Tales from the Big Easy (TCGS S5 E7)

[00:00:00] Jonathan: Every year, the cocktail world gathers in one unforgettable city, New Orleans. And every year, Tales of the Cocktail brings together the people, brands, and ideas shaping the future of hospitality. This year was filled with inspiring seminars, innovative spirits, meaningful conversations, and unforgettable celebrations.

[00:00:17] Jeffrey: From the educational sessions and tastings to reconnecting with friends, old and new, Tales continues to remind us why this industry is built on community. 

[00:00:29] Jonathan: And when the seminars wrapped up, the celebrations began. We joined the festivities at the William Grant and Sons portfolio party by night, and had fun at the Irish House by day.

[00:00:38] Jonathan: We were proud to host the Cocktail Gurus official Tales of the Cocktail happy hour, which featured the launch of Sip Savor Explore television network on Roku and Fire TV, bringing together industry leaders, creators, and hospitality professionals from across the country. 

[00:00:54] Jeffrey: We also hosted the Cocktail Gurus official spirited dinner at Puccinelli Restaurant, [00:01:00] where great food, exceptional cocktails, fantastic entertainment, and even better company captured the true spirit of Tales.

[00:01:09] Jonathan: Along the way, we sat down with some remarkable guests, including Ken Fredrikson of Gingi Gin, Mattia Garcia of The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley, Alex Kahir of Strong Water, and Regan Clemmensen, founder and CEO of Coastline Creatives. So join us as we explore the people, experiences, and stories that made this year's Tales of the Cocktail so memorable

[00:01:43] Announcer: Jonathan Pogash is the cocktail guru, a mixologist and hospitality expert. Ah, 

[00:01:49] Jonathan: see? You know big words. Dude, I'm, I'm the cocktail guru. Cheers. 

[00:01:53] Announcer: Jeffrey's his dad, a wine and spirits author, historian, and consultant. 

[00:01:58] Jeffrey: Well, I do my [00:02:00] homework. 

[00:02:00] Announcer: With decades of experience, they're always looking for the next big thing.

[00:02:04] Announcer: Join this father and son duo for a few laughs as they explore the hottest trends in hospitality with the service industry's leading trailblazers and taste makers. Welcome to The Cocktail Guru Show. 

[00:02:20] Jonathan: All right. We are here at Tales of the Cocktail in... New Orleans, Louisiana. The Big Easy. The Big Easy. We are, uh, recording some e- an episode of the Cocktail Guru Show, so welcome to another edition of us filming on remote, uh, in New Orleans.

[00:02:36] Jeffrey: And I must say, the Cocktail Guru Show is growing and growing in popularity. 

[00:02:40] Jonathan: Yes, it is. Um, we have some amazing guests, uh, including Bella Blue, who, uh, particip- or she, she's a dancer, burlesque dancer, and bar owner, restaurant owner. She performed at last year's event that we did. 

[00:02:51] Jeffrey: This will be the second year of burlesque.

[00:02:53] Jonathan: Yeah, she's performing again. 

[00:02:54] Jeffrey: And we have lots of food, like truffles and jam from Veronica. 

[00:02:59] Jonathan: [00:03:00] Yes. That's right. Yeah We, we do. 

[00:03:02] Announcer 2: For your next event, elevate every bite with Vinesailor's curated hors d'oeuvres, from Alain Milliat's exceptional jams and condiments to Planty's luxurious truffle spreads and handcrafted Le Beurre Bordier butter, fig preserves, and specialty seafood, all paired with your warm house-made focaccia to create a tasting experience your guests won't forget.

[00:03:21] Announcer 2: Sip, savor, explore. TV-crafted experiences begin here. 

[00:03:28] Jonathan: Well, uh, Dad, we are back in New Orleans, uh, beautiful New Orleans. 

[00:03:32] Jeffrey: Jonathan, it's been a long time coming. 

[00:03:35] Jonathan: Well, uh, just a little- That's all I can say ... just about a year. Um, and- That's 

[00:03:38] Jeffrey: far too 

[00:03:38] Jonathan: long ... I'm, I'm glad to be shooting another episode with you. It's always great to see you.

[00:03:43] Jonathan: We have a really wonderful slew of guests that we've brought in for this episode, just for this episode, and one of our guests is right here with us today. Ken Fredrikson, how are you, my friend? 

[00:03:55] Jeffrey: I'm great. It's a, a pleasure to be here. It's always fun to be in New Orleans. 

[00:03:59] Jonathan: Yeah, 

[00:03:59] Jeffrey: [00:04:00] it is. It is. Uh, New Orleans.

[00:04:00] Jeffrey: And, um, it's really wonderful for me to be sitting with you guys as well, as a, a fan of what you do. And the whole father-son is just, it's incredible. It's something that, uh, hopefully someday I'll aspire to. I got a 10-year-old myself. Ah. And, uh, I'll- trying to get him into wine. 

[00:04:17] Jonathan: Yeah. Well, he- Yeah ... he'll get there.

[00:04:18] Jeffrey: Do, do it. 

[00:04:19] Jonathan: He'll get there. Keep 

[00:04:20] Jeffrey: going. Keep 

[00:04:20] Jonathan: going. But, but we'd love to talk about why you're here at Tales of the Cocktail- Yeah ... and your products themselves, so why don't you give folks a little background as to, you know, what you do and what your products are, and then we'll go ahead and taste them and talk about them.

[00:04:34] Jeffrey: Great, great. So, uh, foundationally, I'm a master sommelier, so I came up, uh, studying really wine and, uh, and then food probably as a secondary piece. But somewhere along the line, probably 15 years ago or so, I fell in love with spirits and I just really started to believe that there was terroir in spirits.

[00:04:51] Jeffrey: There was, um, an opportunity to see craft spirits, small producers, producers that need stories told, things of that nature. And, [00:05:00] uh, so I started importing some whiskeys from Japan. 

[00:05:02] Regan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:05:03] Jeffrey: At the time I started importing whiskeys from Japan in 2010, there was 13 distilleries, and today there's about 110 uh, licensed distillers, uh, exporting.

[00:05:14] Jeffrey: So the, the spirits industry has taken off over the last 15 years, and I've really focused on it. And I, I'm here specifically at this Tales with two of my products. I have a gin from India, uh, from Khajurpur in, uh, Northeast India, up in the Himalaya. 

[00:05:32] Jonathan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:05:32] Jeffrey: And that is how you say it, Himalaya? 

[00:05:33] Jonathan: Himalaya.

[00:05:34] Jeffrey: Himalaya. 

[00:05:35] Jonathan: Okay. 

[00:05:35] Jeffrey: And, um, a- and I also have a cocktail cherry. And these two products, w- uh, through the course of the week we've sponsored a couple dinners, we've done a couple takeovers, that kind of thing. So it's wonderful to have these products here- Yeah ... at Tales. 

[00:05:48] Jonathan: So specifically with the gin, Gin Gigi, uh, what inspired you to, to create a gin?

[00:05:53] Jonathan: You know, why, why'd you sa- decide to make it in India specifically? 

[00:05:58] Jeffrey: That's a great question, [00:06:00] uh, 'cause it's a long ways away, right? So I think what happened for me was I was doing some traveling there, doing some hiking. We went across Northern India, um, in, up in the Himalaya, up into Dharamshala, and I just kinda fell in love with the food and the spices and the herbs and everything they have in India.

