Good Friday Morning! I hope you all are having a great week. If you bought tickets to our Private Dinner with Lalo, we cant wait to see you! We sold out for the event and its looking like its going to be one hell of an evening.

But speaking of evenings that are sure to be incredible, Next Monday, June 2nd, I will be behind the bar @jmcurleybar with my friend @mustache.flex for an industry night of reasonably priced cocktails featuring @novofogo cachaça!

Boston (and greater Boston) Industry (and non industry) Friends! Come hang out, we have one hell of an evening planned! Tell your friends and let's get wild on a Monday night.

Suburbs, Cocktails, and Why the Future of Hospitality Might Not Be Where You Expect 

I was recently interviewed for a VinePair article exploring how cocktail culture is thriving outside big cities. Here’s why that matters — and why it’s personal.

Not too long ago, if you wanted to have a real cocktail — I’m talking about something made with care, by someone who knows what they’re doing — your only real option was to trek into the city.

That was just the assumed truth: serious cocktail culture belonged to cities. Suburbs got Applebee’s.

But that story is changing. And I was fortunate to be interviewed for a recent VinePair article that digs into this shift: how bars in suburban communities are becoming some of the most exciting places for cocktails — and how more of us are intentionally building something meaningful outside city limits.

It’s a topic close to home for me. In 2019, I opened Ember & Alma in Marlborough, MA — a Boston suburb with a large Brazilian population (including me & my family). I opened it not just because the rent was lower — though trust me, that helped — but because I believed the suburbs deserved better. A better drink, yes, but also a better experience. One rooted in culture, flavor, and community.

The Economics of City vs. Suburb

Let’s not ignore the obvious: opening a bar in the city is brutal. A full liquor license in Boston can run $600,000+ — a barrier so high that unless you’re backed by serious investors or ready to take a massive risk, it’s just not feasible. And that’s before we talk about rent, staffing, and the pressure of competing with a dozen award-winning bars within walking distance.

Meanwhile, the suburbs offer a bit more breathing room — financially and creatively. The costs are lower, yes, but just as importantly, the stakes are different. You’re not trying to win awards. You’re trying to make people feel welcome, surprise them with something delicious, and give them a reason to come back next week — ideally with friends.

The Great Post-Covid Shift

That breathing room became even more meaningful after Covid. Once remote work became the norm and city life became, let’s just say less appealing, people started moving out. They left the noise, the costs, the commutes — but they didn’t leave their taste behind.

They still wanted great cocktails. Still wanted a good Manhattan or a well-made Daiquiri. But now they wanted it in their neighborhood, not 45 minutes away with a $100 Uber roundtrip. And they were ready to support places that took their palates seriously.

As the article points out, there’s now this beautiful mix happening in suburbs: some guests are longtime locals, some are city transplants. Some are curious newbies, others are extremely educated about spirits. As operators, we have to speak to all of them — not by watering things down, but by finding that sweet spot between approachability and depth.

Meeting People Where They Are (And Raising the Bar)

When we first opened, a lot of guests didn’t quite know what to make of our menu. Many had only experienced cocktails at big chains. We had to break down the basics: what fresh juice tastes like, why we don’t use pre-mixes, what makes a Negroni different from a Margarita. It was slow, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately deeply rewarding.

Now, those same guests bring friends in and ask for something “dealer’s choice.” They ask thoughtful questions. They know what they like. They’ve grown with us.

That’s one of the coolest things about working in a suburb — you get to help shape the palate of your community. Not in a preachy, “let me educate you” way. But through conversation, curiosity, and trust.

Suburbs Aren’t a Compromise — They’re a Choice

What stood out to me in the VinePair piece — and in the voices of operators like Jonathan Gonzalez (Hunter & Thief, Long Island) and Tanner Agar (Flamant, Texas) — is that this isn’t about “making the best of a bad location.” It’s about making the suburbs better. Period.

There’s this outdated idea that if you’re not opening in Brooklyn or downtown L.A., you’re settling. But honestly? The suburbs have room. Room to create something lasting. Room to invest in people. Room to connect.

And no, maybe we won’t be on a “World’s 50 Best Bars” list anytime soon. But we’re building something just as important: spaces that feel personal, places that reflect the neighborhoods around them, and programs that can surprise someone who thought they were just going out for a drink and end up discovering something new.

What’s Next?

If you care about where hospitality is going, keep your eye on the suburbs. More and more of us are choosing to put down roots here — not just because it’s cheaper, but because it’s meaningful. Because we see the potential to serve people well, where they actually live.

The suburbs aren’t just bedroom communities anymore. They’re cultural spaces in their own right. And they deserve bars that reflect that.

