and new , we need to prove that concept works , and and the way we do it is by showing up .
Speaker 3Amen . Well , I think that you know one of the also one of the reasons I love following you is that you do introduce me to a lot of really cool food spots and cause it feels like you kind of have like this radar for them . I'm like I'm like , oh , dope Calisario found another cool food spot . Um , when you're like , how , how do you do that Like is it ? Is it just kind of ? Is it just kind of like you know , you just have this radar for new food ? Or you know you just got the algorithm down on your Instagram feed there . You just get served the right stuff . Or , you know , do you look at a menu and kind of go , oh , this is , this is gonna be it . Like I can tell I going to like this place . I mean what I just cause again , like I do think that you've come across some things before others and it really feels like it's a unique ability that you have .
Speaker 4Well , thanks , um , yeah , I mean I think that you know Chris was saying earlier he's like I'm a better cheerleader . Um , I , I really try to like actually stand by if I think something's cool , like I want to help put it out there , and I think you know one begets the next right , Like as being known as somebody that helps put things out . Things kind of keep coming to me . I also have like a pretty like not all of my friends work in the industry , right . Some of my friends work for , you know , putting up 5G towers and work for the state and , you know , do other jobs , right , and you know they have particular interests and things that they're looking for as opposed to you know where's the best clarified cocktail going to be tonight or you know whatever the cool trend is .
Speaker 4And trust me , I mean as a guy that just put out a clarified cocktail the other day , I'm a fan of those . But I think it's for my interest and to share with my friends . Like I want to like what are the other things that are happening ? Um , so , you know , I think again kind of goes back to like just showing up and being there . You hear about like , um , you know that pizza place I was talking about before is pizza Supreme .
Speaker 2I'm a huge fan , so anybody actually follows me they probably I'll tell you as a as an East coast kid man , like pizza , supreme being is the truth .
Speaker 4Like they're , like , they're they . They do a good thing .
Speaker 2Hands down some of the best pizza on the West coast Like absolutely .
Speaker 4Yeah , absolutely . And and they got a dream team there that all the people working there are behind it and that are that are behind it , are are down and and uh , one of my favorite places in town was Lo-Fi , where Southside Super is now . I I mean , especially during COVID we were , I was pulling up to that place three days of the three days they were open a week and you know , trying something . And so Brian that was there , he got kind of burnt out . He joined up with Pizza Supreme . That's where the sandwiches are coming from . So if you knew about what was going down at Lo-Fi , you know that the sandwiches are going to be banging over there . They got a cat from Faria making the bread . It's like the best . Like Dylan was running , he was the chef for Mothership and Kindred down in San Diego . If you guys have ever been there , it's this death metal vegan bar with like some of the best food . That dude's been on guys grocery games twice spoiler alerts he won both of them . You know he's got a . He's got a . He's got a diners and drive-ins diners , drive-ins and dives episode with Tony Hawk in it . So like shout out to what they're doing over there . And that's all built on collaboration . So you're like , in there , people are pulling up with like , hey , we just got done doing our coffee , pop up over at this spot . Oh , where's it at next time ? You know , just interacting and being in the space , that's how you're going to find out about the next thing . So , and then stuff shows up every once in a while .
Speaker 4I got , I got , one where I got humbled pretty , pretty well , um , where I was really excited , um , lucky cafe was like my favorite greasy spoon diner . Um and uh , when that was when that was closing , I was like pushing that out . I was like , hey , you guys , we blew it . Why are they closing ? What's going on ? This is an institution , you know , um , I mean mostly Cisco food , but it was like , you know , it was what it was and it was good and it was available and it was cheap and it was , you know , right in the heart of our little city here , uh , so when they were closing , I was really bummed . And then I was like I learned a little bit more and found out through the grapevine that one of their old employees was taking it over and I was like , oh , exciting , you know . So I started reaching out to them what's the deal ? What are you guys going to do ? You're going to keep it the same . You're changing it up . What's going on ?
Speaker 4Talking to somebody , they're like I'm a reporter I am not and they're like I'm not like trying to fool them , I just I'm really interested . Right , I want to know what's going on . I'm nosy and they start sharing me with some of the , some of the ideas on like the menu and I'm like , oh no , this sounds terrible . I'm not telling them this , I'm just thinking it . But I'm telling my my , you know , some of my close buddies and my really good friend Joe was like let's try it first before you decide that it's wrong or it's bad , blah , blah , blah .
