Good Morning! This weeks newsletter is filled to the brim with so much news so I wont ramble much or bore you all. I hope your week is going well, and if your in the industry getting ready for Mother’s Day this weekend, may you have an incredibly busy but not super stressful shift (Yeah… good luck with that)

🍸 MORE Tequila Trouble Brewing: Don Julio and Casamigos Under Fire

Big tequila brands face big questions—and a major lawsuit.

If you’ve been following our newsletter, you know we’ve been covering the struggles in the tequila world for a while now—shady labeling, exploitation of agave farmers, questionable regulatory oversight, and a whole lot of smoke around what’s really in your bottle. But in the latest bombshell news, things just got real:

As reported on Mezcalistas, On May 5, a class action lawsuit was filed against Diageo North America—the corporate giant behind Don Julio and Casamigos—accusing them of falsely labeling their products as “100% agave.”

💥 What’s the Big Deal?

According to powerhouse legal firm Hagens Berman, independent lab tests suggest these prestige brands may actually contain cane or other non-agave alcohols—making them illegal under both Mexican and U.S. law. That’s not just bad form—it’s potentially criminal.

Their argument? Consumers are being duped into paying top shelf prices for bottom shelf integrity.

🧪 The Science Behind the Claims

The case leans heavily on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing, which can detect whether a tequila has been adulterated. The Additive Free Alliance has backed this method, asserting that it exposes what regulators might miss—or ignore.

⚖️ Who’s Taking on Diageo?

The plaintiffs include hospitality pros like kosher cocktail consultant Avi Pusateri, serial entrepreneur Chaim Mishulovin, and Sushi Tokyo Inc., which operates five restaurants in NYC. But this isn’t just their fight—this class action could open the door to anyone in New York or New Jersey who’s bought Don Julio or Casamigos in recent years.

🥃 Why It Matters to the Bar Community

This story hits at the heart of something we’ve been reporting on for months: authenticity in the agave world. If these allegations hold water (or cane alcohol), the ripple effects could:

• Undermine trust in the “super-premium” tequila category

• Pressure brands to be transparent or face backlash

• Give long-ignored agave farmers and activists real legal validation

• Call into question the authority of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT)

And let’s not forget the ongoing drama between the CRT and Tequila Matchmaker, whose database of verified additive-free tequilas has made it a key player in the transparency movement. The CRT has often clashed with transparency advocates, arguing its own methods are sufficient—while enthusiasts and producers alike have pointed to the Matchmaker platform as a more trustworthy resource. If Diageo’s 100% agave claims collapse under legal scrutiny, it could further validate Matchmaker’s role and cast even deeper doubt on CRT's oversight.

💬 Final Thoughts: The Industry’s Moment of Reckoning

For anyone behind the bar—or just a lover of honest spirits—this is the kind of moment we’ve been bracing for. If proven true, this lawsuit won’t just dent Diageo’s image—it’ll shake the entire tequila ecosystem.

We’ve been telling you this industry had cracks. Now, one of the biggest fissures might’ve just split wide open. Of course, a lawsuit doesn’t automatically determine blame and everyone will have their opportunity to present their case, but its that exact presentation of evidence that I think will be the most interesting in this case as it could open up a whole can of worms. We will surely keep you updated on anything we hear.

🥂 Mental Health in Hospitality: A Culture Shift in Motion

We all know the unspoken code of the industry: keep grinding, smile through the chaos, and if you gotta cry, the walk-in’s always open. But things are changing—and fast. A recent piece by Kate Dingwall in Wine Enthusiast highlights how leaders in the hospitality world are flipping the script on mental health, and it’s something we should all be paying attention to.

📉 The Industry’s Been Hurting

Burnout, anxiety, depression, substance misuse—these have always been part of the job, but the pandemic cranked the heat. Bartenders were frontline workers, short-staffed and overworked. Nearly 90% of bartenders report high anxiety, and over 90% struggle to maintain personal relationships. Not okay.

🛠️ Enter the Helpers: Southern Smoke & Focus on Health

Southern Smoke (founded after Hurricane Harvey) now offers free therapy (23 sessions!) and emergency financial aid for anyone in food and beverage—from sommeliers to distillery staff. Whether you’re facing PTSD, a medical crisis, or your bike got stolen, they’ve got your back.

