Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST

Jessie Ott

I'm a 20+ year veteran in the wine and spirits industry who loves innovation. I'm interviewing those who are creating it from agriculture to glass. We will deep dive into their journey and provide insights to help yours. We will discuss their major industry pain points and outlook for the future. If my guest has an item to drink or eat we will try it throughout the podcast. Come on the journey with us!Now On YouTube!!     https://www.youtube.com/@ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST

  1. How RTD Brands Really Scale 🍺 Data, Ops & Sales with Rob Minucci at TalkHouse Encore

    FEB 5

    How RTD Brands Really Scale 🍺 Data, Ops & Sales with Rob Minucci at TalkHouse Encore

    Send us a text This week 📢I talk🎙️with Rob Minucci CEO & Co-Founder at TalkHouse Encore and we discuss how he has used his experience in operations to build out a CRM and win Accounts and Distributors! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁 How do RTD brands actually scale? 🍺 Rob Minucci, CEO of TalkHouse Encore, breaks down data, operations, CRM, distributors & real-world sales strategy for CPG growth. @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST   “Everything I’ve built is based around systems, processes, and procedures that are repeatable—with as little human intervention as possible.”  Rob Minucci Watch Here!  https://youtu.be/AeZl7vXfigo Most RTD brands chase hype. TalkHouse Encore built systems. In this episode, Jessie Ott sits down with Rob Minucci, CEO & Co-Founder of TalkHouse Encore, to break down how operations, data, and distributor trust drive real growth in CPG and beverage. 🔥 Key Takeaways:  • Why beer distributors outperform spirits distributors for RTDs  • How CRM + real-time data create sales accountability  • Building velocity before chasing expansion  • Why on-premise still matters (40% of sales!)  • How systems beat guesswork every time  • Using tastings + analytics to drive reorders This is a masterclass in execution over noise. How Rob’s Team Actually Differentiates (and Why It Works) Most RTD brands compete on flavors, packaging, or hype.  Rob and the TalkHouse Encore team compete on execution. That difference shows up in a few very specific ways. They build systems before scale While many brands rush distribution, Rob’s team focused early on operational processes that remove friction. Sales, inventory, distributor activity, and account follow-ups are tracked in real time. Less guessing. More control. They designed a CRM for beverage reality Instead of forcing reps to live in bloated software, they built a CRM that works the way beverage teams actually work: Simple inputsShelf photosAccount scoringInventory flagsRoute efficiencyIt’s not “data for reporting.”  It’s data that drives action in the field. They treat distributors like partners, not order takers Rob’s team doesn’t just hand off the brand and hope for the best. They create clarity for distributors by: Showing exactly where velocity is workingIdentifying underperforming accounts earlyMaking it easier for reps to winThat builds trust — and trust gets priority. They use focus as a competitive advantage Instead of chasing national presence, they went deep in hard markets. Fewer states. Better execution. Higher velocity.  They win on-premise to pull through off-premise With roughly 40% of sales on-premise, TalkHouse uses bars and restaurants as marketing engines. Sampling, education, and activation create demand that shows up later in retail  They remove ego from pricing and product decisions Pricing wasn’t set to “fit the shelf.” It was set to reflect quality, margin, and sustainability. The mixed vod NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 3m
  2. 🚨 Hemp Ban in 2026 Jeanne Sullivan Explains 🌿