[00:06:19] Jeffrey: And I just realized in the back of my mind, "Hey, one day if I ever get a chance to make a gin from here," 'cause there's such a gin culture, "it would be great to make one from India." 

[00:06:29] Jonathan: Yeah. Uh, I, I mean, I, I think, I think the product is delicious. We were able to use it in our cocktails at our happy hour last night.

[00:06:36] Jonathan: Mm. We're using it tonight at our dinner. Isn't it a lovely product? 

[00:06:40] Jeffrey: Yeah, it absolutely. And gin is doing, still doing well. I mean, making a- It is ... comeback, making a resurgence. Yeah. And there's so many really nice ones out there, but this one I particularly love, because I can really taste juniper. 

[00:06:57] Jonathan: Well, it is a traditional London dry [00:07:00] style.

[00:07:00] Jonathan: It is. And you do call India the botanical garden of the world. Is that not- That- I, I think those are your words 

[00:07:06] Jeffrey: Those, those are, those are. We, I, I, I believe India is the botanical garden of the world. Um, and we use it in our marketing. I think if you go there, you'll see everything from flowers, herbs.

[00:07:18] Jeffrey: Obviously, we know that it was, you know, for thousands of years part of the spice trade. Yeah. And people went there- Yeah ... looking particularly for cardamom and chamomile and things of, like that. Yeah. Both of those show up as botanicals inside this gin. 

[00:07:31] Announcer 2: Yes. 

[00:07:31] Jeffrey: And I think for me, what's important is there are great gins.

[00:07:36] Jeffrey: As you say, Jeffrey, there are great gins out there. And t- ones I like very much. I like Old Raj a lot. 

[00:07:42] Jeffrey: That- Oh, that's one of my favorites. 

[00:07:44] Jeffrey: But it has- Yeah ... saffron. It's made in Scotland. 

[00:07:46] Jeffrey: Nobody knows that. 

[00:07:47] Jeffrey: Right? So I mean, if we think about trying to get close to the origin story, you gotta go to the UK, right?

[00:07:54] Jeffrey: So- Yes. Right ... that's where this whole gin thing comes from. Yeah. But funny enough- But- ... they borrowed all the [00:08:00] flavors from India. So it's kind of- Yeah. Right ... in, in a weird way, a little bit returning to- 

[00:08:04] Jonathan: A full circle 

[00:08:05] Jeffrey: moment ... full circle. Yeah. 

[00:08:06] Jonathan: Yeah. Full circle. And, um, while I... I'm gonna pour samples of this, but- Yeah

[00:08:09] Jonathan: while I do that, can you talk about, um, Ansh Khanna and how you kind of got in touch with them. And, uh, co-founder, yes? 

[00:08:15] Jeffrey: Yes. Ansh is the co-founder. Uh, he's a dear friend, and his family have... I've become very close with his family as well. And he was a gentleman who came to the US for his advanced studies in Los Angeles, and fell in love with wine, started doing some internships in wine, and wanted to start a import company back in India of wine.

[00:08:37] Jeffrey: And he w- came to work in Chicago with me. He spent a full year with me in Chicago as, as like an assistant/intern. 

[00:08:43] Jeffrey: Mm. 

[00:08:43] Jeffrey: He's so smart. Really, really smart guy. And he w- when he was getting ready to head home to do his import wine company, he asked me, he said, "Do you wanna be part of this import wine company?"

[00:08:51] Jeffrey: I said, "No. No, I don't. It's a, that's not something I wanna do. But if you ever wanna do a gin in India, I'd be more than happy to jump [00:09:00] in." Why not call me? "Call me." And so he called me. Call me. And, and, and they, and they decided- That's awesome ... they, they wanted to get behind a project, uh, from India. 

[00:09:06] Jonathan: Um, cheers.

[00:09:06] Jonathan: I, so- 

[00:09:07] Jeffrey: Cheers, guys ... 

[00:09:08] Jonathan: definitely juniper, you know- Cheers ... right on the front there, which is, which- This 

[00:09:11] Jeffrey: is... But juniper, but such- 

[00:09:13] Jonathan: Your, your microphone, Dad. 

[00:09:15] Jeffrey: Yes. Thank you. 

[00:09:16] Jonathan: How many seasons have we been doing this? Juniper. 

[00:09:18] Jeffrey: Well, he's 

[00:09:18] Jeffrey: like, "Oh, I- It's the microphone ... 

[00:09:20] Jeffrey: I don't want the mic to interfere with 

[00:09:21] Jeffrey: the gin." We need a, we need a wine glass- There

[00:09:23] Jeffrey: that has the microphone- The microphone on it ... in it, embedded. Mm-hmm. It'd always be on it.

[00:09:29] Jeffrey: So, uh, some of the, some of the things you taste- That's great ... really you have the aromatic, you have the expression of, uh, juniper right out of the gate. You have the- The, 

[00:09:38] Jonathan: the black, the black tea, I love that. The, the clove. 

[00:09:41] Jeffrey: And it's, it's just beautifully balanced. It, one- Yes ... offsets the other. They just blend 

[00:09:46] Jeffrey: together- Well, let me talk about that for a second

[00:09:48] Jeffrey: very nice. I'm a firm believer that the best grain to use as a base spirit is rice. Mm. This is Indian rice. There is a texture, the proteins, the starches, all that adds to the weight, and the, what you're [00:10:00] saying is in balance, it's really about texture. 'Cause a lot of what- Yeah ... we feel when we have gin- Yes, 

[00:10:05] Jonathan: mouth feel

[00:10:05] Jeffrey: is mouth feel. 

[00:10:06] Jonathan: 100%. 

[00:10:07] Jeffrey: And, uh, that's the nice part about it. 

[00:10:08] Jonathan: I'm gonna pour this Darjeeling, so if you haven't chugged that, or you can give it to the, a little bit to the, to the gods behind us. 

[00:10:14] Jeffrey: Little stoogie bale. Yeah. Mezcal action. Um, so Darjeeling is a great project for us. We had intended to work around the country to all of the demarcated tea regions of India.

[00:10:28] Jeffrey: I think what people need to understand is that tea is more complex than coffee. Coffee is more complex than wine. If you go to the flavoring- Mm ... flavoring constituents found in tea, they absolutely usurp what you can find in wine. And I've always been fascinated with Earl Grey, with Assam, with Darjeeling, to see these kinda notes.

[00:10:51] Jeffrey: We have a single origin farm, uh, where we get this tea from, and we get it in its green state, [00:11:00] and keep it in its green state, unfermented. So most what people have in the, in the US is a fermented, which ends up being like a black tea, the, the- Right ... Darjeeling. Here we keep it raw, and we ship it directly to the distillery in Kazipore.

[00:11:16] Jeffrey: And we freeze it, and we take it out from the deep freeze when we need it in this green- Mm ... kind of state. And it imparts a beautiful, uh, character- 

[00:11:26] Jonathan: Right ... 

[00:11:26] Jeffrey: in the gin. 

[00:11:27] Jonathan: Like a preserved character. 

[00:11:28] Jeffrey: Yeah. Even Jonathan doesn't know what I'm about to- He'll love this product ... to reveal. Yeah, this is delicious. I grew up drinking all of these teas.

[00:11:36] Jeffrey: That's right, your grandmother used to ply me with tea on a regular ba- yes, on a regular- Ply you with, 

[00:11:42] Jonathan: that doesn't sound 

[00:11:43] Jeffrey: good. Yeah. She, 

[00:11:43] Jonathan: she- I, I don't believe that. 