More Tequila Drama! Additive Free Alliance Files Defense against CRT

We’ve been covering the ongoing standoff between the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) and the Additive Free Alliance (AFA) — a conflict that’s as much about transparency and consumer rights as it is about trademarks. The update comes from The Spirits Business, outlined the CRT's lawsuit against the AFA, accusing them of misleading consumers and infringing on the CRT’s control over Tequila certification.

Now, there's a major development: the AFA has officially filed its defense in U.S. federal court, and it's not pulling punches.

The nonprofit — launched by the folks behind Tequila Matchmaker — is pushing back hard against the CRT’s lawsuit, which claims the AFA is misleading consumers by running an “unauthorized” certification program for additive-free Tequila. But in its response, the AFA is calling the lawsuit a thinly veiled attempt to silence independent consumer advocacy, arguing that it’s protected by the First Amendment and that the CRT is overstepping its bounds, both legally and geographically.

This isn’t just a dry courtroom skirmish — it’s a deep challenge to who controls the narrative (and the standards) in one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the world.

If you want to see a timeline of the lawsuit and a website of where all of the documents are being stored, you can find it here.

If you want to just read the defense filed earlier this week, you can download it below.

What's the Background?

The CRT filed suit back in March 2025, accusing the AFA and its affiliated platforms of trademark infringement. The CRT claims that the AFA’s additive-free labeling is misleading, unauthorized, and harmful to the Tequila industry’s integrity. It paints itself as the sole authority allowed to certify and label Tequila products under the official Mexican standard.

But the AFA says that’s not how it works in the U.S.

In its defense, the AFA claims it never represented itself as a certification body under Mexican law, and that its evaluations of additive-free claims were clearly presented as independent, voluntary, and non-binding. It emphasizes that this work is a form of protected free speech, aimed at helping consumers make more informed decisions.

The Bigger Fight: Who Gets to Define Authenticity?

At the core of this fight is the question: who gets to say what counts as "authentic" Tequila? The CRT argues that only it can make that call. The AFA says: not so fast.

The AFA also cites the creation of Certificación Mexicana in 2022 — an entirely separate Mexican entity authorized to inspect and certify Tequila under the same standards as CRT. The CRT tried to challenge that move in Mexican court, but the lawsuit was dismissed for lack of standing.

This, according to the AFA, completely undermines the CRT’s claim of exclusivity and calls the validity of its U.S. trademark into question.

Allegations of Industry Capture

The AFA's filing goes further, suggesting that the CRT isn't just overreaching — it's compromised.

According to the AFA, the CRT is primarily funded by major Tequila producers and does not operate impartially. It also claims the CRT has certified and approved Tequilas that were later found to contain non-agave additives while still being labeled as "100% agave."

The AFA says it tested 15 Tequilas from nine different distilleries and found that some contained non-agave alcohol (such as cane spirit), despite being certified under CRT as pure agave.

If true, that’s more than just a paperwork problem — it’s a body blow to the credibility of a regulatory organization supposedly safeguarding the authenticity of a national product.

Additive-Free: A Threat or a Tool?

The CRT has also argued that the term "additive-free" is misleading and should not be used in marketing without prior verification. But the AFA says the CRT had already allowed the term on labels for years and even approved the group’s use of "confirmation" (instead of "certification") back in 2021, after initial objections.

In fact, the AFA says the CRT went silent for nearly four years before filing its current complaint. That delay, they argue, weakens the case and amounts to what legal experts call "laches" — unreasonable delay that prejudices the defendant.

Why It Matters

This is about much more than who gets to rubber-stamp a Tequila bottle.

At a time when drinkers are demanding more transparency about what’s in their glass, this case tests the limits of regulatory authority, the value of independent verification, and the power of grassroots advocacy in an industry dominated by large-scale players.

If the AFA succeeds, it could open the door to greater consumer empowerment, more competition among certifiers, and a broader conversation about what makes a spirit authentic.

If the CRT wins, it could reassert its monopoly over the Tequila narrative, clamping down on independent voices and solidifying its control over one of Mexico’s most valuable exports.

Either way, this battle is far from over — and it’s one worth watching closely.

Best Post We Saw This Week

I know we already posted something from Vinepair, and I always try to showcase a variety of sources but this story was really impactful and too interesting not to share.

Of course, this has now also been put on hold but its still so interesting to see how the wine, spirits, and beer industry can fight back.

In Other News

• Our Friend, Dylan Ettinger, published this great piece in Food and Wine about The Best Rums to Make a Classic Mai Tai, According to Experts

• An Insightful look into What’s to come next for hemp-derived beverages?

• Rich Manning, who wrote the article about Cocktail Bars in the suburbs, also wrote this article: We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Bourbon? (2025)