Meredith Mills-Merritt didn’t set out to make just another canned cocktail. Drawing on her background in beauty and brand innovation, she reimagined the RTD category with a family Southside recipe built on cleaner ingredients and transparency. We talk about building an alcohol brand from the ground up, why authenticity matters more than marketing, the future of drinking culture, and how the Clean Alcohol Collective is pushing the industry forward. It’s a thoughtful conversation about gin, entrepreneurship, and creating a brand with purpose—not just another product.
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Ep 279 – Eric Job: A Guy Walks Into a Bar
From Ice Cream to Tequila to New York Bitters pedaler, Eric has lived a very interesting life. His friendly demeanor and disarming laugh can make anyone a believer. But a life in hospitality serving others so often, how do you create a balance for yourself? We chat Connecticut, agave, connections, and more.
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Ep 253 -Nico Martini: Creating,Writing, and Cocktailing
The man of many talents, Mr. Nico Martini has traversed numerous aspects of the marketing and academia industries, but his largest passion has stemmed from the modern cocktail movement. As the founder of marketing company Hypeworthy, and a co-founder of large event/mobile draught system technology Bar Draught, Nico has had many irons in the fire. However, his latest effort turned writer, Texas Cocktails chronicles the history of Texas cocktails and details some of the producers in this great state. With such an illustrious set of projects and achievements, what’s next? We talk heart issues, fatherhood, public speaking, and more.
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Ep 242 – Derek Posner: The Quintessential Man of Leisure
Download Whether you say lee-sure or leh-sure, Austin’s Derek Posner sets a great example on how to create balance in one’s life. Developing a brilliant work ethic at the early age of 16, Derek found his social calling and talent prosper in the hospitality industry. And after a short-lived stint in baseball, the decks aligned and proved that he was going to be a long term player in this massive industry. San Francisco promises started to run down and a fortuitous chapter in Austin began to emerge. Now, a few years in, Derek works for the beautiful innovative and terroir driven vodka, Grey Goose. With a suit and a…
