Transcript
Speaker: My first very basic check is, are these really good people that want to work with? Because if they're not, then I'm i'm not. yeah right I'm out. Welcome to the Fashion Geek Podcast, the show that helps you learn more about men's fashion and get some tips to help you dress your best.
Speaker: This is Reg Ferguson, Fashion Geek number one, and I'm a men's fashion consultant here in New York City, born and raised. My mission is to help you learn more about men's fashion so you can become fashion confident have you ever limoncello peach tree snaps did you ever think about the taste did you ever think about the ingredients did you know that some of those alcohols have artificial colors sweeteners and flavors did you even care
Speaker: My guest Alessandro Ocolano of Drink Originals is here on the show because he believes only the finest ingredients, fruits and herbs should be used in premium quality alcohol.
Speaker: So if you sampled some of his spirits, would it make you fashion confused or would it make you fashion confident? Cheers.
Speaker: Hey. If you ever found yourself staring at the closet, not knowing what to wear, if the idea of shopping for clothes makes you feel physically ill, wait till the end of the show and I have something for you.
Speaker: But for now, let's get to the show. My first very basic check is, are these really good people I want to work with? Because if they're not, then I'm i'm not. You're out. I'm out.
Speaker: My guest today is Alessandro Ercolano from Drink Originals. He believes that only the finest ingredients, fruits, and herbs but should go into creating premium, high-quality alcohol.
Speaker: Alessandro specializes in discovering small-batch local distillers in Italy and introducing their exceptional products to the United States. His passion for authenticity and craftsmanship brings a taste of Italy to every bottle.
Speaker: Yo, today we're going to talk with Alessandro Ercolano, and we're going to talk about something the everyday man should have an interest in. What is the difference between small batch locally sourced alcohol?
Speaker: And if you're watching, you can see it. But if you hear me, there's a bunch of bottles in front of me. So what's the difference between small batch locally sourced alcohol and a big brand like a Diageo? Which hopefully is not a full of word to you.
Speaker: Alsanjo in the building, we made it. How are you, man? but Very good. How are you, Reginald? I'm well, I'm well. So before we go into our topic, please tell us, so what do you do?
Speaker: So what do you do? So what do you do?
Speaker: Yeah, so my company is called Originals, and it's a boutique import firm that finds and imports to the U.S. handcrafted Italian spirits. And so um we don't do wines. We only focus on small batch spirits. These are ah small distilleries, mostly in the south of Italy, and they're family-owned, people that are really passionate about what they do.
Speaker: And the the spirits are mostly actually made with local ingredients. So we really go and try to find the microlocality. The way I describe is that we find those unique high-quality spirits that are born out of indigenous local ingredients and or native.
Speaker: the ingenuity of d the maker. um And so we try to find you know those little genius that really know what they're doing and they do it differently than most or you know that they have some very unique ingredient and they use that.
Speaker: um Yeah, so we have an array of ah of spirits um and I am from South Italy so again my passion is mostly the South of Italy. You'll see there is ah an emphasis on citruses. um but I love citruses and so that's ah that's what we do.
Speaker: Cool. Well, first of all, before I forget, I want to really thank Ambassador Wines for being so accommodating, having us here in this beautiful room, which I could not find.
Speaker: i was like, what's going on? He was like, hey, this is the owner. Hey, hey, just go downstairs. Can you make a turn? I was like, all right. And I kept going back and forth. I was like, okay, where's the, what is it, the wall? And then it turns. Where's the secret?
Speaker: If you didn't come save me, I was like, yeah I'm just standing here and they'll have to find me. I was like, maybe I'll try for my phone. Oh, there's no signal. Yeah. Okay. This is where a podcast hosts go to die.
Speaker: thats yeah If I, if I can add to that, I, you know, also I want to thank Ambassador Wines. Um, this is actually, if I'm not wrong, my second or third customer. um Really? So it was a special place in my heart because when I just started, you know, I was very new to the industry and this world, and these guys were very friendly and appreciative of the quality of the spirits that I had.
Speaker: um It's actually kind of like a hidden gem. It's one of those... um wine and spirit stores that have tremendous knowledge about most categories in this industry.
Speaker: um The owner, Lenny, is a multi-generation, you know, industry ah veteran. And also, you know, Michael, the manager, is very, very knowledgeable. And you'll see that this store has a lot of ah emphasis on, like, smaller brands. Oh, really? Yeah, and so that's why always felt welcome here.
Speaker: And this room is definitely hidden, but it's a beautiful little Oh, my No, it's a cool room, but was like, you have to make It's It doesn't exist. I'm standing here. Have my interns been kidnapped? I was confined.