Speaker 4So we show up and the first week gets open , which is , you know , kind of a not always cool thing to do . Um , and the thing I think I was most scared of was there was like a unicorn waffle thing with like frosting and sprinkles , which just sounded really gimmicky and silly and fun , but like not for what I was trying to do and what this thing was replacing for me , which is very selfish . Um , but then I had like corned beef and hash and it was exactly what I wanted . It was better than what they were putting out before . The prices aren't too crazy . That place is called morning fork . They got a line out the door every weekend . Their staff is literally running from table to table . It's loud as hell .
Speaker 2Vanessa , my fiance and I just went in there this last weekend they serve the same shitty coffee , which makes me feel good .
Speaker 4It makes you feel good . It does . It makes me feel bad . It does no .
Speaker 2One note .
Speaker 3Just maybe change the coffee .
Speaker 2There's something about that like watered down over roasted . That's what I'm saying . I'm here for it , it's fine , not for me , but I respect it .
Speaker 4I respect it . I won't bash you for ordering it at the table , but I'm like one good cup of coffee a day guy . So that's one thing . I won't , really I don't , I don't like to budge on . I hate a bad cup of coffee for me , my , my perspective , oh yeah , if you're , if you're stuck to one cup of coffee .
Speaker 2Yeah , I'll have like eight . Yeah .
Speaker 3You need it . Well , I think the you know , and , and for you , for you , andrew , and I think the other cool thing , like you said , like you're putting out good vibes , just wanted people to do cool stuff and things like that . Like you know , this past week you did , you know , a dope pop-up with , with matt brown and the movie roadhouse , and you know , you just had a lot of people , you had a lot of people show up just to see what you guys were doing and , you know , I , I , so I went and , admittedly , I had to . I had to leave early because my wife was going to murder me if we didn't get more food in her system because I may or may not have fed her way too many drinks before we got there . Um , cause , I , cause I feel like I had to get her in the right mindset for roadhouse , cause she has not seen it before and so surprised .
Speaker 3Yeah , she , I don't think she was in a bunker most of her childhood , um , but you know , with that being the case , I think it's just it's cool that you're doing stuff like that as well . It's like , and you know , when we talked about it , it was just kind of like , it's like , yeah , man , this just seemed like , this just seemed like a fun idea , you know , and whether or not you deem it a success or not , like I just love the fact that it happened and it it's just cool that people were willing to show up and be like yeah , this is silly , let's go . And I think that is going to continue to permeate throughout all of Sacramento .
Speaker 3Whereas things have been tough , they've been difficult . There's been lots of changeovers . I mean , it's like , dude , I got an email today from the Sac Business Journal where it was just like this place is closing now . And then it's like , dude , I got a . I got an email today from the SAC Business Journal where it was just like this place is closing now . It's like , and then it's like here's some related stories . And it was just like all these devastating closures , you're just kind of like I did not need this right now , you know so , to see that stuff . But then you know to know that there is places like Pizza Supreme being and you guys doing really cool stuff is just really fun , and obviously all the stuff that Chris is doing at Bodega too , where it's just a little bit different and it's a different vibe , and there's other places like it . It's just fun .
Speaker 2I want to give a shout out to Ben's Supreme being social media . He's killing the game dude . Every time he puts out a new post , I'm like I'm hooked , I'm in for it . That's great .
Speaker 3Yeah , They've done some really amazing Like we're getting into don't follow us too early . That's the problem . We're jumping the gum on , on on don't follow us .
Speaker 3He could be his own , it's fine , it's his own , all right , our opinions on facts that we've heard from reputable sources . Okay , so , admittedly , I feel like things have been super fucking boring lately in the world of booze . I just think it's like everyone's on vacation , no one's making announcements , no one doing different things . If you've been following our Instagram while we haven't been recording , we have been doing a lot of different memes and stuff like that , and Chris actually texted me the other day . He goes oh so did you stop doing memes too ? And I was like no , there's just literally nothing interesting happening , and so , fortunately , we were kind of able to find
Sustainable Spirits Industry Innovations
Speaker 3some stuff .
Speaker 3So the one that I want to kick off with and I actually think , because of the creativity that you have , andrew , this was actually a good fit , but it's basically a story about how there's multiple companies across the world and especially in the UK , because this was out of the spirits business using discarded fruits and different things like that to make new spirits . The one that really stood out to me was from discarded spirits , who did the banana peel rum , which takes the rum that is used to season the Balvini Caribbean cask and then infuses these banana peels into it . But there's a bunch of different examples on there and I just wanted to . We'll start with you , angela . When you read this article , what are some of the things that stand out to you ?
