Good Morning! We are thrilled to welcome you to the first edition of In Good Spirits. We hope to create a newsletter that will promote a sense of community within the online Alcohol / Bar / Spirits world. We hope that In Good Spirits will serve as a resource to inform, spark curiosity, and share in some fun along the way. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like us to cover in future editions down below! Cheers!

Steve the Bartender Opens up about Open Heart Surgery

Chances are, if you’ve ever consumed any sort of online bar or cocktail content, then you’re familiar with Steve the Bartender. One of the  O.Gs of the online cocktail space with over 745,000 subscribers on YouTube, Steve recently got back on the saddle and posted his first video in over 3 months , following Open Heart Surgery.

The 39 year-old Aussie’s message in his return from hiatus was not about drinks, but all about raising awareness for heart disease instead. Importantly, Steve points out that “many people don't know they have coronary heart disease until they have angina or a heart attack.”

Steve had been posting cocktail and bartending videos weekly for over 8 years and is now re-committed to posting again, uploading every Wednesday.

Our Take: While it’s great to see Steve gracing our screens again (we have missed him), this should serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that our industry isn't exactly known for being the healthiest. You should probably go ahead and schedule that physical you’ve been avoiding.

#BatangaWeek takes over your social feed.

Recently you might've noticed that a host of your favorite cocktail creators have been gushing about the Batanga. Creators such as Lucas Assis, CocktailsbyHawk, High Proof Preacher, HolyCity Handcraft, our very own LuiFern, and many, many more were all posting about this apparently illustrious drink. But what is it? 

The Batanga is a cocktail that was created by Don Javier (R.I.P) at La Capilla, a cantina in the town of Tequila, Jalisco MX. It is a simple cocktail that combines lime, tequila (traditionally made with El Tequileño), a bit of salt in the drink as well as the rim, and lastly, Mexican Coke.

While the buzz started within just a small group of creators, the trend quickly spread amongst bar professionals and enthusiasts alike who wanted to get in on the fun. Even other cocktail content creators, such as @Join_Jules and @Nicolas.Hamilton got in on the action and put their own spin on the classic drink. As Memes quickly started to spread, the Batanga essentially blew up everyone’s Bartok feeds for a week. If all of that wasn’t enough, an anthem was even created for it!

Many in the audience (whatup, haters!) were quick to criticize and call out the creators for what they believed to be a coordinated advertising campaign. There were even some incredibly incorrect and poorly researched articles written about the experience which were full of inaccuracies. Chris, “Not Just a Bartender”, made an incredible video recapping this viral sensation and explaining the origins of the trend, providing much-needed clarity.

Our Take: Not everything in this industry is an industry plant or coordinated advertising campaign. Sometimes trends can be just some friends getting together and doing something for fun. It’s OK to lighten up a little.

Boston restaurant, Table, goes viral for owner’s unhinged behavior

Any publicity is good publicity, right? Well, the owner of the North End Boston restaurant Table, is putting that notion to the test, and has gone viral for all the wrong reasons on social media.

It all started when Trevor, a would-be patron of the restaurant, posted screen shots of a message he received from Jen Royle, Chef-owner of Table, who was clearly not happy that Trevor was disputing a reservation cancellation fee (a hefty one, at that) due to a supposed hospitalization. As of writing this email, the original post has over 23 million views!

An article from Eater points out that the ensuing social media frenzy got so out of control, that the owner reported that she was receiving online death threats. Talk about getting blown out of proportion.

It’s an unfortunate development for Table, a restaurant that was by many accounts, highly regarded prior to this social media debacle.

The Internet is a ruthless place and people started to double and triple-down on Table—pulling up receipts from reviews posted on the restaurants’ Yelp page, claiming anyone who rated her place a 1 star review was lying. That's a bold tactic… to say the least.

The beleaguered Royle continues to defend her stance while the restaurants online listings say that it is closed and remains under fire.

Our take: Maybe let your food do the talking instead of harassing people on a public forum? I know the customer isn’t always right but in the restaurant biz, they sometimes kind of are..

It’s great to stick to your guns and hold true to your values, but you will never defeat the Internet mob. Show respect to your customers, regardless of who they are. But also please don't send people death threats.

🍹In Other News

• Arizona Cocktail Week Just wrapped up and Leandro from the Educated Barfly made a great recap video

• Agave prices have fallen so much some farmers have resorted to shredding agave to feed cattle