[00:11:45] Jeffrey: As 

[00:11:45] Jonathan: deep, as, as deep as 

[00:11:46] Jeffrey: you get 

[00:11:46] Jonathan: in 

[00:11:46] Jeffrey: tea. She, she loved tea. She collected teas. 

[00:11:49] Jonathan: While, while you tell this, I'm gonna pour... I, I'm gonna give a little sample of the cherry, but- Okay

[00:11:52] Jonathan: after you tell your story, I wanna hear about what's next for 

[00:11:55] Jeffrey: the brand. And my mother used to send away for teas from Fortnum & [00:12:00] Mason. 

[00:12:00] Jeffrey: Oh, great. 

[00:12:01] Jeffrey: And she would get every, all, every possible tea, and I drank them all, and I... So that's why I- I 

[00:12:06] Jeffrey: was there in 

[00:12:07] Jeffrey: November ... I am familiar with these teas. 

[00:12:08] Jeffrey: I was there in November.

[00:12:09] Jeffrey: D- have you been to the new tearoom they built up there? 

[00:12:12] Jeffrey: No, no. 

[00:12:12] Jeffrey: Fabulous tearoom. It's one of the greatest places in London to have high tea. 

[00:12:17] Jeffrey: Mm-hmm. 

[00:12:17] Jeffrey: And I had the high tea experience there in November. I took my son. And I have to believe that the development of your understanding of flavor- Mm-hmm ... starts at a very young age.

[00:12:29] Jeffrey: Absolutely. 

[00:12:30] Jeffrey: The most impression- Absolutely. Yeah ... you can take as a human is between ages eight and 12. If you start to have these flavors and so forth, you're sorta destined to, to, to want things that taste good. So tea has those complexities. Wow, those cherries are pretty yum. Let's- 

[00:12:45] Jonathan: They look delicious.

[00:12:47] Jonathan: Tell us real quick about the cherries, if you could. Yeah. We've got about a minute. 

[00:12:50] Jeffrey: About, got a minute. We're gonna go quick. So you can find these at thecocktailcherry.com. They're in every Nordstrom store across North America. 

[00:12:59] Jonathan: Oh, fancy pants. 

[00:12:59] Jeffrey: They're in 

[00:12:59] Jonathan: the [00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Jeffrey: Aman Hotel. They're with Danny Meyer's Restaurant group in New York City.

[00:13:03] Jeffrey: Um, these are, uh, NGOs, kosher certified Marasca cherries- Mm-hmm ... preserved in their syrup. We do a small eight-hour, eight to 10 hour, depending on what the cherry can handle right at harvest, uh, of a light saltwater solution brine, and that preserves the crack and the crunch that you find in the cherry.

[00:13:22] Jeffrey: Yeah. Mm-hmm. They work really well on a pick. Will you try 

[00:13:24] Jonathan: one, Dad? 

[00:13:25] Jeffrey: They work 

[00:13:25] Jeffrey: great on a pick. 

[00:13:26] Jonathan: You, 

[00:13:26] Jeffrey: you're asking me if I wanna try? 

[00:13:27] Jonathan: Okay. And, I mean, yeah, these are delicious. Thank you. And, um, also what is, again, real quick, what's next for the gin brand? 

[00:13:35] Jeffrey: So the gin, we have a high-proof coming. 

[00:13:37] Jonathan: Oh, cool. 

[00:13:38] Jeffrey: Um, we're not, we're not calling it Navy strength.

[00:13:40] Jonathan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:13:41] Jeffrey: Keeping it Indian. Yeah. We're gonna call it high-proof. Okay. It'll be 57%. Wow. And we have opened Italy, France, the Netherlands. We're selling in India, all across India. Um, the distillery's beautiful. I encourage you guys, if you wanna come to the distillery, I'd love to have you for a tour. 

[00:13:57] Jonathan: That's an invitation.

[00:13:58] Jonathan: Thank you. 

[00:13:59] Jeffrey: Um- We have, love [00:14:00] to have you ... we will, 

[00:14:00] Jonathan: we will be there. 

[00:14:01] Jeffrey: We're right next to the Jim Corbett, uh, Tiger Preserve. It's amazing. It's one of the great tiger preserves in the world. Oh, cool. Oh, gosh. Beautiful place to visit. And, um, and these cherries, I always say my best customer, and I probably shouldn't say this on your show, but my best customer is our, uh, is the employees, the people behind the bar.

[00:14:17] Jeffrey: Oh, yes. They, they eat these- Yes ... like, like I do. 

[00:14:19] Jonathan: Yeah. 

[00:14:20] Jeffrey: Um- Every day. 

[00:14:20] Jonathan: Well, well this is great. Ken Frederickson, thank you so much for having us. Thank you, Ken. Thank you so much. Gin Gigi, Marasca cherries. Um- Have a great show, guys. Have a great show ... great products. It's been really great to spend some time with you.

[00:14:29] Jonathan: Thank 

[00:14:29] Jeffrey: you very much. It was wonderful meeting you and spending time with you and drinking your wonderful gins and- Thank you. Thank you ... your marvelous cherries. Thank you. 

[00:14:36] Jonathan: Let's go cheers. 

[00:14:36] Jeffrey: Cheers. Yeah. Cheers. For your next event, offer a cocktail that feels truly unforgettable. Ophelia's Tears blends Bellini Limoncello, Gin Gigi India Dry Gin, and Mayer Lavender Blossom Syrup into a bright, aromatic creation by the cocktail guru.

[00:14:51] Jeffrey: It's a sparkling, floral 

[00:14:52] Jeffrey: showstopper that elevates every gathering. Sip Saver Explore TV, crafted experiences begin here. [00:15:00] 

[00:15:00] Jonathan: We've got another wonderful guest, Dad. 

[00:15:02] Jeffrey: Jonathan, we're on a roll. 

[00:15:03] Jonathan: We are on a roll. Let's keep going here. We're- Let's, let's keep going. We have Regan Clemensen, who's joined us here at, uh, Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans at the Ritz, um, on Canal Street.

[00:15:13] Jonathan: And Regan is CEO of Coastline Creatives. 

[00:15:18] Regan: Yes, hello. 

[00:15:19] Jonathan: Hi, how are you? 

[00:15:19] Regan: That is me. Hello, 

[00:15:20] Jeffrey: Regan. How are you? 

[00:15:22] Regan: I'm well. And 

[00:15:23] Jeffrey: welcome to the Big Easy. 

[00:15:24] Regan: I forgot the, the floral shirt memo. 

[00:15:27] Jonathan: Oh, that's okay. There's still time. 

[00:15:29] Regan: I'll remember for next 

[00:15:29] time. 

[00:15:29] Jonathan: We'll, we'll do ano- It's a 

[00:15:30] Jeffrey: requirement for those of us who are co-hosts- 

[00:15:33] Jonathan: It, it is

[00:15:33] Jonathan: of the Cocktail Guru show. And I've actually, um, I've unbuttoned one button, uh, because I'm quite melty here, so it's helping me cool off a little bit. So excuse me for my, um, shirt. It's 

[00:15:43] Jeffrey: c- You could take it down and, uh- 

[00:15:44] Jonathan: No thank, no, no, no, no, no. That's crossing a line. Um, but, uh, I'd love to talk about Coastline Creatives, and the company itself, and what you do, but before that, um, how did you come up with it?

