Lush Life Line: May 13, 2024

Let them eat cake-flavored vodka?

May 13, 2024

It’s no secret that bar professionals are skeptical about the proliferation of celebrity driven brands - particularly those that prioritize those personalities over the quality of the liquid and support for the trade. But, is the rest of the world catching up? This week saw a concerted effort across platforms to not only unfollow but block well known celebrities - many of whom own or are the face of spirits brands. Over the course of just a few hours the digital guillotine movement inspired millions of people to cut the cord with their formerly favorite celebrities.

No shade to UV Vodka - they just had the first cake flavored vodka that popped up!

Ostensibly, this movement began in response to the Met Gala and was sparked by an influencer dressing as Marie Antoinette and declaring “Let them eat cake!” via TikTok sound (which was then followed by Deceptacon by Le Tigre, which just layers the meaning one step further - whether or not the creator intended). Of course, 9 year old Marie Antoinette never said this infamous line, but this sentence was leveraged by the people to begin the French Revolution. These anti-establishment sentiments have long been brewing in activist circles and only continue to grow (not only in strength but in numbers as well) in light of the atrocities in Gaza, the US government flagrantly disobeying its people, and the ban of TikTok.

I’m curious to see if spirits brands will continue to push for celebrity partnerships in light of this sea change or if they will change course. As someone with 18 years of experience in this business - and as someone who has had a front row seat to the decision making across all of the portfolios, I can’t tell you how many times bartender advocacy was put on the back burner as the brand we worked with decided to pursue a celebrity spokesperson. Here’s to hoping this cultural change will make its way to the spirits industry, and we can refocus our efforts on the people working day in and day out instead of a celebrity (who may or may not even drink alcohol).

Interested in visiting a rum distillery in Belize whose biggest celebrity tie is to environmental activist Wil Maheia? You better get your application in for this trip to Belize! 15 Bartenders are going to get see Copalli Rum’s production facility in person! Applications close in 24 hours, so if you want to apply, NOW IS THE TIME!