Speaker: like, yeah hello, hello, hello. Definitely. Well, I just, you know, I love that we get to literally peruse all the brands, you know, one at a time. We're going to little tasting. Right.
Speaker: And it's the morning. So it's a great start. I like that. Love this job. Exactly. so
Speaker: What made you decide that I want to import to me not only these local spirits, but these local stories and embrace, you know, and and introduce them rather, not embrace, introduce them to the New York market, to the American market?
Speaker: Yeah. Well, that you know i I could talk for hours about that, so I'll try i'll try to sum it down. but um you know or ah So actually, my background, I'm i'm an engineer, um and I worked for ah for many years for a large American company that did that was focused on metals. And I've done a lot of different things, mostly in the business administration side of things.
Speaker: um And, you know, the last, I started original six years ago. And so maybe but starting about nine years ago, three years before I started my company, I started getting more and more um less attracted, I should say, less attracted from the corporate perspective.
Speaker: type of life. and And even though I traveled the world, I did all the things that everybody that has a career wants to do, ah most things, um I felt like you know a lot of things were actually losing meaning for me.
Speaker: I kind of wanted to bring everything back down to the to the fundamentals. um And then one of the catalyst events that made me really um take a step forward was um was the birth of my first son. um Because, you know, when when we started having... When we were expecting our first child, um you you just, as a parent, you just... Your your brain goes, oh, crazy. You start thinking of so many different things, you know, that you don't know yet. um But, you know, i again, at the way I am, I try to distill it down to the fundamentals. And I was thinking, like, you know, this this individual is going to be his own person.
Speaker: And I can only influence him so much in the years that I'm going to have him with me because, you know, then they're out the door. But I always thought, you know, if I... if I can at least, as one of the main things I can i can i can teach him as a boy, is to be authentic, not wear a mask every day. Then I had to take the first step myself. And so I i really felt I was, you know,
Speaker: wearing a mask on my daily job. I wasn't really being me. You go through this corporate dynamics and often enough, you become little bit of a politician. It's something that really didn't enjoy that much.
Speaker: um And I had this growing need and desire to reconnect a little bit with my roots. um Having left Italy now about 20 years ago. Oh, wow. Yeah. ive I felt like I felt maybe, you know, I've come i come to this country and and maybe, you know, I can also help some of my, you know, my fellows, ah Italians, they are still they are still in Italy and help bring their stories here, which I felt are really valuable.
Speaker: um And, uh, you know When you bring it down at at the end of the day, i i love Italian liqueurs. I mean, thats that has to be there, right? And and I felt that also you know there was an opportunity because most of the brands that come from Italy are mainstream, large producers. Now it's actually changing. The the environment is changing a little bit.
Speaker: But when I started, there were there were lesser fewer um producers of craft Italian spirits coming to the US. s and And I knew a couple. i i ah I felt that I had a good...
Speaker: sense of taste um for certain specific flavors. And so I thought to give it a try. And so we started with Limoncello, which we'll talk about that, which is where I come from, the Amalfi Coast.
Speaker: And it turned out to be a good bet because since then, people have really liked our product, even though Limoncello is broadly you know present on the market from Very successful brands. ah People have embraced our brand and they've recognized the quality and that kind of was the first step. and So how that's how we started.
Speaker: Well, I definitely can't wait till we talk about Limoncello because I think we actually had a conversation about it and and I was like, yeah. And you were like, no, you have to try mine. You don't understand the the stuff you had. And I'm like...
Speaker: Okay. All right. Well, whatever you say, whatever you say. But, you know, that's what I really find interesting that some of these varieties of spirits that maybe I've heard of, sampled, grew up with to find out that, oh, you know, they're not using natural ingredients. It's not something I think particularly from being from the West, being from America in which, you know, things are fast food, things are processed.
Speaker: To be candid, you know, and I don't want to jump the gun, but when I think about, you Limoncello exactly, I was like, eh, you know, and now here you are going, no, there's a totally different way and approach.
Speaker: You don't understand. I'm like, okay, then educate me, which you're going to do today. You know, I will say this, um and I appreciate the words that you you just said, but that there there is definitely... um Also, another component, when you when you enter a business like this, where everybody wants to make money, and wants to scale up, right? that' Sure. that's That's just the nature of the game. Sure. um and and And those are forces that pull you away from the local artisanal industry.
Speaker: you know if you become successful eventually you want to increase the volume you want to sell more um so it's actually hard to stay small i will say this and um and and i can see how some of these brands were probably artisanal at at some point in the past or when they started and then you know given their success they they had to scale up and when you scale up you know you have to standardize things you have to uh bigger batches and that comes with its own setbacks and There are also some pros, in all honesty.