[00:15:56] Jonathan: How did you get into that p- that side of the industry? 

[00:15:59] Regan: Oh, [00:16:00] totally by accident. Um, but I feel like that's how all good ideas start. I worked more on the traditional PR and marketing side for primarily companies and organizations in the hospitality and food and beverage spaces, and then we started working with influencers, which is what we do at Coastline Creatives now, is we, um, manage digital first social media influencers, primarily in the food and beverage space, as well as a couple of other divisions.

[00:16:27] Regan: However, um, it started on the management side when one of the influencers that we worked with actually asked us to manage her. And I was in the spirit that time in my early mid-20s, where I said yes to everything, and now here we are. Um, that was at a previous agency, and then eight years ago I founded Coastline Creatives that was solely dedicated to talent management in the space.

[00:16:53] Jonathan: Awesome. So PR background. My dad has a PR background as well. Um, he- Only [00:17:00] 52 years ... he, he's done that for, um- Considerable ... a few decades. Yeah. Uh, but Dad, I mean, you've probably seen the industry change, and the industry has changed, and it's gone from, you know, you were traditional media- 

[00:17:12] Jeffrey: I was ver- which is why I'm no longer in it.

[00:17:15] Jeffrey: Because I was very traditional. 

[00:17:17] Jonathan: And they were like, "N- we need to move into the 20th, now 21st century- Yes ... and new media." 

[00:17:23] Jeffrey: And, and people like me get kicked out- Are you implying- ... and new people come in ... 

[00:17:26] Regan: that he spanned two centuries? 

[00:17:28] Jonathan: I, 100%. I'm 100... I'm not, there's no implication there. It's truth. Uh, it's fact.

[00:17:34] Jonathan: Uh, but- That's true ... yeah, that sort of old media, new media, um- Where do you, i- is there, where do you see that transition? Or are we, you know, moving forward all new media, or is there still hope for old media? Old media. Traditional me- 

[00:17:47] Jeffrey: Print, print media, 

[00:17:48] Jonathan: website ... traditional media, and do some of your clients kind of cross over between those two?

[00:17:53] Regan: Hmm, good question. I would say there is going to be a bit of a boomerang at some point, where we're not just going to wanna be [00:18:00] online con- consistently consuming. I think consumers right now are very sensitive to influencers and which influencers they select to get their information from. People are certainly ascribing to, uh, those types of creators and take their recommendations and their storytelling seriously.

[00:18:21] Regan: But I think there is going to be a, a conscious step back from that as well, and still to create space for what we would consider traditional media. Um, I don't know if that's the case for every vertical, um, or every maybe price point in the industry. Uh, but I guess I think at like, at a certain price point, at a certain, uh, maybe level of taste, if you will, uh, consumers wanna still consume from people who they also perceive to have taste who- Hmm

[00:18:52] Regan: maybe aren't influencers. 

[00:18:55] Jeffrey: Now, keep in mind, when I started out in this industry, I was [00:19:00] print me- I was... My specialty was print media. The company that I worked for, that first hired me to do this type of work, had no media presence at all. Hmm. This was a very important large-scale wine and spirit company.

[00:19:15] Jeffrey: This goes back to... It doesn't go back all... I mean, to me, it's not that far, 1993. But in 1993, they had no media presence, so they hired me to do whatever they thought I could do to help them. Hmm. And I started out by doing lots of print media and getting a lot of publicity for our wines and spirits. And, uh, over the years, of course, as the younger pe- people moved in to the company and the company took various forms, it became, um, a An influencer-oriented 

[00:19:51] Regan: Yep

[00:19:52] Jeffrey: media campaign. 

[00:19:53] Jonathan: And, and that's really, that's your specialty, and so that kind of naturally leads us into- 

[00:19:57] Jeffrey: So we are, we are opposites. [00:20:00] 

[00:20:00] Jonathan: But, yeah, but opposites attract. 

[00:20:03] Regan: Yes. 

[00:20:04] Jeffrey: Sure. That's true. 

[00:20:04] Jonathan: Um, and so leading into that, um, that's your specialty and you work with influencers. And can you maybe give me a step-by-step timeline as to, like, does a brand approach you?

[00:20:16] Jonathan: Does a person approach you? Do you connect those people? Do you create the experiences so that then that influencer can output the information or the, the product? 

[00:20:27] Regan: Sure. I think there's a lot of ways to butcher a chicken, so to speak. Um, and so there are a lot of different avenues with which these partnerships come to life.

[00:20:38] Regan: I would say predominantly for partnerships that usually come to fruition and aren't just ideas that get kind of stuck in the ether, it is a brand reaching out to a creator that we manage. And it might be quite vague, saying, "We'd like to work with X, Y, Z person. Uh, what does it look like? How much does it cost?"

[00:20:57] Regan: And then other times it's really quite [00:21:00] prescriptive, where a brand has a campaign, they have a creative concept, they have very specific talking points, maybe too many talking points. 

[00:21:08] Jonathan: Mm-hmm. You have to kind of rein it in a little bit. 

[00:21:09] Regan: Always. Um, it's a, it's a dance that you do- 

[00:21:13] Jonathan: Right ... 

[00:21:13] Regan: as, as a part of this, uh, dialogue that you're having with brands.

[00:21:18] Regan: But on the other side of the coin, our creators have ideas, and they like us to go out and facilitate relationships on behalf of them in order to execute those ideas as well. And then we have ideas as an agency. We host houses with our creators, and we bring in sponsors, and so we are providing the backdrop, we are providing the storytelling.

[00:21:39] Regan: Our most recent house was in Texas. They went to the rodeo. They worked with a, a Texas distiller. It was something that, you know, we wanted to build as an agency to create an experience. And so I think everybody has ideas. It's just a matter of that little push and pull and who wants to give up the creative freedom in order to get the project across the line, really.

[00:21:58] Jonathan: Yeah. And... Go ahead, 

[00:21:59] Jeffrey: [00:22:00] Dad. Can I just say the one thing I neglected to mention, in my defense, is that in 1993 there was no social media. 

[00:22:06] Regan: No, definitely not. 

[00:22:08] Jeffrey: You weren't even born yet, Reagan. 

[00:22:10] Regan: I was born. You don't know. I was born. Not too many years before that, but I was around. Um, but I appreciate that. My skincare routine must be doing me- Doing me a service.

[00:22:21] Regan: Um, but it's, it's interesting you mention the wine industry specifically. There are still some people in the wine industry who don't work with influencers, who don't do digital. 

[00:22:31] Jeffrey: Right. 

[00:22:32] Regan: And- Has that had an impact on how they've performed in their bottom line? I think so. 

[00:22:38] Jeffrey: Mm. 

[00:22:38] Regan: And so for me, I've ... A part of my job, 'cause I'm a little bit more at, like, the B2B level when it comes to having conversations with brands, I'm not really in the trenches with our creators on a day-to-day basis any longer.

[00:22:51] Regan: But it's having those conversations with brands to say, "Why isn't this something that you're considering? And what are your goals? And can you see a path to how we [00:23:00] can reach those goals through this format, through this vessel," if you will. 

[00:23:04] Alex: Mm-hmm. 

[00:23:04] Regan: And we've had a lot more, I would say Mid-sized brands, some heritage brands who really haven't done digital up until this point who've tested, and they're like, "Oh, we get it now."

[00:23:16] Regan: But I think they really need somebody to educate, to kind of shepherd them through the process. 