Speaker 4And what are the things that you would like to see more in terms of sustainability for ? Like discarded , expecting the you know the actual use of I you know I feel like sometimes , like you know the recycled or like consider , consider it like ingredients and like all of that stuff is sometimes like a little gimmicky , which I'm not saying it should be or it know , at its core is , I think that it sometimes uses like marketing material . So , like , going in there and seeing like ways that people were actually doing it , um was really cool , um , you know , for us here stateside , you know , the first thing that comes to mind is , if it doesn't make dollars , it don't make sense , you know . And so you know I see a lot of really cool places that are doing sustainable cocktails and like working um diligently to like figure out something that's better for the world , uh , but the places that are like turning out you know 50 cocktails in the time that it makes takes them to make 10 um are , you know , filling the landfill and and you know , no shame to them .
Speaker 4This is just kind of what the business is built on , um , but I think you know it's it's cool to see it coming from that , the from the top right , like where the start of , where the , the cocktail comes from , right , which is the production of , you know , the , the , the agriculture , and like where all that stuff turns into spirit , then to come into how it's being shipped , because there was a , there was a part where they're talking about , like the aluminium bottles and , um , that will never not be funny to me . I .
Speaker 3I'm totally with you , totally with you , dorks ?
Speaker 4Yeah , why do you say it like that ? But you know , the consideration of like shipping and like that is like a time where , like yes , that is better for the environment and it's also better for costs , and I think , once people kind of get behind , like seeing the better for cost element , um , you know , I think that'll really kind of start to elevate um , because I mean , at this point , you know , using ugly fruit um seems like a way to save money . You know , that's not the stuff that's going to grocery stores and um . So , uh , there there's a company . I don't know if they're still doing it , I should have looked it up first , but it's the .
Speaker 4It's the couple that owns a Shuggies pizza in um , san Francisco . They do what's called the trash pie . So they use like a bunch of like kind of ugly vegetables and stuff that wouldn't be like showcase but it's still very good . It's just we're like used to a carrot looks like this . You know , not like three of those Um , uh , they also did . They own the ugly pickle pickle company and so that was like kind of their whole thing . They were pickling a bunch of like you know , weird looking fruit and vegetables . I loved that they were doing that , um , and that , just you know , starts a conversation . They also were able to save a lot of money , so they were able to , you know , make it at a pretty affordable price point . So , yeah , they're still running their business like that they're . They're a natural wine bar and serving really cool pizza , but they a lot of the produce that they serve is ugly stuff , yeah .
Speaker 1That's rad .
Speaker 3Which I think it's when it goes to the plate . Well , and it's . It's so funny you talk about like the ugly , like vegetables and fruit , like it's a concept I'm familiar with because following some of those accounts online and and whatnot , some of the funnier ones , you're right , like they just don't . I think the carrot's a great example , because the carrot can come out in so many different ways and stuff , and I know like one of chris's favorite accounts is like sexy vegetables , you know sexual vegetables sexual vegetables right , which is which is like crazy .
Speaker 3But um , but even like in the article , you know they talk about how there's basically a billion tons of food that like went to waste , uh , each year , and you know it's it's stuff that was available for for consumers and it's just a total waste . And and I just realized that I didn't scroll down far enough to see some of the brand examples of different things and I'm really stoked because I'm like oh , two of the brands on here are brands of one I used to work with and then now I still work with .
Speaker 2Did you not know that ? That's why you came across the article .
Speaker 3No , I read the article and I was just kind of like because , let me , let me give you some full transparency on this . So I go down and I'm like , I'm like oh , super dope , like I I'm going to hit up my UK friends , like I really want to get a bottle of that rum . And I go down and I see it , and then so I start scrolling it but , like you know , how has your brand formed any partnerships ? And so the first one is absolute . Then it gets into the botanist and then it gets into Havana club . I'm like , I'm like , okay , feeling good , I'm like , oh , secret garden . I remember that . And then I hit Florida , kana , and I was like I'm out , I'm out , it's Andrew . I know we talked about you know , being positive towards other people but there are certain brands that me he had a .
Speaker 3He had a strong like crimes against humanity aspect to it . So , you know , I feel like this is acceptable . So I got there and I just kidney failure , this article , I'm out of here . So , um , so yeah , I had to . I had to walk away after that and then , had I gone a little bit further , I would have seen the ceo of loss explorer talking about all the different cool shit . That's so cool . Um , you know this . This does remind me there was a , and she won't claim credit for it . She didn't come out , she saw it from somewhere else .
Speaker 3But we've been doing cocktail competitions with kapali rum this year , and one of the elements that we've been trying to incorporate in each competition when we do them is a zero waste ingredient , and it's really interesting to see , like , what people come up with , and so it really you know . So , in the case of a banana , like you're using every bit of that banana , from peel to the fruit itself , and and at first , like I was , like I was like that's going to be super difficult , but after running a few of these comps and seeing how creative people really get it's , it's , it's truly impressive and and it's something that I want to try to figure out like how do we make that more of the brand identity you ?