Speaker: but But so, yeah, it's it's it's hard to stay small and maintaining that quality. and But, you know, we I try my best.
Speaker: So you launched the brand in 2019. Correct. Correct. correct All right. yeah I do my research. Right. You did. Yeah. So... At that time, you said, really, were you the first or one of the first to have this business model of, hey, I'm bringing local, small batch, indigenous, family-owned brands to the States? Right.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, it's it's it's always hard to say I was the first because it's such a big market and and there are so many microlocalities. You don't really, you can't necessarily know what's happening in every microlocality. But I will say this, I still think we are the first in the sense that as an import company, we're focused only on spirits, which is unusual because most companies will focus on wines first because that's where the volumes are.
Speaker: Um... And so if you want to start a business, it makes sense to start that way. But i I am always being a spirit kind of guy. And so we only do spirits. So from ah but from the perspective of being handcrafted Italian spirits, I still think we are the only one. There there are other companies that make spirits, um Italian spirits. um And those you know are either made in the US or or maybe they're made in one fact in one production facility,
Speaker: um Our model is different because we we I partner with small producers depending on what they're what they do best. And so um although they come all under our umbrella, it's actually a collection of small producers and they all you know do their own thing.
Speaker: um So i think from that perspective, we're still probably the first and only that does that. Other other importers will have, you know, a few artisanal spirits or even more than a few.
Speaker: ah But again, it's part of their overall overall and overall bigger portfolio with wines and other things. And so when it comes to Italian liqueur focus, i think I think we're probably one of the, if not the only 100% focus on that micro segment.
Speaker: um Yeah, so that's that's that's I think how it is. that That sounds cool. Now, I just want you to elaborate. You said I've always been a spirits guy. That's why you didn't select wine.
Speaker: But you said most people, if they're going to do this, they do choose wine. So do you feel even more passionate that you have secured this niche, so to speak, versus potential competition?
Speaker: oh Secured is is a very permanent word. and And I don't like to think of my ah what I do as permanent because then you become complacent. ah but um But I do feel that in in our microlocality, which is New York, New Jersey...
Speaker: and part of Connecticut, ah we have definitely gained a reputation for for this niche. And so um we now I now have you know customers that call me that I didn't know before, and they they they ask us they ask me about what you're doing and and all of that.
Speaker: um you know we we need to be realistic. um And there are bigger companies out there that are kind of like also reinventing themselves um and they're able to you know put a lot of funds behind their initiatives and you know in ultimately that that can make a difference. so ah So yeah, that's why I don't like to say secured, but I will say that within the realm of where we are, um we have gained a very solid reputation to the point again where sometimes when we bring a new item, which doesn't happen often,
Speaker: um most of our clients won't even taste it. They will just bring it in because really the trust is there. So there is definitely that component. So I feel very good about that. yeah Yeah. That's, that's super. That is very good. No like and trust. Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker: Do you feel, so let's talk about competition and let's talk about a conglomerate. Let's talk about Diageo. Okay. Right. Which is the You know, the big the big dog, is so to speak, right?
Speaker: And you're the little chihuahua nipping at its heels. Even smaller than that. Definitely. So two things. One, are you finding that a big brand like that is realizing now that locally sourced small batch is a market for them to exploit.
Speaker: Sorrento is one of, you know, one of your sources, yeah so to speak. yeah And it's not impossible for anyone else to have that advantage, but I, I consider that you're the home team.
Speaker: Right. Yeah. You speak the language, and literally. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, that, that has definitely been an advantage. Um, and, um, To me, there's no way no other way than that, and said in the sense that I...
Speaker: I am not a salesperson, if that makes sense. I am just sharing what I like. And what I like comes from where I come from. You know what I'm saying? I do. i just i'm yeah I'm not trying to sell anything to anybody. I'm just sharing, hey, these are things that I know.
Speaker: And I brought them here for you guys to also try. um And so that's that that has a level. you know i want to think that has that has a level of authenticity that yeah otherwise you don't get.
Speaker: Yeah. But, you know, that also has its limitations. There's only one me. ah And I try my best. oh But you can't be as everywhere at the same time. Right. um but But, yeah, definitely. Definitely that's that's an advantage. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah So you talked about I'm small. I want to remain small. The struggle of remaining small. It's just you. Alessio is not big enough yet to now take the reins. No.
Speaker: But I do know that you take trips back home, correct me if I'm wrong, to also look at other potential opportunities yeah with other...
Speaker: yeah Locally sourced, you know, family run. Definitely. Yeah. So, so that's true. So I, I generally take, um, two major trips back home. Um, and, uh, one, I bring my family. So we do a little bit of work and a little bit of just of, of relaxing time, but another one is just me.