[00:23:20] Jonathan: Sure. 

[00:23:21] Regan: And any good talent management agency, especially one that focuses in a specific niche, should be able to do that quite well. 

[00:23:28] Jonathan: Right. I think it's really interesting because, um, you're kind of redefining a talent agent.

[00:23:34] Jonathan: Uh, because we think of a talent agent as the film and TV industry- 

[00:23:38] Regan: Jerry Maguire. 

[00:23:39] Jonathan: Uh-huh. J- exactly. For sure, Jerry Maguire. Show me the money. Show me the money. Um, but, uh, this is a, a new form of talent management, and you have these amazing influencers that have garnered lots of success and lots of follows and likes and whatnot.

[00:23:54] Regan: You've interviewed quite a few of ours. 

[00:23:56] Jonathan: I, I have. Yes, that's right. We have interviewed them. Um, a- do [00:24:00] you have advice for maybe an up-and-coming influencer or someone who, um, wants to kind of gain the traction? Should they think about, l- like, h- how do you seek out clients, and then how could they potentially seek out- Yeah, 

[00:24:13] Jeffrey: what should I be doing?

[00:24:14] Jonathan: What should... How can we get, how can we get this guy represented- Teach me. Teach- ... basically? 

[00:24:18] Regan: Well, I think one thing that you're very good at doing is consistency, and just making sure that you're continuing to show up and that you're continuing to have discussions, and you're, you sit in your own little, uh, needs gap that you're filling- Mm

[00:24:32] Regan: in the industry, right? And so a lot of influencers look at other influencers, and they want-- or a lot of aspiring influencers look at these really, really big influencers, and they wanna emulate what it is that they're doing. 

[00:24:42] Jonathan: Right. 

[00:24:43] Regan: Which I think it's okay to be inspired, but in terms of being successful as a creator in specifically the cocktail and beverage space, they wanna connect with you.

[00:24:54] Regan: They wanna know your personality. Long gone are the days really of just the kind of [00:25:00] behind-the-scenes recipe content creator. I think you can still have some success, but people wanna connect with people, and it goes back to what we talked about earlier, this m- boomerang that I think we're gonna have tradit- to traditional media.

[00:25:12] Regan: Mm. People want things to feel a little bit more slower and intentional. Yeah. And so if you can find a way to manifest that on your social platform, I think you'll have a lot of success, and brands will enjoy working- Yeah ... with you a lot more. 

[00:25:24] Jonathan: Just do you. Mm-hmm. You know? Be you, do you, uh, and well, things might come your way.

[00:25:30] Regan: Yeah, exactly. That's 

[00:25:31] Jonathan: right. Well, uh, this was great. Thank you so much, Regan Cleminson. It's been a great conversation. 

[00:25:35] Jeffrey: Thank you, Regan. 

[00:25:36] Regan: Thanks for having me. Pleasure having 

[00:25:37] Jonathan: you. 

[00:25:38] Regan: Hopefully longer next time. 

[00:25:39] Jonathan: Yes. Yes. For sure. Cheers. 

[00:25:42] Announcer 3: At the SSE TV launch party, elegance met innovation. Gin GG Indian Dry Gin and Meyer Botanical Tonic Syrup came together in the cocktail guru's original creation, You're So Fancy, a bright, effervescent cocktail crafted for a night of culture, creativity, and celebration.

[00:25:59] Announcer 3: Sip, saver, [00:26:00] explore TV. The story starts here. 

[00:26:04] Jonathan: We have some amazing friends of ours. They've been partners of the Cocktail Guru for many years, Perfect Purée of Napa Valley, and they're also here to talk about their newest venture, their newest partnership with Strong Water. So first I'd like to bring on Montia Garcia, who, uh, is with Perfect Purée of Napa Valley.

[00:26:19] Jonathan: Montia, how are you? 

[00:26:21] Montia: I'm doing great, Jonathan. Thank you for having me. 

[00:26:24] Jonathan: It is so great to see you. It's always great to see you, uh, at Tales of the Cocktail. You've participated in a bunch of our events. Actually, Perfect Purée is a, um, major sponsor of Tales of the Cocktail, and you've been to ... Well, your product has been in a gajillion events.

[00:26:38] Jonathan: Is that not right? 

[00:26:39] Montia: Yes. We've been very, very busy visiting all of those events and all those activations, so. 

[00:26:43] Jonathan: How many ti- how much time do you actually have to go to everything? 

[00:26:46] Montia: Uh, not a lot. That's why there's, uh, three of us here from the company- Yeah ... uh, to divide and conquer an- and vision, visit everything.

[00:26:53] Jonathan: Yeah. That's great. That's good. 

[00:26:55] Jeffrey: And may I tell you how much I love Perfect Purée? 

[00:26:58] Montia: Oh, I'm 

[00:26:58] Jeffrey: happy to hear that. Absolutely [00:27:00] adore it, and It's a pleasure and honor to be with you once again. Thank you 

[00:27:04] Montia: so much. You're welcome. Yeah. Yeah, we've been, uh, we've been doing the fruit purees for, uh, nearly 40 years, so, um, you know, puree's kinda been synonymous with The Perfect Puree.

[00:27:15] Montia: And, uh, all of our purees are frozen, so that's what we've been doing for so long. That's what we're known for. But, um, you know, the recent years, we're kinda looking to expand our company and, you know, have a different offering. And so last year, we launched, um, freeze-dried fruit, TasteCraft, and, uh, this year we launched a new line of syrups.

[00:27:36] Jonathan: I l- those syrups are really good. Um, we've used them in cocktails. From the time that you sent me some, some samples, I've really enjoyed them, so I think it's a great move. I love that you're always innovating and that you're trying to continue to, to just create, and learning from what's out there, right?

[00:27:52] Montia: Yeah, and, uh, you know, the syrup space is, is so crowded, so, you know, we, we've been eyeing syrups, and of course, people are asking, "Oh, when are you gonna do [00:28:00] syrups?" And so, um, it's something that's been in the works for years. And so we knew when, when we were gonna do it, we wanted to do it, you know, The Perfect Puree way.

[00:28:07] Montia: We had to do it right. Um, so our approach with these, uh, is more of a culinary-inspired flavor profile. So we wanted to make syrups that were great for beverage, but also great for desserts, uh, for culinary uses, and so that's what we did with these. And, uh, that's what we think will really set them apart from other syrups that are out there on the market.

[00:28:28] Jonathan: Cool, and can you tell us about this very exciting, um, new venture partnership with Strong Water? 

[00:28:33] Montia: Yes, yeah, so, uh, in the, the theme of 2026 innovation and growth, um, we've also acquired a company called Strong Water, a Colorado-based, uh, RTD, mixers, uh, bitters, and syrup company. Um, and you know, we were, we were looking for another company to, to, you know, partner with, and, uh, we really felt the s- the spirit of their company really matched ours.

[00:28:59] Montia: Um, there's so [00:29:00] much craftsmanship in all of the products that they make, and, uh, they're really focused on flavor, just like us. And so it's, it's really, truly a perfect pairing, so. 

[00:29:09] Jonathan: Cool. Hello. 

[00:29:11] Alex: Hi, thank you so much for having me. 

[00:29:13] Jonathan: Thank you. Please let us all know who you are and what you do. 

[00:29:15] Alex: Absolutely. So my name is Alex Kier, and I am the brand ambassador for Strong Water.

[00:29:21] Jonathan: I felt a drop.