Speaker 2know , even if it's like , what's the number one ingredient that you've seen , that's like been been used um , I mean it's , it usually is a lot of citrus right I mean a lot of people yeah , a lot of , a lot of citrus .
Speaker 3But you know , I think , um , and I'll have to get the list , uh out but the , especially the one that was done at frank's and sacramento , like that one was like just some shit . They're kind of like holy fuck , like these kids are like scientists , like what the like ? How did you get to this point ? You know , and and um , and and for sure . I think , andrew , your point is totally correct Is that you know , sometimes , you know , anytime , I like do my recycling , I'm always like , oh yeah , india exists .
Speaker 3Like what the fuck am I doing this for ? You know , and if you're a craft cocktail bar and you're kind of like , yeah , with the sports bar , it's just like flicking straws at turtles and stuff , you know , like it's just it's , it's just it's part of it . But I think if you put your best foot forward , it's it's kind of the way to do it . I know that's one of the things that I always try to emphasize with like , with the mezcal and things like that , it's like no mezcal is truly sustainable . But you can put your best foot forward and if we can collectively do that , hopefully we'll be on the on the right path . Um , chris , I also thought of you when , when I read this , because I was thinking about , like your guys's lime juice that you do , and how ?
Speaker 3you're able to kind of stretch it and and I and I don't want to talk much further .
Speaker 2It doesn't stop there . We we actually take the pulp from that and we put it into our house made tahin too .
Speaker 3So okay , so I didn't , I didn't want to butcher it . So can you please explain from like start to finish what bodega is doing with limes , because I also am kind of like that sounds so much better than juicing fucking limes for daiquiris , um . So can you get into , like , what you guys do ?
Speaker 2it's not , it's my staff hates it , but they , they hate it and love it at the same time . Um , so we make super juice , um , which is just fortified citrus juice . Uh , there are a lot of like memes out there online of like , uh , ironic mixology , like , get rid of rose's lime juice , get fresh lime juice . But let's go back to rose's lime juice . And it's not that . First of all , that just shows that you've never had fucking rose's lime juice , because it's gross . But , um , but it's , it's fortified , so it's like acidified lime juice . So we use a little bit of malic acid and citric acid , we blend it all up with the juice and the peels , so the peels extract the oils that come out of them , which gives it , you know , just bright , vibrant color . A lot , of , a lot of that lime flavor
Innovative Lime Juice Production Method
Speaker 2. That isn't just the juice that's coming out of the meat . And we let it sit , we strain it out and we water it down so it , like it , grows . So you're , you're gaining more volume per line than you would otherwise .
Speaker 3So so you're , you're , you're doing better so you , you blend all these things together , right , is this ? This is like whole limes , like you're cutting them up and then throwing them in a blender . No , you with the with okay , so you're peeling them you take the peel yeah , and then you press the meat .
Speaker 2Um , so you're grabbing the juice always and uh and you let it sit with the with the malic and citric acid so we and then it fully , fully like grabs , all , all of that flavor . We let it sit there , strain out , strain out the pulp . Then we add the water , we dehydrate the pulp and we throw it into our , into our house made tahini .
Speaker 3So cool , just fucking , and it lasts longer , right it does .
Speaker 2Yeah , the juice lasts longer and it , like it , makes our tahiniin also . I don't think it would go bad , but it makes it more shelf stable ?
Speaker 3How long does the lime juice last ?
Speaker 2I have not found an end to it . I've had a bottle of it accidentally mostly just me being lazy sit in my trunk last summer for two and a half weeks and I pulled it out and I was like , well , let's test it and uh and just and sacramental summers . Y'all are like they are . It's fucking hot man like like would . Today it was 10 . What 107 today ? Yeah , it was gross , it was 107 today .
Speaker 3Yeah , it was gross .
Speaker 4It was fucking awful . I don't even drink the water bottle that's been sitting in my cup holder . I forgot about that .
Speaker 3Well , that's also . I read an article that was like that's actually harmful for you , so don't do that . Yeah , that's why , I do that yeah Good , good , good job buddy .
Speaker 2Anyway , anyway . So , like my , you know my staff tasted it and you know we , we , it honestly was entirely fine and it just um , maybe just a touch flat , like it lost a little like like of its vivacious quality .
Speaker 4It wasn't right that's cool , that's rad not even oxidized , which is weird .
Speaker 3So it's called super juice super juice , and and again , just for people I'm like . Usually you know your lime juices is should be used that day . Maybe you could stretch it to the next and you're six to twelve hours , I think yeah , and then what is that ? So . So six to twelve hours compared to two and a half weeks in chris's trunk . So , um , so that tells you all you need to know about , and I will .