Focus on Health, started by bartending vets Alex Jump and LP O’Brien, pushes the wellness conversation even further with harm reduction, sober bar pop-ups, and walk/run clubs to build community without alcohol. They’re creating a culture where taking care of yourself isn’t just okay—it’s encouraged.

💚 Human Sustainability > Hustle Culture

Leaders like Steve Palmer (Indigo Road Hospitality) and Jon Murray (Noko) are prioritizing “human sustainability.” We’re talking no shift drinks, free counseling, paid vacation, yoga, and even travel stipends. These aren't just perks—they're part of a bigger movement to make our industry healthier, happier, and more humane.

The results? Some of these businesses are seeing employee turnover as low as 14.5%—a game-changer in a world where 75% is the norm.

🧠 Education, Allyship & Equity

Mental health doesn’t stop at therapy. Places like Grape Witches are offering scholarships to BIPOC wine professionals, and groups like 86 Harassment are providing 24/7 emotional support and harassment training to protect and empower hospitality workers—especially those from marginalized communities.

💬 Final Thoughts: This Ain’t Just a Trend

This is a real-deal culture shift. The idea that “mental health is health” is finally gaining traction, and it’s about time. Whether you’re slinging drinks, managing a team, or just trying to make it through another Friday night rush, you deserve support, stability, and a shot at balance.

This article also opened my eyes to things that I, as a bar owner and server/bartender employer, could be doing to create an even better and more equitable space to work in. It made me question myself as well. I've always said I want to make this a sustainable career for people and showing different avenues for them to succeed, but how am I doing that myself in my day to day? There are definitely ideas that I will be taking from what these other incredible people in the industry are doing and implementing them.

Let’s keep talking about this. Let’s keep building a bar world we’re proud to be a part of.

Best Post We Saw This Week:

I’ll admit, this one is a bit of a weird one to be sharing here but I promise there is a reason.

Earlier this week, Boston Magazine posted an Instagram carousel that caught our eye—and if you've been with us for a while, you know we’ve touched on this before. After swiping through and diving into the full carousel, it raised some fascinating questions about where the industry is headed—not just in Boston, but potentially everywhere.

🍻 Boston’s Long Love Affair with Booze

The second slide in the post hints at Boston’s very long history with drinking culture. Then, in stark contrast, the next one talks about how Gen Z just isn’t drinking the way previous generations did. For those of us who remember going out in Boston almost every weekend (shoutout to that magical summer when the T ran until 3 a.m.), it’s a noticeable shift.

🏡 From the City to the Suburbs

Here’s where this goes beyond Boston: the post points out a growing trend—people moving to the suburbs and the bar scene flourishing outside urban centers. COVID was a huge inflection point. With remote jobs and sky-high rents, cities like Boston became less practical for many, and they took their cocktail cravings with them.

As someone who owns a suburban cocktail bar 35 minutes outside Boston, I’ve seen this firsthand. Over the last few years, my guests have increasingly been more and more folks who moved out of the city looking for something more affordable, more relaxed, and still high-quality.

📸 Experience Over Frequency

The IG post also points to another shift: people may be going out less often, but when they do, they want something memorable and Instagrammable. This isn’t new—but it’s intensifying. As costs rise and priorities change, the average night out is becoming more of a curated experience than a weekly routine. Think once every few weeks instead of multiple times a week.

💭 Bigger Questions for the Industry

This post got me thinking: what’s happening in Boston is likely happening in other major cities too. Demographic shifts, lifestyle changes, and evolving drinking habits are all reshaping the bar world. In fact, just this morning, I had a meeting in Boston with a friend who runs the beverage program across six restaurants. We ended up deep in conversation about all of this—and what, if anything, we can do about it.

(Also, keep your eyes peeled—we’re planning a killer event in Boston. Details coming soon.)

The takeaway? These trends aren’t just regional quirks. They’re signals. As an industry, we need to adapt, evolve, and rethink what hospitality looks like in a changing world.

In Other News:

• Anders Erickson posted The ultimate beginner's guide to BOURBON!

• Punch broke down the North Americas 50 Best Bar by the numbers, which made for a fantastic read.

• Remy Newland passed away recently, and many content creators and different people in the tequila community, Including my friend Doug, posted photos and sharing stories in her honor. While she was someone that I never met personally, its been touching to see and read how much she impacted so many in the tequila space.