[00:29:25] Jeffrey: It's strong water. That's all. 

[00:29:27] Alex: Right on cue on the water. All right, that's good. That's fine. Go please.

[00:29:39] Jonathan: We were rudely interrupted by the rain. By the weather. Uh, classic New Orleans style. 

[00:29:44] Jeffrey: What did I tell you this morning? Y- 

[00:29:46] Jonathan: y- you put your hand out the window, and you could 

[00:29:48] Jeffrey: tell it was raining. No, I looked out the... I looked when we were walking to breakfast, and I said, "It's going to rain today." 

[00:29:52] Jonathan: You did say it.

[00:29:53] Jonathan: Um, but we were, uh, before we were rudely interrupted, um, we were introducing Alex with Strong Water. So Alex, [00:30:00] uh, please give us a little bit of background on maybe yourself and the brands themselves and the partnership. 

[00:30:06] Alex: Absolutely. Uh, so again, I am the brand manager for Strong Water. We are a Denver-based beverage company.

[00:30:14] Alex: Uh, we're super excited to be partnering with Perfect Purée. Uh, as Montia discussed, uh, I think we have very similar ethoses and, uh, brand, uh, awareness. I love the synergy of our products. I think we're both super committed to flavor and quality, uh, so it felt like a natural fit and partnership. Uh, our products are very different, uh, in category from Perfect Purée.

[00:30:41] Alex: So we do a line of cocktail bitters, uh, cocktail syrups, and then also a sparkling line of mixers and NA RTDs as well. Um- So I think it's really exciting. With our, our powers combined, we've really created an entire flavor house now, [00:31:00] and really excited to offer that on a national scale, partnering with Perfect Purée.

[00:31:04] Jeffrey: When, when was Strong Water created? 

[00:31:07] Alex: Great question. So we were, uh, founded in 2014. We are, uh, in our 12th year, I guess, now. But, uh, I've been with the company virtually since the beginning. Uh, I also like to be called, in addition to brand manager, The Potion Peddler. Hmm. So, uh, we started in a very homegrown, organic way, very similar to Perfect Purée.

[00:31:31] Alex: Uh, we were developing these recipes in, uh, our founder, Nick Andreasen's, kitchen, uh, wanting to create a quality but convenient, uh, product for the home bartender and also, uh, bar professionals alike. So we started, um, over a decade ago with a line of cocktail bitters, moved into cocktail syrups, and then, uh, recently, uh, developed a line of NA [00:32:00] RTDs as well.

[00:32:01] Jonathan: So is there, is there, um, a non-alc sparkling wine in that kind of portfolio, or, or just like- It's sparkling water ... a sparkling fruit, like sparkling fruit beverages- Or- ... sparkling water? 

[00:32:11] Alex: Uh, so our NA RTDs are cocktail inspired- Hmm. Mm-hmm ... uh, versus being alcohol removed. Got it. So we have a Paloma, uh, an NA Aperitif Spritz- Great

[00:32:21] Alex: a Margarita. Wow. So. 

[00:32:23] Jeffrey: Delicious. 

[00:32:23] Alex: They are delicious. Yeah. I can't wait for you to try them. 

[00:32:26] Jeffrey: We'll get, we'll 

[00:32:26] Jonathan: get you some. I'm ready. Yeah. We'll get you some. Don't worry. 

[00:32:28] Jeffrey: Yeah. Yeah, and those bitters too. I'm, I'm a huge fan of aromatic bitters- Oh, y- ... and all types of bitters ... you 

[00:32:35] Alex: will love ours. 

[00:32:36] Jeffrey: And I would love to try those.

[00:32:37] Alex: Yes. It's a really unique, almost, uh, Indian chai spice inspired blend, so cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, allspice. It's, it's a beautiful bitters. 

[00:32:47] Jeffrey: And how does one acquire these products? 

[00:32:50] Alex: Oh, great question. So we are available in, uh, soon to be retailers nationwide- Ah ... uh, and then also, um, [00:33:00] nationwide on, uh, on e-commerce, so through- Right

[00:33:03] Alex: strongwater.com, Amazon. 

[00:33:05] Jeffrey: But you'll be in retail? 

[00:33:07] Alex: Correct. 

[00:33:07] Jeffrey: Yes. 

[00:33:07] Alex: Oh, yes. That's- Well, we are already, but, uh, now, uh, gonna be available in all 50 states, which is great. 

[00:33:15] Jeffrey: Fantastic. I- will that be through any chain- 

[00:33:20] Alex: Yeah, so we are doing some chain business. Uh, new this year is launching in some larger grocery retailers.

[00:33:26] Alex: Mm-hmm. Uh, as people are looking to non-alcoholic options, I think liquor stores has been our bread and butter for so long. Mm-hmm. But for to remain inclusive, we wanna be available in all avenues, so I think grocery is the next frontier for us. 

[00:33:40] Jeffrey: Excellent. Well, we wish you great, good luck. 

[00:33:44] Alex: Thank you so much.

[00:33:45] Jonathan: Um, what about yourself? What is your background in the industry? How did you get into the industry? 

[00:33:51] Alex: Absolutely. I, I was telling Montia, I've been working in food and beverage since I was 16. Um 

[00:33:57] Jonathan: Same, 

[00:33:57] Alex: 16. I grew up in [00:34:00] Pensacola, remember working at a, a pizza joint, uh, on, on the Gulf Coast. So New Orleans always has a very near and dear place in my heart, just a mere three-hour drive from my hometown.

[00:34:11] Alex: Uh, came to Denver for college, and, uh, while at the University of Denver, I was working in bars and restaurants. Really fell in love with the industry. Uh, worked in wine for about a decade before coming on with Strong Water, and what I loved most about Strong Water is it was a way to kind of play nice with everyone.

[00:34:32] Alex: Uh, everyone uses mixers. Everyone needs modifiers, and then you don't have to play favorites. You can work with all these beautiful brands, which we're getting to enjoy this week at Tales. 

[00:34:43] Jonathan: Yeah. How's your Tales of the Cocktail going? 

[00:34:45] Alex: Incredible. Believe it or not, this is my first year. 

[00:34:48] Jonathan: All right.

[00:34:49] Jonathan: Congratulations. Well, yes, congratulations. And welcome. Welcome. 

[00:34:51] Alex: Thank you. It's, it's a absolute delight to be here. 

[00:34:55] Jonathan: Is there anything you've seen at Tales of the Cocktail that is kind of like, "Wow, this is pretty cool [00:35:00] and inspiring and innovative"? 

[00:35:02] Alex: I think being in this industry for so long and going to so many events and activations, I'm very familiar with Aspen Food & Wine.

[00:35:09] Alex: Uh, it's incredible that every year people are able to surprise and delight. I love that, uh, I- it's hard to play favorites with an activation 'cause there's been so many good ones. But just to see that the brands really leaning into authenticity. Uh, I really loved the Del Maguey event. I thought Suntory did a great activation with their sensory experience.

[00:35:31] Alex: There's been some beautiful events this week. 

[00:35:33] Jonathan: And can you give us a little taste or flavor of some of your syrups and some of your bitters? Um, you know, maybe the, the fa- flavor profile and what, you know, folks are using them in, that kind of thing. 

[00:35:45] Alex: Absolutely. So we are a little bit different in Perfect Purée in that we started really being a, uh, direct-to-consumer brand, uh, and selling, uh, more retail, I think, in the beginning.