Speaker 2I will say I , um , I've , I've tested , uh , the lime juice . I've like blind tasted like homies on it who like , while we were just getting started and I was just like , hey , taste these two together , is there a difference ? And they don't know what I'm giving them anything . They're like , well , it's one lemon or anything . I was like just taste it , and so yeah you know they taste and they're like no , it's lime juice . And it's like literally identical , it's it's .
Speaker 3And then you just sit there and be like no , you fool you idiots . No , it's just validating , you know it's just great .
Speaker 2I was like oh , like that's you know after I tasted like 10 homies on it who have like superb palates , uh , and I was like great , I don't need to have like superb palates . And I was like great , I don't need to hear anymore . Like this , I'm sold on this . Like , this is great .
Speaker 3Like , it's better .
Speaker 2It's better for the environment . You know like we're shipping less , less tonnage of fruit , we're going through a lot less waste . We're like we're using all of it . It's better economically . More money on it , yeah . So when ? So people ? Are like you get like an ounce and a half , depending on the lime . You know . In this case we're getting five ounces per lime approximately like it's .
Speaker 3It just makes more sense yeah , and just so people know , like there was a time when lime prices were really getting insane and you were probably sitting there kind of being like ah , peasants , you know man with your expensive lines .
Speaker 2Summer of the what the like 150 case of limes you have to like charge people extra per slice selling lime juice out the back of your car .
Speaker 3Second round of summer that's how you gotta do it um yeah so so so look into your favorite companies . Is basically we're trying to say go check out , see who's doing the sustainable stuff and then maybe buy those and don't throw straws at turtles .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 3On to the next one .
Speaker 4I feel good , yeah , okay .
Speaker 3So the next one that we're going to look at is um the kentar most valuable global brands of the 2020 .
Baiju Brand Growth and Collaboration
Speaker 3I would just like to uh hang on hang on before you finish this .
Speaker 2You were you were given drew , you were giving andrew a hard time earlier about about selling out and working for the most powerful liquor company in the world and we literally have this , have this just sitting here , this article that we're gonna talk about , that literally says it's not the most powerful one in the in the world I know well , it's , it's well , uh , there's some friends in there there's some familiar names it's not far off yeah and listen .
Speaker 3This is a we don't talk about Diageo on this podcast . Okay , it's a non-starter here .
Speaker 2I'll bleep that out .
Speaker 3That would actually be hilarious if you did that . So first of all , there is this group called Kantar that just evaluates different brands and they do all these different reports and you can actually go to their website , which is kantarcom , and you can download this actual program . They ask for all of your personal information but , you know , you get a cool little book and and they're definitely doing some more um stuff than adobe flash , like our friends at um fast , fast fast fridays um , but you know , in looking at this there's , uh , the brand that top alcohol brand was , and for longtime .
Speaker 3Listeners of this show are not going to be surprised . It was again Muay Thai , which is the Baiju brand , followed , which this did surprise me . Corona was right behind that at $19 billion . I'm sorry , this's do the whole thing . Motai is at $85.5 billion , followed by Corona at 19, . Budweiser at 13.7 , heineken at 12.8 , and then Modelo at 11.3 . Yes , the company who will not be named Scotch Whiskey was one that goes on walks took the sixth spot with a brand value of 10.5 billion .
Speaker 3But this will always jump out at me and again , because we have spent a lot of time like I don't understand how much byju is being consumed , like it just , it just breaks my brain .
Speaker 3Now , this was the first article that at least that I've read in my very half-assed internet research of Baiju , where this company is like trying to reach a younger audience and they're doing that by different partnerships . So they're jumping into like coffee , ice cream , chocolate , stuff like that , stuff like that . So they did a collaboration with luckin coffee chain where they sold 5.4 million cups of baiju infused coffee on its first day alone , which , like I guess I just need to go to china just to be like , how many fucking people are here like it's just that much coffee . And then you also got to think , like you know , andrew , you're doing your one cup of coffee a day . You're kind of like you better put booze in it and I'm going to work now Like it just just everything about this just blows my mind and eventually I feel like ice cream is like it's a little cringy for me .
Speaker 2I'm not sure if I can get on board with that one .
Speaker 3But I mean , and again , I think this is just the tip of the iceberg , because they're trying to reach the younger generation with these collaborations , and I know that we should be talking about the growth of all these different things , and the fact that Modelo is somehow the fifth most valuable brand in the world , like that , just blows my mind as well . But it's like how , how , andrew , you drink like 30 of them at a time . Yeah , but it's like I mean so they also .
Speaker 2Modelo exploded in the last like three years .