Speaker: Um, and, uh, on both trips, I, I always dedicate time to find new producers and trying something different. Um, and, uh, yeah, uh,
Speaker: It's been fun that through this journey, ah you know your network kind of absorbs ah your new identity. And so now they know what I'm doing. And so I get i get i get a lot of messages around, hey, have you tried this? Have you tried that that? I heard about this thing in that region.
Speaker: And so whenever I find something that catches my eye or my attention, I i and make contact with that company, with that small producer, and and I try to you know try to meet with them, try to see what they're doing.
Speaker: and um And that's that's actually... the most fun part of the job. I mean, let's be honest, going through these regions and, you know, even though I'm an Italian, I don't really, haven't really traveled all of the country.
Speaker: So you always go through something very unique, local that you didn't know before. You meet people that have a very interesting past of what they're trying to do. And yeah, and that way you, you get to try something different.
Speaker: um You know, we have seven, I have seven products now and, um The idea is not to get to tens of products. it's it My ideal state would be maybe 12.
Speaker: Oh. mo Maximum 15 products. so So we I'm on the outlook to look for all those things, all those missing keys yet. um And so that's that's done through to my trips.
Speaker: Yeah. Okay. So speaking about these trips right now... I do a lot of research, saw some stuff on your Instagram. I believe you and your brother just, right you know, in the little car. Right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I've been to Italy once. My friend stayed in Luca. She had a little Fiat thing. almost Almost lost my mind. i was like, okay, crash. No, no, you don't understand. Everyone shifts. I'm like, this is narrower for a skateboarder. Like, what is, oh my God.
Speaker: What has been so far the most interesting but the most fun or the most difficult place for you to find? Like you get you get these leads and someone goes, go here, go there.
Speaker: I ah i i would say that I don't know that any of that has been particularly difficult. um You mean in terms of like geographical situation? Yeah.
Speaker: situation yeah um i Like, kind of like me, I couldn't find a room. Was there a place like you drove past and you had to jump back? and Yeah, yeah, yeah. I i understand.
Speaker: You know, in Italy, nothing is really that straightforward. So maybe they're all difficult. um but But yeah, there is there is always an element of like... like quirkiness in the sense that it's not clearly straightfor clearly explained or straightforward on how you have to get there and find it.
Speaker: So, yeah, I'd say maybe the one that has been more interesting lately has been our Limoncello. We have this this this production, the producer is a set on the Amalfi Coast and is in one of the back roads after Amalfi that goes up.
Speaker: And that, at some point, almost becomes uncharted mapping on your map. um and then Which then we found out was difficult to actually send trucks there to but pick up the truck. The trucks wouldn't go because they couldn't they couldn't necessarily access the road. So but we're still working through that.
Speaker: um But... um Yeah, you know, everything is small. So especially these local producers, they are often adjacent a plot of land.
Speaker: And in most of the areas where our stuff comes from, our products come from, um nothing is flat. So there is always like some type of hill down or up. And so you're always going up like a narrow road or down a narrow road or ah yeah, there is some some some small turns. um And so I think you might have seen some of our videos where I think it's important for people to understand the environment surrounding this place. Yeah, so absolutely. We took sometimes we take some fun sometimes some funny videos of us driving through these little alleys because people need to understand that that's that's how it is. you know it's not This is not like a major facility. You have some some definitely some difficulties.
Speaker: um And with some some producers that I've i i have encountered, we just we just couldn't make it work. So there were some things that were interesting or some ideas that looked very good, but the logistics were just a bit too complicated.
Speaker: So elaborate. why Why couldn't you make it work logistically? like Give me an example. Well, like there was a producer that we engaged, um and there were a lot of discussion back and forth. And um they they have like this this land that stretches across the side of the hill.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. And to get there, you have to go up this narrow road that is literally just you and me, like side by side. Yeah, that sounds like Italy. And so with the idea is like, how are we going to even get things in and out of there? And although there was a lot of goodwill, you know, it turned out to be not a, you know, not a good long-term decision because there was no way that that situation would ever change and at any point in time. Right.
Speaker: You know, you you you want to go for the local and and the the the difficult to get sometimes, but when it's too difficult, sometimes you you have to realize that. And so we kind of like said, you know what, this is not ever going to work out. ah And so that, yeah, that's how it did.
Speaker: that's yeah That's how it works. Yep. What happened with the place that you said initially with your trucks? And that seems to be someone you have a relationship with. Right. so Yeah, definitely. How did you resolve that? Yeah.
Speaker: So i so what what we' are happy what what has happened there is that the... the the the you know the tracking companies that we use are are major tracking companies. We just are, you know, one load that they pick out of the daily route. So, you know, we don't use any particularly small tracking company.