[00:35:59] Alex: So [00:36:00] our cocktail bitters were the first product line we developed, and, uh, it's a nod, uh, to the origin of our name, Strong Water, which was the original name for, uh, gin, uh, rudimentary gin in apothecary shops. So it's a nod of making things in the traditional way, which is a huge, uh, foundation of our products.

[00:36:20] Alex: So, uh, it's cold, slow-infused plant infusions. Uh, our cocktail syrups developed right before COVID. Uh, when all the bars and restaurants shut down, everyone became a home bartender. Our flagship product, which is our classic old fashioned syrup, uh, shot to number one on e-commerce platforms, and that really put us on the map.

[00:36:43] Alex: Um, that is an incredible tool for bartenders because it's made exactly as a bartender would make a classic old fashioned syrup, real demerara sugar, cherry juice, orange zest. Uh, the first product we ever made, our aromatic bitters, is infused in there, [00:37:00] and it's a just add spirit product. So it's a great tool for the home bartender, but then when bars and restaurants opened back up, I think what was cool about that product is it parlayed into bar programs.

[00:37:11] Alex: So to see bartenders being able to, to pre-batch and still have a very quality product- 

[00:37:17] Jonathan: Hmm ... 

[00:37:17] Alex: uh, that's something I really love about our syrup line. About five years ago, we also launched a sparkling line, so a line of premium globally inspired, uh, mixers, and then RTDs as well. So we have, we have a lot of products, just like Perfect Purée.

[00:37:34] Jonathan: Yeah. And, and how, how about the integration with Perfect Purée and Strong Water and kind of some of the things you guys might be doing together or how to, you know, how you're moving forward? 

[00:37:45] Alex: Absolutely. I think it's interesting to see our very distinct product lines, and I want to, uh, be clear that the quality is gonna remain intact.

[00:37:56] Alex: We both have such a legacy, uh, line of our [00:38:00] products, and have built such a following in our various circles on and off premise, uh, both behind the bar and for retail. And what I love is just seeing how now, um, we can just offer a bigger variety. So it's just, it's an entire portfolio. Uh, so that's, that's been really fun.

[00:38:20] Alex: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:38:22] Jonathan: Well, I think that's really cool and interesting that this has kind of come about. Um, Montia, is there anything, like, moving forward with Perfect Purée, um, and anything new and interesting that you're kind of working on? I know you guys are always working on something. But, and you may not be able to share what you're working on.

[00:38:39] Montia: Oh, uh, we, we do. We have been, uh, showing kinda sneak peeks of, uh, fruit foams. So- Yes, 

[00:38:45] Jonathan: I've s- I've 

[00:38:45] Montia: seen those fruit foams ... uh, we are working on vegan fruit-based foams. Um, so kinda similar to, you know, cold foams, whipped cream that you might see, but these are vegan based, uh, made with real fruit. So those are kind of in the works.

[00:38:58] Montia: Uh, hoping to launch them as soon as [00:39:00] possible. Um, but we'll have, you know, mango, passion fruit, coconut, um, possibly some more flavors, so we're very excited about those as well. 

[00:39:08] Jonathan: Well, actually, for the dinner tonight, I'm doing a Perfect Purée plum gochu mint, um, cold foam. 

[00:39:15] Montia: Very nice. 

[00:39:16] Jonathan: You don't have that package, so I'm making, I'm making it myself, but- Yeah

[00:39:19] Jonathan: um, I'm really, uh, it, it's gonna be really delicious. 

[00:39:22] Montia: Yeah. 

[00:39:22] Jonathan: But there's a flavor combination for you. 

[00:39:24] Montia: Right. I like that. Yeah, and the, kind of the, you know, uh, all bartenders make foam, and so, you know, it's like they, they can make it. But what we've tried to do with this product is, you know, it's, it's ready to go, pop off the cap.

[00:39:36] Montia: You don't- Yeah ... have to mix everything, charge it in a whipped cream dispenser. So, uh, just a easy-to-use foam. 

[00:39:42] Jonathan: That's awesome. Um, and, uh, Alex, what about you? Is there anything moving forward, continuing to develop and come up with new ideas and flavors with Strong Water? 

[00:39:52] Alex: Absolutely. I think I'll, I'll tease that we are, uh, releasing soon a line of NA [00:40:00] spirits, uh, Amaro-inspired, which is a category very near and dear to my heart.

[00:40:05] Alex: Uh, so that's really exciting. Uh, definitely some new, uh, RTD flavors in the works. So I love that about our two brands, is we're constantly innovating, taste testing. Uh, so a lot, a lot to come from, from both products. 

[00:40:20] Jonathan: That's awesome. Doesn't that sound great, Dad? 

[00:40:23] Jeffrey: It sounds perfect to me. But I do have a question.

[00:40:27] Jeffrey: Do you do anything with fig? 

[00:40:30] Montia: That is a, uh, question that we do get asked a lot. We do not have a fig puree yet, but- So that's, yeah ... I'll add that one to the top of the list. 

[00:40:38] Jeffrey: One of my all-time favorite fruits is fig. That's great. Yeah. 

[00:40:41] Jonathan: They're gonna fast, they're gonna fast-track a f- Fast-track 

[00:40:44] Jeffrey: it for you, Dad.

[00:40:45] Jeffrey: Thank, thank you. Thank you very much. 

[00:40:46] Jonathan: Uh, well, thank you, Alex, Montia, uh, for joining us on the Cocktail Guru Show. 

[00:40:50] Alex: Thank you. Such a pleasure to be here. Thanks for having us. 

[00:40:52] Jeffrey: Thanks to both of you. Wonderful to see you again. Thank you. Thank 

[00:40:56] Alex: you. 

[00:40:56] Jeffrey: Cheers. 

[00:40:57] Alex: Cheers. Cheers. [00:41:00] 

[00:41:00] Jeffrey: Tipple Time is brought to you in part by Gin Gigi Gin and Albero D'Oro Cherries.

[00:41:08] Jonathan: Hey, everyone. Jonathan Pogash here. Thanks for watching the Cocktail Guru Show. This is another Tipple Time edition. Um, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting and interviewing Ken Frederiksen, uh, one of the co-founders of Gin Gigi Gin, this Indian dry gin. It is a beautiful product that I'm gonna showcase now for you in a specialty cocktail, and as much as we don't wanna believe it, the weather is getting a little chillier, and yes, folks, pumpkin spice season.

[00:41:35] Jonathan: So I'm actually gonna make a gimlet for you that is a pumpkin spice gimlet. No shade, okay? Please don't throw shade at me, all right? Well, here we go. Let's go ahead and start it out. So we'll start with the Gin Gigi, Gin Gigi Indian dry gin. This has aromatic chamomile flower. It's a tad on the aromatic side.

[00:41:53] Jonathan: It's really lovely, um, really great all year round seasonally, in fact. And I'm looking around. Uh, here we go, [00:42:00] my trusty old jigger. We're going to measure, uh, two ounces of our Gin Gigi directly into the mixing tin just like that. We've got some lime juice, so we're putting in three quarters of an ounce of lime juice.

[00:42:17] Jonathan: And this, I... You've probably seen me make gimlets before. I love these, this proportion, two, three quarter, three quarter, right? So two ounces of the spirit, three quarter ounce of the citrus element, three quarter ounce of the sweet, uh, element to balance out that citrus, and that's really what I start with when I'm trying to decipher whether a product is actually really good in cocktails.