Speaker 3They just like they came , just like they really have and I mean , but but it also , even with his explosion , it's 74 billion dollars off the pace of byju . So it's like what are we talking about here ? And and andrew , as the newest person on the show , do you have any theories on just I mean , are people walking around with just like Baiju plugged into their veins in China ? Like I just don't get it . Like how are they consuming this much ?
Speaker 4More like Baiju dinner . I think I've had more and then I just didn't say them . I just just so you know I've spared a lot of , just like .
Speaker 3There's only so much you could keep behind that damn wall Right You're just kind of like some stuff was going to get through .
Speaker 4Yeah , I , you know it's . I think it's going to come out . There's going to be some , like you know , max or whatever it's called's not hbo anymore , right um , documentary that's going to be like the hidden , secret life of baju . You know it's in . It's got to be in like tires . I feel like it's got to be like in in like production of , like you know , iphones . Probably they're , like you know , there's like a pretty like important ingredient in how iphones work . Um , maybe that's how , like the green bubbles and blue bubbles work it's by issue , that's .
Speaker 3That's . That's what it is . Or is it that what they get like ? Is it like what they give kids in factories at , like nike and ?
Speaker 1apple like .
Speaker 3That's what keeps them sustained , is that ?
Speaker 4it . I mean , I can't imagine that they're , like you know , spending money on those poor kids . So I think that might not be the case . But yeah , I don't know . Man , I'm always willing to have my mind blown . I think Baiji running the show . I do also want to say that when I read that headline of that article , I thought we were going to be talking about like this , like whiskey . That was like out in space , you know , like individual , like most expensive or like you know , the , the , like I was like , oh cool , we're going to see some wild stuff .
Speaker 4Like you know , the , the , what's the ? Um , what's the beer company that puts the bottles inside the taxidermied squirrels ? I have no idea . Oh yeah , dude , you got a new research tonight . Uh , they're pretty big , they're a big brand , but yeah , they're some of this , these , uh , taxidermy squirrels that they put the bottle in . They got like a little bow tie on them and it's probably really humiliating for the .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah , yeah it doesn't pop up on my first google search , so I'm gonna keep looking . No , it's real it's real .
Speaker 4I got you bro , I'll text it to you at least . But yeah , so just , I mean , that was a wild . You know how these rich places you know are rich . I I really don't know . I I don't know how people are , like buying clothes from sheen . I don't know how people are , like you know , keeping these , like companies afloat that are , like you know , running the world and , like you know , paying for political action and all that stuff . It's kind of crazy to me , but it's , you know . Like I said , I'm just down to have my mind blown , I'm just living here . I want to also point out that like Mutai .
Speaker 2Mutai saw like a 2 percent drop also in market share . It wasn't , that's not . It's not growing , it's like shrinking and it's still like that .
Speaker 4What is the economy that that two percent drop could have supported , like you know where in the world ? Would they pull them completely out of poverty . You know , just from that 2% from last year .
Speaker 3But then their response was it's like oh , we lost 2% . Buys you ice cream , like here we go , like that's the major song .
Speaker 4I mean the legally aged , you know legal drinking age .
Speaker 3fans of ice ice cream will enjoy that I'm sure yeah , it's , it's definitely , uh , an untapped market , um , but the list , the list goes on to talk about , you know , major growth from like aperol and campari , um , but again , it's , it's just , it's so staggering that you know we continue to see stories like this . And the thing that is also that I want to point out is there's a handful of Bai Jus on this list . It's just . Mu Tai is just number one . So , again , I put out this plea before and I'm going to do it again . If anyone can fucking explain to me baiju just does these gaudy numbers . I mean , I get it , china has more people , but this is just unreal .
Speaker 2How they also . They also have like an anti . What is it like ? Um , I can't think of it like the opposite of lVMH . Like like they , they they shun people for for , like , spending money on gaudy things , right , like it's , it's not . It's not socially acceptable , right ? So consuming , consuming booze , that's more , that's more public facing where everybody can get it is definitely more socially acceptable as opposed to buying Louis Trey and yeah you're catching a buzz so Andrew , just sent me , just texted me the squirrel it's .
Speaker 1BrewDog oh my god . This is the most obscene thing . Just texted me the squirrel bottle it's BrewDog . Oh my god this is the most obscene thing .
Speaker 4If anything can take that Baiju out , I think it's these squirrel beers .
Speaker 3God . I hope it is God , I hope it is . Please , everybody , look up the BrewDog squirrel bottles .
Speaker 1That's what I read on our socials .
Speaker 3Yeah , that is terrifying in the best way possible . I just need one . I just need more of this ?
Speaker 2Does it come in a 12-pack ? What is it ?