Speaker: And, and so what happened is that the first few times they, they just wouldn't go. And so we were stuck with that. oh So while our producer had to actually, manually move the bottles to another local ah facility where a regular truck would just go and pick it up. right um Now it seems like we've found oh oh ah trucking company that has smaller trucks and is willing to go up and pick it up and come down. This has worked once.
Speaker: I hope that it will work again because every time we're ready to ship, which, you know, we have a few shipments a year, not not many. There's always that suspense, like, okay, what's going to happen this time? And I'm always here waiting, like, wait a minute, did they pick it up? They were supposed to pick it up today.
Speaker: Then you call. Oh, yeah, the trucker called. He said, it's not coming, or it's coming. Or, no, they don't want to come. And so there's always select a little discussion. Yeah, that that is unfortunately not the best part of of this.
Speaker: But, you know, that's... That's where it gets hard, and that's where you have to pull through, and and I think at the end it's worth it. I want to tie that in to your theme of authenticity.
Speaker: You literally give the geographical coordinates on your box. I'm glad you picked that up. I did my research, man. Not everybody does. Oh, no, absolutely. Well, you know, I i always felt that...
Speaker: um People ah should understand that our products come from small producers and it's not one facility. Right. Because it would be a lot easier if we found, you know, a third party producer. You do everything in one place.
Speaker: Logistics come a lot easier. yeah yeah production you um economies of scale you know become a lot a lot more favorable but no, we we have right now we have three producers, actually four um and and so thing and so we we put the ah as a silent nudge to that that's how ah we we talk about it, we put the the coordinates of where the product comes from and and if you actually copy and paste that, if you're able to do that and you put it on Google Map it will actually bring you right there I know, I thought that was pretty cool yeah yeah
Speaker: And that's, again, that's just to show that these are not made by the same the same person. To me, you know, our producers make multiple spirits. You know, it's not that they just make that one thing or two things. of Oh, okay. They make multiple. But I... We only focus on the very best.
Speaker: And I think they make. Right. um And I don't think... this is just my opinion. i don't think that anyone can make multiple things at their best.
Speaker: You know, you will always have one or two products that are your top in terms of expressional quality and fragrance and aroma. um And so to me, it's important to have separate producers dedicated to what they know how to do best.
Speaker: um And that's that's what I try to do. How have you determined, first of all, I didn't realize that. I i thought in my mind with my research that each supplier, they did one thing and they do it really well and that's why you you hooked up with them, made the connection, brought it here.
Speaker: How do you determine, even with the the the four producers you have right now representing these seven items in front of me, how did you determine, how did you do quality control?
Speaker: how did you How did you say to yourself, this is good, can they consistently do this well? Because if they can, I'm bringing it to New York, I'm bringing it to America. How do you do that? Well, how do you source? Yeah, so that that they that's that's like a long ah long discussion. we guess Yeah, let's try and let me try to boil it down. Well, the if i if it's a new producer to me, um then um i I will come in already with an idea of what I'm and interested in and what I think they can do best. So, for instance, if you're talking to in a Limoncello producer on the Amalfi Coast, even though they make maybe an orange liqueur and some other liqueur,
Speaker: I know that limon lemon liquor, limoncello, that's my target. And I will still taste everything, but so you kind of focus on that. um So once you have that idea, you go in, you meet the people. Of course, there's discussion.
Speaker: My first very basic check is, are these really good people I want to work with? Because if they're not, then I'm i'm not. You're out. I'm out. Yeah, because... wow Because, you know, the people are at the base of all of this. If you are working with somebody that you don't feel good about, or if they are not...
Speaker: sharing the same ideas or same values that you share, then it becomes an attrition type of situation that will have its repercussion long-term. um so So first check is, are these people that are really passionate about what they're doing?
Speaker: um Are they here for the long-term? Are they doing what they love to do? ah So that's first check. Second check is, you know, we go through tasting and if there is anything that I feel has certain quality parameters, which I will describe how I go through that. Yes, please. I'm very curious. Yeah. Then, you know, we take some samples and um bring them back. And that is more like a long-term type of tasting period. I generally take months, if not even over a year. Really? Well, that to me, that is, there is there is especially with liqueurs,
Speaker: there is this um component of wanting to be them to be consistent over time. Right, right. right ah So you can't just taste something once and then be done with it. um At least that's how I do it. um So I have to taste something over time at different conditions, see if room temperature, maybe you cool it, maybe you make it at room temperature again, see how things change. And then, you know, if you go through that, then that has...