[00:42:36] Jonathan: First of all, I need to taste it neat. This product, delicious neat. And then we taste it in cocktails with those proportions, two, three quarter, three quarter. So now we've got our pumpkin spice syrup. Yep, that's right, pumpkin spice syrup. And, um, the garnish is really gonna blow your minds, folks, because I'm using this Albero D'Oro, uh, which are these beautiful Italian marasca cherries.

[00:42:58] Jonathan: These are the real [00:43:00] maraschino cherries, folks, nothing fake, nothing bright red, um, artificial about these. So I've got some ice in this shaker. We're gonna give this a shake.

[00:43:12] Jonathan: All righty. And we'll separate out our shakers. And that is nicely chilled. I can feel that chill and condensation on the side. I have this beautiful, lovely coupe glass. We're just going to strain it in the coupe glass just like that. And we will garnish, of course, with one of these beautiful Albero D'Oro cherries, which I'm just going to drop right in just like that.

[00:43:38] Jonathan: Oh, how delicious and gorgeous is that? I'll give it a little taste for you all at home. You ready? Okay, hold on one second. Mm. I love that savoriness of the Gin Gigi.

[00:43:56] Jonathan: Oh yeah. It's great for the season. I would actually drink something like this all year [00:44:00] round. But the Gin Gigi, great for classic gimlets, basil gimlet, just straight lime gimlet. Really any cocktail, any gin cocktail works with this product. Thank you again all. Thank you all for watching. Cheers everyone.

[00:44:13] Jonathan: Take care. Bye. 

[00:44:16] Jeffrey: Tipple Time is 

[00:44:17] Jeffrey: brought to you in part by Albero D'Oro Cherries and Gin GG Gin

[00:44:29] Jeffrey: Well, this has been another incredible Tales of the Cocktail, and the pièce de résistance, the highlight of this year's Tales was our spirited dinner at Pulcinella. What An institution it is. The, the food is incredible. The cocktails were delicious too. Um, but this is a great Italian restaurant, perhaps the greatest in all of New Orleans- Wow

[00:44:52] Jeffrey: I've heard tell that that is the case. Could you please tell us a little bit about Pulcinella- 

[00:44:58] Andrew: Yeah ... 

[00:44:58] Jeffrey: and how it [00:45:00] got started- Yeah ... what kind of food you serve here? 

[00:45:03] Andrew: So the, um, the foundation of our food is Sicilian-American cuisine. Uh, Sicilians immigrated primarily into two cities, uh, New York, and then at some point New York started sending the boats down here.

[00:45:15] Andrew: Um, so you had one of the largest settlements of Sicilians here, and I think I'm personally a Sicilian-American, third generation, uh, and we really wanna honor that tradition in that the food is definitely a little different, little spicier, little more savory. Um, but as I, uh, mentioned earlier in the evening, I really wanted to set out to make a place that my great-grandparents would wanna celebrate their anniversary at, and I, I really think we nailed it.

[00:45:39] Jeffrey: Wonderful. And I forgot to mention that Andy and Bella- Yeah ... are the fine proprietors and hosts of this- Yeah ... establishment, as well as the bar- 

[00:45:48] Bella Blue: Yes ... 

[00:45:49] Jeffrey: upstairs. 

[00:45:49] Bella Blue: That's right. Yeah. The Original Nightcap is upstairs, and where I come into this is this, this part, you know, the- 

[00:45:57] Jeffrey: Absolutely. ... 

[00:45:57] Bella Blue: the, the spark- the sparkly part.

[00:45:59] Jeffrey: Uh-huh. 

[00:45:59] Bella Blue: [00:46:00] Uh, been a... I'm a New Orleans native. I have lived here my entire life, and I've been doing burlesque for almost 20 years. And so I've been so fortunate to be able to travel all over the world really and bringing New Orleans flavor, culture, and burlesque to the masses. But, uh, being able to have an establishment, and then it was just sort of an added bonus that we got to do a restaurant.

[00:46:24] Bella Blue: And so when we first started to look at spaces, we didn't really know if the two were gonna come together, and then this one made itself known. And so it was like, "Okay, well, here we go." And it's been really, uh, special. You know, we're right outside the Quarter. People can come. They can get a good meal. They can get entertainment, and they can just be...

[00:46:43] Bella Blue: They can spend one night, you know, just in one spot and enjoy so much of the culture. It's a little different from the Quarter, you know. 

[00:46:50] Jeffrey: Absolutely. 

[00:46:51] Bella Blue: Yeah. 

[00:46:51] Jeffrey: This is some of the best Italian food I've ever had. Well, 

[00:46:54] Andrew: that's great to hear. 

[00:46:55] Bella Blue: Yeah. 

[00:46:55] Jeffrey: It's very encouraging. The meatball was perfect. Yeah. That pork shank- Yeah

[00:46:59] Jeffrey: was [00:47:00] unbelievable. 

[00:47:00] Andrew: Yeah. 

[00:47:00] Jeffrey: Everything we had was delicious. 

[00:47:02] Andrew: Wonderful. 

[00:47:02] Bella Blue: Yeah. So glad. It's really special. So it's been really fun for the- for us to not only honor the, the Sicilian heritage and the f- the, the things about New Orleans that make it such a... I know it's so cliche, but a gumbo or a melting pot or, you know- Oh, it is

[00:47:18] Bella Blue: but it tru- but it truly is. And for me, that is, that is more my arena, is more about making sure the history and the triti- tradition of the, the culture and the entertainment keeps going. 

[00:47:30] Jeffrey: Uh, I think the po'boy came about due to Sicilian- Yeah ... immigrants. 

[00:47:34] Bella Blue: Mm-hmm. 

[00:47:34] Jeffrey: Very important place. 

[00:47:36] Bella Blue: Yeah. 

[00:47:36] Andrew: Absolutely, yeah.

[00:47:37] Jeffrey: And this is great. This was our second year in a row- 

[00:47:40] Bella Blue: Yeah ... with you 

[00:47:41] Jeffrey: With you. 

[00:47:41] Bella Blue: Yeah. It was so special- The burlesque experience ... getting to do it again and getting to see all your faces again- Yeah ... and be with everyone and see some people from last year come back this year, but lots of new faces too, so.

[00:47:53] Jeffrey: Burlesque experience is- Yeah ... unforgettable. 

[00:47:55] Bella Blue: Well, I'm excited for next year too, 'cause I got some new costumes in the works. Oh. [00:48:00] And next year I'm gonna just, like, amp it up, so yeah. Okay. It'll be so fun. 

[00:48:04] Jeffrey: Well- 

[00:48:04] Bella Blue: Yeah ... you 

[00:48:05] Jeffrey: have a day. 

[00:48:05] Bella Blue: Thank you. 

[00:48:06] Jeffrey: Thank 

[00:48:06] Jeffrey: you very much. 

[00:48:07] Bella Blue: Thank you. Thank you. We'll see y'all next year.

[00:48:08] Jeffrey: Bye. 

[00:48:10] Jeffrey: That's a wrap. If you enjoy what we do, please rate, review, and subscribe to the show and our newsletter. To watch or listen to today's episode or to see the show notes, visit thecocktailgurushow.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. The Cocktail Guru Show is produced by First Reel Entertainment and is available via Sip Saver Explore TV on Roku and Fire TV, YouTube, Spotify, Zencastr, Apple, Amazon Audible, and wherever you enjoy your favorite shows.