Speaker 4A squirrel home . It's delivered in a carved-out stump .
Speaker 3Oh man , yeah , we need everyone to pause the podcast . Look this up and laugh with us , because this is ridiculous what we're looking at , and I don't any kind of description won't do it justice .
Speaker 2All right , imagine walking through your like local convenience store , just like looking down on the bottom shelf in six squirrels with their mouths wide open .
Speaker 3I find it offensive that you think it's on the bottom shelf . That's top shelf right there ?
Speaker 1Yeah , definitely .
Speaker 4Yeah , that is true , up a tree .
Speaker 3Yeah , how dare you , how dare you assume that's bottom shelf and that it would even make it to the shelf , because I would be lined up outside that store when they opened . You give me that whole case . Well , yeah , again to our listeners . Baizu , help me understand it , help me get there . I'll be your best friend forever . But now it's time for my favorite part of the show you know who's .
Speaker 2Dope them over there . That's right . It is time for my favorite part of the show .
Speaker 3You know who's dope them over there . That's right . It is time for our Dope Follows . This is where we tell you who you should be checking out , what you should be listening to , what you should be watching , reading or just generally consuming . It is dire times on the social medias , so let's find some positive light . Andrew , kick it off . Who is your dope follow ?
Speaker 4Well , I thought I'd keep the podcasting gone , since people that are listening to this this one's about to be over Swapping . Not like ending . I wasn't burning , I'm just saying it's like we're coming to an end of the show . Maybe they need another . They're feeling like riding another 10 miles on that indoor bicycle or whatever they're doing .
Speaker 1There you go .
Speaker 4But I was thinking a lot about this and there's too much internet available to me .
Comedic Podcast and Cultural Recommendations
Speaker 4But are you garbage ? Have you guys ? Has this been shouted out yet or have you guys done this ? Okay , it's a podcast . It's these two comedians , um , that just blew up with this like very great like concept . Uh they interview , uh other comedians and and they're branching out to like different types of celebrity and stuff now , where they have like a list of things that they deem potentially garbage and they just ask you like did you know ? Did you eat this type of mayonnaise when you were a kid ? Did you ? Was like you know what ? It's a really funny . Like . I don't want to like give away some of the like the stuff that they ask , but it really is like a fun way to like also like look back into my own life and be like wait a second , I definitely did that . Am I garbage ?
Speaker 4you know there's a percentage , so um and it's , it's a really fun like interview concept and it's helped me find a lot of comedians that I might not have come across . But yeah , and these guys kind of seem like they have like pretty humble beginnings . They seem like they were just , you know , a couple of buds that had a cool concept and it blew up for them , you know .
Speaker 3Wow , I love it , I love it , I love it . They got some good guests on here too yeah , and it's growing .
Speaker 4You listen to some of those early ones you're like but uh yeah same though it's , I know the feeling .
Speaker 3I know the feeling .
Speaker 4I know the feeling very much so uh that's why you waited so long to bring me right , Obviously .
Speaker 3You know , what's so funny about that is I mean , especially now that we are a few years into this and we usually do get that feedback from some of our friends it's taking you so long to get me on it's just kind of like a lot of it is kind of like still convincing ourselves that people would even want to participate . Right that , because it's like because you know us and so you also know , like those two jerk offs pass like you know it's .
Speaker 2it's almost easier to get you know , you know how often my staff tells me . My staff was like , yeah , I'm not listening to your podcast , like , and I don't want them to , I also . But like they're like yeah , I'm not , I'm not listening to that , I listen to you talk all the time .
Speaker 3Yeah , that's , that's fair yeah , I mean yeah , my , my , yeah , I mean I get it from my wife , so I get it . I totally understand , um , but no , it's , it's , it's great , it's fun , it is fun to get on because I mean , you know , to bring it back to what I said earlier , it's just like we do have this friendship that we've got to have for multiple years and it's kind of gone through those different facets and there's like unique parts of it as well , like insider baseball , like we occasionally do , like an hour long conversation every couple of months , just to be like what are you doing ?
Speaker 3You know , and stuff like that be like what are you doing , you know , and stuff like that . It's a little bit easier now because now you're in sack and so it's a little bit easier to get , but , um , but I don't know . It's just a weird thing that we started it's fun , but to do the deep dive and to see like things that you said 12 , 13 , 14 years ago , it's kind of like I wonder if he stands by that . You know , like , uh , like things like that . It was it's fun to do the deep dives on your friend , but at the same time I'm also kind of like he knows me too well . He's gonna think I'm an idiot . He'll say no to me . So , um , so there's that . Uh , okay , chris , who's your ?