Speaker: you know, a positive result, then you go maybe to a second set of samples just to make sure it's consistent with with the first one. And I'll open and close the parentheses real quick. Consistency across batches, it is a very complicated thing to do for small batch products.
Speaker: um And we we can talk about that. Yeah, please. But i will like to talk to me, when you talk about um the quality parameters... and So if i'm if I'm talking about limoncello, which is a lemon liqueur, again, I come in with a precondition of what that lemon flavor is.
Speaker: And again, this goes back to my roots. Right, literally. I tasted lemon forever. I mean, we we eat them, we we you know we use them for a lot of different reasons. I have a very good understanding of what lemon flavor is.
Speaker: If that flavor is not there, then ah then that's a no. ah So that flavor has to be there. The second piece, I always am a believer that... um And i i yeah i so I don't have a sommelier type of background, so my maybe my terminology is not the most accurate, but I will say this.
Speaker: A lot of spirits have this disjointed taste situation where you taste alcohol and then you taste whatever flavor it's in there.
Speaker: you kind of taste them separately in there. um Wow. That to me is very, very clear with with with a lot of brands that you go and taste. You you almost taste like something, like, I don't know, like, ah let's just speak limonchero, like a lemon...
Speaker: essence with alcohol added in it, the two are there, but they're not embracing each other. They're not in harmony. So I always look for that harmony. If I find the harmony, then to me, that's like 70% of what I'm looking for. They're going to come. They're going to love this. They're going to want to sell more. Come on. Do-do-do-do. Exactly. me. So, so. Because once you have the irony, that to me tells me that it is liquid, which eventually are the ones that have been positive about this. They have been better accepted, which is what I look at.
Speaker: And then, you know, if you get into like nuances like, well, I want be more like this or less like that, there is also that discussion that then happened. but And so they do very amicable. So I often actually have discussions on how we can modify the recipe. um and Others instead have a good portion of our screen. I don't want to say they've again the negative. state and we i Except maybe for one that she wasn't really interested. Which is nothing wrong with how they do it. The other ones I have kind given out to be. Because it's a very lengthy process. So yeah, so that's so that's most of the... And so unless you really have that desire. kind of like the process on how we go through. And this is can take you know take a lot time. A couple of years. And if you're busy with other things and you're a small producer. On the other side of it, how do you feel that this is isn't quite an audition? How to make this once in a Yeah. um't i toized yeah
Speaker: That was actually quite a learning for me. Because some people give up. Producers will sometimes feel good about it. producers so that will that's that's some for Sometimes know good about it and somely they they um You know, i you I will say this.
Speaker: I had this idea that maybe they've just... If I'm approaching this more producer and I'm giving them the opportunity to stand in the U.S., which is a big market situation. know people would be super excited. Oh, absolutely. Let's have this discussion and be willing to do the work. someone I've done learned that that's not necessary. Yeah, I was going to say, I would think that, yeah, a lot of times they're like, we met. We're good in our situation. We're home. We met with Jay Muser.
Speaker: Big shout out to Jay. Do you see a parallel between the sophistication of one's palette and how they present themselves to the world from a fashion standpoint?
Speaker: That's an interesting question. I try. Yeah. I... I will say yes, and and I will probably expand it even more so than just fashion.
Speaker: um Almost a little bit like how do you approach life? um Because to me, the small craft, whether it's spirits, whether it's tailoring, ah whether it's you know arts, um requires a certain level of intellectual curiosity um and a certain level of um demanding a minimum level of, I don't want to say quality.
Speaker: I thought quality. Yeah, quality. But it I think it depends on on the subject. Could be maybe quality, could be maybe ah just being a little different than than than than the rest of us.
Speaker: um And so so I think that there are definitely parallels. you know um A lot of people just... you know want to go with things that are proven and been out there for a long time and that everybody does and they're perfectly okay that there's nothing wrong with that they might focus their curiosity somewhere else but i find that people that search for that craft ah spirit they often ask questions that go beyond the spirit and so they talk i want to talk about the region uh the ingredient itself and And that to me, it's always, I like that because it it taught in know it it shines the light to those individuals that have a curiosity and that a little bit of emotional strength two to go beyond the comfort of the daily routine, right? You know, I'm not i'm not saying that buying a bottle of spirit is a big effort, but, you know, in your daily in your daily routine routine, you're going in and out over, a you know, wine and spirit shop. You just want to grab up something and bring it back home.
Speaker: You don't plan to have a dissertation there, right? But, you know, the people that take that three more those three more seconds or 10 seconds to understand and be able to to think about something um and get away from what they know is guaranteed, giving them what they want, um that takes that additional level of of emotional you know strength. out That's how would characterize it too to do that step, you know to take that step. So definitely, I think with with with clothing, um I think there's definitely a...