    FEB 1

    🚨 Hemp Ban in 2026 Jeanne Sullivan Explains 🌿

    Send us a text This week 📢I talk🎙️with Jeanne M. Sullivan and we discuss the THC/CBD potential ban in 2026! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁 👀📹 Watch here: 👉👉 [https://youtu.be/1MSPWwJeCwA]🚀✨🍹 What’s really going on with the hemp beverage ban? 💥 Investor Jeanne Sullivan breaks it all down—laws, money, loopholes, and the path forward. 🚫🌿  @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST  🧠 Summary and Takeaways: What started with a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill could end with a billion-dollar industry being banned in 2026. Jeanne Sullivan, veteran investor and cannabis industry expert, walks us through: 🌿 The origin of legal hemp beverages 🧃 The explosion of CBD/THC drinks in retail 🚫 The proposed 2026 ban slipped into HR 4121 💰 The economic impact on Total Wine, BevMo, and beyond 🧠 Why regulators don’t understand the category 📉 The alcohol industry’s evolving stance 🇪🇺 Why Europe is welcoming cannabis while the U.S. restricts it 💥 The consumer backlash that could turn the tide 🎯 CTA: Watch, share, and speak out. Contact your representative and help save the hemp beverage category before it disappears. I downloaded H.R. 4141 and had Chat GPT summarize it and here's the output told me:  "This bill does not explicitly ban CBD or THC drinks — but it gives FDA the power to effectively eliminate hemp-derived THC beverages unless strict limits, age gates, and retail controls are adopted."  Well, who's in charge of that? How do we make that happen? We need to be very vocal about this bill!! NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    45 min
  3. Special Edition Round Table Discussion 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

    JAN 15

    Special Edition Round Table Discussion 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

    Send us a text This week 📢I talk🎙️with Kate Jerkens at Uncle Nearest and Caitlyn LuBell at BoozeBiz and we discuss the beverage industry in 2025 and 2026. 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁 👀📹 Watch here: 👉👉 [PASTE HERE]🚀✨🍹 2025 was a reset year for beverage 🍷🍺🍹 RTDs surged, NA grew, costs spiked & hiring shifted. We break down data, trends, distributor chaos & what’s coming in 2026. 👀  👉 @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST 2025 shook the beverage industry to its core 🍸📉. From RTD dominance and NA growth, to California distributor chaos, premium pricing pressure, and talent market stress, this episode breaks it all down—no fluff, just real talk. Key Takeaways 🔑 📉 Growth slowed—but didn’t stop🍹 RTDs are winning on convenience & price🚫 NA still struggles with sugar + shelf life🏬 Distribution strategy > national expansion🧠 Storytelling + velocity matter more than ever💼 Hiring is tighter, salaries pressured🔄 2025 = reset | 2026 = change + growth🎯 Why this matters: If you’re building, selling, hiring, or distributing in beverage—this episode helps you see the chessboard, not just the pieces. Describe 2025 and 2026 in One Word Jessie Ott 2025: “My word was to level up on the "experience” of enjoying a cocktail.2026: "My word is "hopeful". I’m hoping that this is the new foundation of what’s to come.” Caitlyn LuBell 2025: “My word for 2025 was "evolution.”2026: “My word for 2026 is "growth"… we can only go up from here.” Kate Jerkens 2025: “I think "reset" was a great word. I still think reset is applicable.”2026: “Mine is "change"… something’s got to change and I believe it will.” ⏱️ Chapter Descriptions 0:00 Welcome + Why 2025 Was a Reset1:02 Meet the Guests (BoozeBiz & Uncle Nearest)2:30 Who Really Holds the Money? Generational Wealth5:22 Economic Signals: Growth, Inflation & LEIs7:18 Premiumization & Consumer Behavior9:40 Inventory Digestion & Distributor Reality11:30 California Distribution Chaos Explained15:42 Smaller Distributors vs Big Houses18:00 Pricing Wars & National Market Impact21:44 Military, Multi-Outlet & Channel Performance22:26 RTDs, NA Mixers & Brand Winners25:30 The Real Cost of $30 Cocktails29:00 Why RTDs Win on Convenience & Cost33:55 Hiring Challenges & Salary Compression41:10 Tastings, Education & Velocity45:15 Why 2025 Was a Reset Year50:07 Unemployment & Workforce Mismatch56:NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 3m
  4. 🔥 7 Cocktails That Rule the World 🍸 w/ Dr. Cush