Speaker 2don't follow uh , mine is on instagram , obviously , and it uh is consumer time capsule , but it's all . It's consumer tc and it is like a throwback to 80s and 90s , like old mcdonald's and like target , like commercial posters , like it's . It's just throwback to your childhood , my childhood , I guess I'm just I'm old . Um , this is sick . It's . It's pretty great , like retro ads , it's fun uh , well I won't say I won't say vintage ads , I'll say retro . That feels more timely .
Speaker 3There you go , okay , well , I have a few because it's obviously been a while . I'm also really trying to take a break from social media right now . So I've been engaging in it far less just because I was like man , people are getting shot , I'm out , let's take a break from this . So I've been consuming a lot of other media , far less just because I was like I was like man , people are getting shot , I'm , I'm out , like let's , let's , let's take a break from this . So I've been consuming a lot of other media . So I have three for you guys and I'm hitting I'm hitting different mediums .
Speaker 3So the first one is going to be the Apple show , alco Poco . It is so fucking funny and funny and it's a show based uh , it's a , it's like a . It's a show that a guy is telling his nephew the story of his life , so it harkens back to the 80s and things like that and at one point , like his nephew does call it the olden days , which is just really funny . But there's really , there's obviously really good music in it and it's all about it all takes place at a resort in Acapulco and there is a lot of great things to love about the show , but one of my favorite things is all of the eighties pop songs being translated into Spanish and performed . It is amazing . So check out that . That's on Apple Plus . The plus , the more people that watch it , the like we're going to get a season four .
Speaker 3The second is I'm reading a book right now and not that this needs my rub , because it's a really well reviewed and it was a New York times bestseller . But if you haven't read the lost city of the monkey , god , it is fucking crazy . So it's basically about the discovery of a lost city in Honduras and everybody who tried to find it before , all the way up to the people who found it , and it is just , it's just nuts . And , um , douglas Preston is the writer . He's written a couple of different things , or quite a few different things , and it's just really , really cool . I'm loving it . Uh , it's , it's great .
Speaker 3And then this was a last minute edition just based on the pre pre-interview with with Andrew , but you guys should definitely check out culture critic . Um , culture critic sends out an email blast where they cover different , uh , different things from just the world's culture . So a recent example of that was they did a breakdown of Dante's Inferno . So it's just really rad , if you . Um , I think I started following them via their ex account and just got on their newsletter . It's a great way to get a little bit of that culture fix without having to go into the depths of social media . Those are mine . I know it's three , but we've been off for a while , so you get three Overall . You guys pretty , pretty , pretty dope follows , so dope .
Speaker 2The music for the Good Bottle Podcast is orchestrated by Leon and Chase Moore and produced pretty , pretty , pretty good by these two guys .
Speaker 1If you've enjoyed this episode , can you please subscribe and give us a five star review .
Speaker 2Thank you you're welcome , hensley , and uh , some things like that make a huge difference to a tiny little podcast like ours uh , you can follow us on instagram at the good bottle podcast on our personal accounts .
Speaker 3Well , well , I again . Mine's a little shuttered right now , but mine is D Garrison , six Chris is Kristen , flair and
Online Presence and Gaming Community
Speaker 3Andrew . If people want to learn about all these cool new food places and fast Fridays and different new shit you're getting into , where can they follow you online ?
Speaker 4Yeah , booze hound , booze hound . Cc . On Instagram , if you're playing Call of Duty , my handle is StyrofoamTanktop . You can join my game and I'll tell you about what I did today .
Speaker 3I love it .
Speaker 4I think that's a . Thing .
Speaker 3It is a thing . People are gamers . Man , I'm a gamer , I get you .
Speaker 4I feel you . I wear the headset , I got the whole thing .
Speaker 3I got no shame he's got things to say , baby he's got things to say to his competitors just be cool as always , we would like to thank you for tuning in and listening to this buffoonery .
Speaker 2If there is anyone you think that we should talk to reach out and we'll make sure Drew gets nice and stoned .
Speaker 3You know , I stopped doing the edibles because I feel like they were making me more depressed . So I'm back on the booze , guys . Yeah , and I do it because I care .
Speaker 4Can I say when you , I know I told you I kind of held them back , but when you said that you felt depressed because you weren't at the GNC , I thought you were talking about the supplement store GNC , so maybe that's .
Speaker 3Well , you know , I'm Jack too , but I get all my supplements online . Okay , not GNC . Damn with those guys . Plus GNC price is unbelievable .
Speaker 1Always been way overpriced dude .
Speaker 3It's kind of like dude , give me that rhino horn in different form . That's ridiculous .
Speaker 4Only scrawny dudes shop at GNC yeah .
Speaker 3Fucking losers so .