Speaker: a part there. But again, I think that can go, that can span beyond clothing itself. So would you say fashion and spirits are two of many components of what it takes to be, let's say a gentleman?
Speaker: Gentleman. Okay. um Well, my, my idea of gentleman might not necessarily be tied I don't know. It kind of depends on what the idea of a gentleman is. I guess that's what I'm trying to think of. This is a loaded question.
Speaker: I didn't think so, but trying to think of... I got you on the fucking sun! No, I like that. I like that. Everybody has their idea of what a gentleman looks like. Yes. um I'm not so sure if, in my opinion, the idea of a gentleman is tied to the what we were talking about before.
Speaker: and Maybe it is in many cases, but it's not necessarily a casualty where you have that and then you have that. um I think, you know, a gentleman is somebody that behaves in a certain way, um might be or might not be interested in in finding the niche. I'm not so sure about that.
Speaker: Okay. I'll say that it was a reason that you were chosen to be at the J. Musa event. Oh, okay. Let's say that.
Speaker: Interesting. And I would also say the reason you're here is that I had a very casual curiosity. Interesting. Because, and then that's when you gave me the business. You're like, you understand this stuff now? Right.
Speaker: Well, appreciate that. No, absolutely. Well, let's appreciate. But now we're going to do the lightning round of questions. Okay. Which are going to bring it back to how we met.
Speaker: Yes. Fashion. So, and you know, you're from Italy, so you have opinions on all this. Right. Doesn't matter where you are on the boot.
Speaker: Okay. You have fashionable culture. Look at you, sharp guy with a cool shirt. Alessandro, why is fashion important? You know, I... my My own relation with fashion is um
Speaker: Is maybe not. it There is a component of how, you know, I want to present myself. Yes. Which, you know, I i don't think it should rule our lives, but I think should be a component that you should always keep an eye on and make sure that you dress the way you feel and you should feel good on how you dress because that's your image. You know, it's same way you do your hair, same way you, you know, you just talk and present yourself.
Speaker: Um, And so to me, the bigger the bigger part of it is more like ah I want to feel good on how I i i present myself. I want to feel good on how I see myself.
Speaker: And so having a certain attention to fashion is always a little bit of you know ah making sure that I look the way I think of myself and the way I feel about myself.
Speaker: um And maybe my approach to to fashion is not so much like the brand, like the brand It's not about the brand. It's not about the brand. It's more about how you just put yourself together and the level of attention that you have to it. All of our bottles, just to bring it back to a visual part, are designed according to certain criteria.
Speaker: ah So we design our bottles. We design the label. I had a feeling. right And so there is ah there are certain criteria that I keep through all of them, which is... which are mind minimalist and timeless.
Speaker: um And to me is you want lines that are simple, that don't tire your eye, that don't make it busy, um At the same time, that are not going to go out of fashion at some point. What I mean with that is that you won't look at it in a few years down the line like, oh, that looks old.
Speaker: um And those are two criteria I keep with me in most of my choices and definitely my clothing choices. um Simple lines.
Speaker: Simple color combinations, unless I really want to, you know, want to have something extravagant for one time, but those are the one-offs. On my daily routine, it's like simple lines, simple colors, easy on the eye, and clean.
Speaker: those are ah Those are my criteria. What difference has fashion made in your life?
Speaker: Well... I see most almost like i have ah my approach to fashion has changed as I've evolved in the different stages of my life. Same So i've i've I'll tell you all honesty, you know i you know, you grow up in Italy and there is definitely a lot more attention to fashion than maybe there is here, you know, since you're very little.
Speaker: ah you know you get You get nice combination of clothes. you know You don't go out in sweats unless you're going to the gym. Right! And and and then, it's of course, also different times. but but that is So there was that component. And then you know i will i rushed into the the workforce in working for a large corporate. And so that is what I thought, you know, maybe i wanted to give myself, and you know, i wanted to present myself nicely, you know, like most people will do, you know.
Speaker: And so you go through the the whole suits and and and buttoned up type of of ah of ah of look. And I've gone through that and I've enjoyed it a lot. And then I've i've entered into entrepreneur entrepreneurship, if you want, or small business life. Yeah, like both. and ah And you kind of... And that was very liberating from a fashion perspective.
Speaker: Because I felt that the way I was dressing before, again, I felt a little bit in a box. You know? Okay. You wear the blues. You wear the gray. got both.
Speaker: It's a gray with a blue stripe. Well, well which are which are fine. But on a daily basis, I'm saying, you know, as a way to present yourself, I felt that was little bit of a box on me. And now... um Now I get to choose with greater latitude. Okay, maybe I'll have a red shirt one day or maybe I'll have you know green pants with something else.