    12/18/2025

    🔥 7 Cocktails That Rule the World 🍸 w/ Dr. Cush

    Send us a text What are the 7 cocktails every drink is based on? 🍹 Dive into tiki, bitters, fire tricks & cocktail history w/ bartender legend Dr. Cush! 🎙️@ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/azJZrXe5R2Q 💡 What happens when a comedian turns into LA’s best bartender? You get Dr. Cush’s Exotic Drinks — a one-man show mixing cocktail science, bar wisdom & some hilarious fire tricks 🔥🍊 ✨ Highlights from the episode: 🍹 The 7 cocktails that rule all other cocktails🔥 His signature drink: Dr. Cush’s Exotic Old Fashioned📚 Why bartending is more books than booze🍍 How pineapples became the symbol of hospitality🧊 The lost art of ice (yes, really!)🎭 From improv heel to hospitality hero💻 Building an online bar community during COVID💥 Flaming citrus, tiki wars, and cold pizza cocktails🎯 CTA: Subscribe for weekly food & bev innovation talks 🎙️ — and try making the Hemingway Daiquiri or your own signature drink! 0:00 Intro to Dr. Cush 🍸   1:00 From comedy to cocktails   5:00 The 7 cocktails theory explained   12:00 Punch vs daiquiri: tiki breakdown   17:00 Cocktail vs experience: why it matters   25:00 Building an online bar community   31:00 Hemingway Daiquiri tutorial 🍹   41:00 The Dr. Cush Exotic Old Fashioned (🔥)   50:00 Shelf-stable lime juice recipe   1:03:00 State of the booze industry   1:10:00 Signature drink + fire tricks   1:20:00 Cocktail nerd history tour   1:30:00 Outro & cocktail class invite Mentors in Drinks and Tiki  Steve the Bartender Created Drinks Website: Kindred Cocktails    Discovered: Pseudo Juice Calculator Dave Arnold - Technique Liquid Intelligence Jeffrey Beachbum Berry Owns Latitude 29 in New Orleans  Martin & Rebecca Cate own Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco Wrote James Beard Award-winning “Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki David Wondrich Drinks Historian and author, Link to his Books and awards Sammy Ross Best Bar Dudes of All Time  NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 35m
  5. Real Cocktails, Real Ingredients 🍋🌿 Owl’s Brew Story with Co-founder Maria Littlefield

    12/11/2025

    Real Cocktails, Real Ingredients 🍋🌿 Owl’s Brew Story with Co-founder Maria Littlefield

    Send us a text This week 📢I talk🎙️with Maria Littlefield, Co-founder of Owl's Brew made with only premium clean ingredients! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁 Explore how Owl’s Brew is reinventing RTD drinks with real tea & botanicals 🍋🌿 and transparent labels that consumers love. 🍹💥 Clean cocktails explained + brand story!  ⁨@ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST⁩   In this episode of Thirsty Thursdays, Maria Littlefield, Co‑Founder of Owl’s Brew, shares how they built a clean‑ingredient RTD brand long before it became a trend. 🍹 From brewing tea in buckets at events to scaling canned cocktails in 22+ states, Owl’s Brew stands out in a crowded market by choosing real tea, botanicals, and juice instead of artificial flavors and lab compounds. 🔥 Key Takeaways: • 🧪 Clean Ingredients First: Real tea and botanicals create authentic flavor. • 📜 Transparent Labels: They fought to list sugar & nutrition — most spirits don’t. • 📊 Consumer Shift: People now read labels and demand real food quality in drinks. • 🛒 Retail Noise: RTD shelves are crowded — deep consumer pull is bigger than shelf presence. • 🤝 Brand DNA: Authentic stories and community build loyal drinkers. Buy them today! https://www.theowlsbrew.com/ NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 38m
  6. Authentic RTDs Built on Live Music Roots 🎸🍹✨ Interview with Ruby Honerkamp

