SPIRITS TRAILBLAZER SAMMY HAGAR

Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. rises above the competition through ingenuity and expertise.

Sammy Hagar’s desire for adventure permeates his exploration as he creates new spirits as part of his empire of beverages, restaurants, bars, and retail. Now Hagar’s award-winning Puerto Rico-made Beach Bar Rum steeps island flavor into his new Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. top-shelf sparkling rum RTD cocktails. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and spirits entrepreneur rocks great spirits along with food and music as he continues to delight his fans.

The RDT (ready-to-drink) market exploded during the pandemic when consumers couldn’t or wouldn’t go to the bar and wanted to drink cocktails at home.

“When I first started this project in the ready-to-drink market, no one was canning spirits, only malt- and winesugar-based drinks. I personally didn’t like these drinks and wanted to create a great spirit RTD,” Sammy explains. “I decided to use my Puerto Rico-made rum and develop a fuzzy, sparkling rum drink.”

Sammy spoke with several key people that distributed spirits who advised him that the RTD cocktails using spirits would be expensive to produce. Sammy loves drinking margaritas made with tequila and mixed vodka drinks and knew that rum blended with soda or juices makes delicious drinks.

“I decided to work with flavors such as pineapple and cherry cola and started experimenting. By the time I finished all my research and development, which I do all myself, the cost to produce was affordable, and I could be competitive.”

Playful twists on four classic flavors tantalize with Tangerine Dream, Pineapple Splash, Island Pop, and Cherry Kola Chill. Made with all-natural ingredients and sweetened with agave, each flavor is 5.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), under 130 calories, and five grams of sugar per 12-ounce can.

The explosion continued with the launch of several brands of RTDs with spirit-based cocktails. While it might appear that Sammy is entering the RTD market a little late, he is actually head of the curve with his upscale, premium product.

“To my advantage, I am a rock ‘n’ roll artist, so I tour and make my money that way. I was very successful with Cabo Wabo with crazy money and many other businesses, so I don’t need to hit a profit margin. I do what I want to do, and that is to make the best quality product I can possibly make to my taste, which is how I am different from others. I know many try to produce products that appeal to everyone, but I want to create products that I like and sell them for a competitive price,” he explains.

The spirits industry brings him love and joy that he wants to share with others. Sammy’s reward is creating and developing his products. When Sammy first wanted to launch a tequila product, it became an adventure of a lifetime for him. He was an explorer, traveling to Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico.

“I almost understood what the explorers felt like when they sailed and discovered the new world,” Sammy laughs. “I get goosebumps when I think about how amazing I could join the escapades of these explorers.”

He would visit distilleries and meet with farmers, viewing acres of the agave plant being grown. With his partner for Cabo Wabo, Sammy was treated to exceptional tequila produced just for friends and family by the farmers. Sammy would play his guitar

Photo by Ray Alamo

Photo by Zan Passante

and sing songs and was blown away by the tequila he was drinking. They used the ripest and largest plants to produce about 20 cases annually of their personal stash of tequila. He would make a deal to have them produce the same tequila for his brand, Cabo Wabo.

In 2017, Sammy created Santo Mezquila, the first tequila and mezcal hybrid blend. He would then join forces with longtime friend, Emmy Award-winning chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri, to expand the Santo brand with the launch of Santo Tequila Blanco, a premium old-world style tequila.

Sammy is very hands-on in creating his spirits empire, finding the proper bottles and cans, and working with the production team. He has been known to load cases into trucks ready for distribution.

“I am that kind of a guy,” he laughs. “So is Guy and we are completely hands-on every step of the way with Santo Tequila Blanco. I just don’t put my name on the product and walk away. Sometimes, this is just as exciting for me as rock ‘n’ roll.”

Sammy put in the same care with his Beach Bar Cocktails. “Early on when I first wanted to make rum, I traveled to Hawaii for the finest sugarcane and made pure cane rum originally. But that became way too expensive for the market so I moved the production to Puerto Rico.”

Everything Sammy does is quality, including his spirits line, music, and other businesses.

“One of the best sounds I can hear is when someone pops the can of my RTD cocktails, hearing that swoop, take a sip and tell everyone how good it tastes. This is a big reward for me,” he states. “Just walking into a store and seeing your booze on the shelf or a bottle in a bar is like turning on the radio and hearing my music. That is so exciting for me.”

The Beach Bar Cocktails are available in four packs and sold in restaurants, bars, grocery, and liquor stores in California, Texas, Nevada, Florida, with distribution in more states coming soon.

The Beach Bar Cocktails can also be purchased online nationwide at sbbcco.com/buy-now. Follow on Facebook @ sammysbbcco, Instagram @ sbbcco, and Twitter @ sbbcco.

Photo by Zan Passante

THE FLAVOR PROFILES, AS SAMMY EXPLAINS, INCLUDE:

TANGERINE DREAM

A refreshing blend of tangerine and vanilla cream; the classic Creamsicle. “There’s nothing better than a Creamsicle.”

PINEAPPLE SPLASH

The slight sweetness of pineapple, followed by the kick of jalapeño. “I like it sweet, with some Jalapeño heat!”

ISLAND POP

The fruity flavors of cherry, pineapple, and citrus, pack a Hawaiian punch. “That classic Hawaiian style punch!”

CHERRY KOLA CHILL

That classic soda fountain flavor of cherry cola with a hint of spice. “My take on that classic Cherry Cola vibe.”