Speaker: And that has become a law lot of fun. um Yeah, so I can experiment different things. um And then it's almost like a a cycle that feeds itself because you start with a but the note, which is maybe a different color, and then that that kind of brings back a different thought back to you.
Speaker: So it's almost like fashion when you see yourself in a different outfit. You kind of like, it feeds your brain a different input and you become a little bit you start thinking a little different, you know?
Speaker: So, so I've been, I've been thinking about it and that that's been a fun experience to go from like, you know, the confinements of a suit and the rigor that comes with that, right? To more of like the, the different color combinations and the different designs.
Speaker: And then being able to have that freedom that also has kind of like fed back into me and like having more like mental freedom, you A little weight. No, I understand. it um No, no, no, no. I understand. i I absolutely understand where you're coming from. And that makes sense to me. Yeah. So that's, that's been, that's been my approach.
Speaker: Now I have my kids, you know, born here, they have their own ideas, and we wish we fight and we struggle. ah You know, wait we try to bring back some of the ways I'm used to, you know, think about fashion, and they're coming in with their own new ways of how fashion is, ah which is interesting and frustrating at the same time. but the But it's always an exploratory exploratory process. Yeah.
Speaker: Which is the nice part of it. What is the top fashion tip you would give the everyday man to look his best? You know, i i I didn't grow up focused on this, but I will say that the element that I would always focus on, shoes and belt.
Speaker: o I got both. I got a shoe and I got a belt. They match. right They're black for anyone who's just listening. Matching is is is definitely the way to go or having some type of idea of some combination.
Speaker: But you know in my opinion, you can have you can dress very sportive, very casually. but the shoe and the belt will always give that note that will set the rest of it.
Speaker: ah So if you if you have a Nash suit and you wear sneakers, which I can understand the the the the comfort of it, will not deliver the same as if you had more casual clothes and then...
Speaker: a very selected pair of shoes and a belt that goes with it. so So I will always say, pay attention to your shoes and then the belt. I totally agree. Yep. I totally agree. And then if you're not at the third element, the watch.
Speaker: I've got a watch. Yep. Look at that. Yep. Old school Seiko. Yep. 1970s. Yep. I love it. Yep. I love Seiko too. Yep. Yeah. I have too many Seikos. Yeah. You don't need to spend a lot money on a watch. No, no, no, no, no. Just having that.
Speaker: connection. Yeah. Those are the three points. Yeah. All right. Final question I ask of all my guests. Yes. What does the expression always be fly mean to you?
Speaker: Always be fly. Always be fly. It's an American thing. know you've lived here 20 years, but you know, you're Italian, so you know. Okay. Yeah, never heard of it. It's okay. yeah Find your way.
Speaker: It'll be all right. Well, you know, if that the thing that came to my mind when I hear a fly is more like your um you're
Speaker: your your interpretation of yourself compared to the rest, what surrounds you, right? Yes. So, of course, we can practically fly on our own, at least. ah But you can fly with your personality and with your state of being. Yes. um and And, yeah, so always be on the fly. The way I would interpret it is, like, always be that that version of yourself yourself.
Speaker: where you elevate at the best of what you can be. Um, and so always try to strive for that. Um, I will say one more thing to that. I didn't know of this sentence, but when I, when I graduated from my master in engineering, which was a great and effort and, and they were my part, part of my life, uh, there was ah a person that helped me a lot to go through that period.
Speaker: And, um, And when I gave that person a copy of of my dissertation, um i've wrote one sentence in that and that thing, and it was like, ah thank you for helping me thank you for helping me learn how to fly.
Speaker: ah ah Which was, again, I felt there was I had reached a a new level on myself, and I really liked that. Well, that's how we have to end. That was really touching and beautiful.
Speaker: Thank you. Alessandro, thank you so much for the time. Thank you, Ambassador Wines, for the venue. I have learned a lot.
Speaker: I think our listeners, our viewers are going to learn a lot. Get a set of seven, guys. They ship. Thank you for everything. Thank you so much. i really appreciate it. and So hopefully you learned a lot about small batch alcohol.
Speaker: It's really at a different level, isn't it? It's farm to table for booze. I got a little meta. You can find Alessandro and Drink Originals on Instagram at Drink Originals.
Speaker: If you want to level up your level of sophistication like we just did for spirits, then make it happen. Take initiative and become fashion confident in 30 days.
Speaker: All you have to do is email me at reg at nyfashiongeek.com for a consultation. Well, that's a wrap. To my team of interns, past and present, who have helped make the Fashion Geek Podcast what it is today,
Speaker: I thank Always be fly. free audio postproduction by alphonic dot com