    12/04/2025

    Authentic RTDs Built on Live Music Roots 🎸🍹✨ Interview with Ruby Honerkamp

    Send us a text This week 📢I talk🎙️with Ruby Honerkamp Founder and Co-CEO of Talkhouse Encore created in honor of the iconic Hamptons venue, Stephen Talkhouse! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁 Ruby Honerkamp talks TalkHouse Encore 🍊🍸 RTDs, real tequila, vodka, & legacy bar roots in the Hamptons 🎤🎶 A brand built on taste, data, & community ❤️‍🔥  Ruby grew up in the music venue and shares a story of wearing her best dress for Sting as a kid. Her parents founded and manage the venue. Created out of a way to pivot from COVID "Talkhouse Encore" was born. It honors the top drinks requested at the bar and is made with fresh ingredients. 🎤 From the stage to the shelf! Ruby Honerkamp, Founder of TalkHouse Encore, brings the soul of an iconic East Hampton live music venue into every can. These tequila & vodka RTDs are no boardroom – they’re grassroots, authentic, and crushable. Ruby shares the startup journey, operational smarts (hello KPIs), flavor formulation secrets, and the hustle of scaling without selling out. 💡 Top Takeaways: Built on heritage, not hypeTequila & vodka-based RTDs with real fruit juiceFlavor-first, calorie-smartStrong local focus > chasing every marketCRM-driven growth & velocity KPIsDistribution done right: beer-style mindsetAuthentic storytelling builds sub-communitiesHoward Stern & Metallica fans approved 🎸🎧NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 21m
  7. Yuval Selik CEO & Co-Founder of Promomash "Why 80% of CPG Brands Fail Fast"

    11/21/2025

    Yuval Selik CEO & Co-Founder of Promomash "Why 80% of CPG Brands Fail Fast"

    Send us a text Discover the 7‑hat framework for entrepreneurs from Yuval Selik on mindset 🧠, health 💪, relationships ❤️, business 💼, investing 📈, giving back 🌍 & purpose ✨. Transform your life + venture!  ⁨@ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST⁩   In this episode of Thirsty Thursdays, Yuval Selik breaks down the 7 Hats every founder must wear for real success: • Hat 1: Self & Mindset 🧠 – Your internal world drives your impact • Hat 2: Athlete/Health 💪 – Your body is your business asset • Hat 3: Relationships ❤️ – People fuel your platform • Hat 4: Entrepreneur 💼 – Build the thing & scale smart • Hat 5: Investor 📈 – Protect your nest‑egg before growth • Hat 6: Philanthropist 🌍 – Contributions complete your legacy • Hat 7: Seeker/Spiritual ✨ – Connection to something bigger than profit Key Take‑aways: You can’t neglect your foundation and expect business to thrive Cash flow + margin beat hype — especially in CPG/retail Data & analytics matter: don’t fly blind in shelf‑business Fulfilment comes from balance, not burnout Call to Action: 👉 Hit Like, Subscribe, and drop a comment: Which hat are you ignoring? 👉 Share this episode with another founder who needs balance! Mentors Jim Rohn,  Tony Robbins,  Wayne Dyer,  Your Clients CPG Pioneers GT Dave Created GT's Living Foods Kombucha Pioneer Seth Goldman Just Ice Tea John Paul DeGioria Patron Books E-Myth Revisited Ramping Up Your Brand by James Richardson Jobs to be Done  When Coffee and Kale Compete by Alan Klement NOW ON YOUTUBE!!! Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

    1h 7m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

I'm a 20+ year veteran in the wine and spirits industry who loves innovation. I'm interviewing those who are creating it from agriculture to glass. We will deep dive into their journey and provide insights to help yours. We will discuss their major industry pain points and outlook for the future. If my guest has an item to drink or eat we will try it throughout the podcast. Come on the journey with us!Now On YouTube!!     https://www.youtube.com/@ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST