01: Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation gin
WHAT WE WANT: The drink’s called Green Lantern, and it’s made from the shredded remains of the costumes from the movie we do not speak of.
WHAT WE GOT: Aviation Gin was already flying pretty high on the spirits list, but Ryan Reynolds took his love for it to the next level by buying in as stakeholder. We’re sure he has a hand in shaping its taste now, but his key contribution is the brand awareness that he racks up with hilarious (and educational) videos like this one.
02: Matthew Mcconaughey’s Longbranch Wild turkey whiskey
WHAT WE WANT: A live Babel fish in every bottle so we can make out what the hell he’s saying on-screen.
WHAT WE GOT: Pretty close. Good ol’ “Texas-inspired” bourbon outta Kentucky, which apparently means vanilla with caramel and nutmeg. Looking the process over, it looks like the additional step of filtering through mesquite wood – the trees are native to Texas – is what imbues the smoky notes that sets Longbranch apart from most of the Wild Turkey range.
03: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Tequila
WHAT WE WANT: For The Rock to personally cook some of the ingredients so we can at last smell them.
WHAT WE’RE GETTING: A helluva lot of anticipation for the spirit, tentatively named “Mana”. (Yes, the same energy that fuels your magic spells in games.) God knows how many gallons of tequila were moved because of Johnson’s unbridled love for the agave-based spirit on his social media platforms. Now that The People’s Champ is officially whipping up the first batches, we can at last partake.
04: George Clooney’s Casamigo Tequila
WHAT WE WANT: Clooney’s distilled manliness in a bottle so we can borrow charm on demand.
WHAT WE GOT: Pretty much what happens when you throw star power and some hardcore dedication into a product. If you’re just finding out about Clooney’s Casamigo Tequila, you’re very late to the party. The star (along with pal and industry expert Randy Gerber) went all in on creating a tequila just for his own tastes, after being disappointed at most of the offerings out there.
A number of years later he doubled his net worth by selling the entire brand to Diageo for US$700m (with an additional US$300m on the side pending performance). This was, arguably, the spark that lit the flame of all “celebrity spirits” to follow.
05: Drake’s Virginia black Whisky
WHAT WE WANT: Some of his dancing mojo. Haven’t you seen or memed Hotline Bling?
WHAT WE GOT: Some of his dancing mojo. With a nebulous tagline like “One sip and woooh!”, you’d imagine even those with three left feet will be inspired to take the stage. It’s been likened to “an oaky Cognac” by rating platform WineEnthusiast, which gave it a decent 91 points. For reference, the actual stellar buys are pegged at 94 and up.
