Good Morning! Happy Friday morning.

Last week I shared that we are hosting the next Cocktail Dinner Club event on June 4th, with our friends at Lalo Spirits! We still have about 15 seats available. This event will be held (as they all are) at my bar & restaurant, Ember & Alma, and it will feature 2 original cocktails, tastings and a full unique 3-course meal that utilizes the spirits as well. This event is sure to be a hit and it's likely to sell out, so if you want to get your tickets click here now! Come hang out!

We are also hosting a Caipirinha Masterclass on Saturday May 31st at 3 PM with our friends Novo Fogo! Come learn & make your own Caipirinha & drink some Caipirinhas!

I also posted this video this week about the Class Action Lawsuit that Casamigos & Don Julio are facing. I dove deep into the details of this case and Id highly recommend giving it a watch!

Anyway, on to this weeks newsletter.

What’s Really in Your Spirits?

The Additive Debate Isn’t Just About Tequila Anymore

If you’ve spent any time online in spirits circles lately (or lets be real. If you watch any content I've ever made or read this newsletter for ANY length of time), you’ve seen the growing tension around additives — especially in tequila.

The controversy has gotten intense. An ongoing conflict between the independently-run Additive-Free Alliance and tequila’s regulatory body, the CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila), has made it illegal for any tequila brand to say on their label or in their marketing whether they use additives — even if they don’t. The result? A chilling effect on transparency in a category that was just starting to open up.

But as Suzanna Barton highlights in her excellent deep-dive for VinePair, this isn’t just a tequila problem. Additives are everywhere in the spirits world — and most of the time, you’d never know.

You can read her full piece here, and I highly recommend it. Barton pulls together a wide range of industry voices and offers essential context for anyone who cares about what goes into the bottle.

Additives Are Common — and Usually Undisclosed

We’re not just talking about tequila. Additives are legal and widely used in Cognac, Scotch, rum, blended whiskeys, and more.

• Caramel coloring is often added to create consistency across batches or make a spirit appear older.

• Sugar is used to sweeten, round out mouthfeel, or make a spirit more approachable.

• Boisé in Cognac (an oak extract made from steeped wood chips) is sometimes used to simulate oak aging and deepen flavor.

• In rum, many producers also add macerated fruits, oak chips, or other ingredients — especially in regions with more flexible regulations, like Venezuela.

Despite the widespread use, most of this isn’t disclosed on labels. In fact, unless you’re drinking something like American straight whiskey (which legally cannot contain additives), odds are your bottle includes something extra — and you’re not being told.

A History of Additives

Historically, additives were everywhere. In 19th-century America, rectifiers doctored “whiskey” with everything from prune juice to turpentine to mimic age or hide flaws. That led directly to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which became a cornerstone of truth-in-labeling for spirits.

And while today’s rules are tighter — e.g., “straight” whiskey must be additive-free — other categories allow some wiggle room. For instance, up to 2.5% flavoring or coloring agents can be added to blended whiskeys without disclosure.

In Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whisky, caramel coloring is almost a given — even in high-end bottles — but labeling is optional. Barton points out that some producers are now leaning into transparency, using terms like “no added color” and “non-chill filtered” as signifiers of craft and care.

Not Always Bad, But Rarely Transparent

Here’s the nuance that Barton captures so well: Additives aren’t inherently evil.

As Nicolas Palazzi of PM Spirits says in the article:

The real issue isn’t whether additives are used — it’s why they’re used and whether consumers know about it.

Even in rum, where additives like sugar are deeply traditional, Barton notes that many producers aren’t trying to deceive anyone. As rum expert Matt Pietrek puts it:

Both Palazzi and Pietrek argue for more label transparency, not necessarily fewer additives. Let producers make the product they want — just tell people what’s in the bottle.

Cognac and the Case for Disclosure

Cognac may be the most fascinating case in Barton’s reporting. Producers often add caramel, sugar, and boisé, and the practice has deep historical roots. But a newer generation of brands — like Cognac Pasquet — are doing things differently, proudly labeling their spirits as non-chill filtered, natural color, and non-dosed.

Interestingly, Barton notes that even major Cognac houses like Hennessy and Martell are beginning to voluntarily disclose ingredients (though boisé is still excluded, for unclear reasons).

This growing shift toward transparency is being driven, in part, by whiskey drinkers crossing over into brandy and demanding the same level of openness they’ve come to expect.

So... Who Actually Cares?

One of the most compelling points Barton makes is that the majority of consumers don’t care — or don’t know enough to care. Most Hennessy VS drinkers aren’t reading labels. Most Captain Morgan fans wouldn’t flinch if you told them it was full of sugar and flavoring.

But the small group that does care? They’re loud. They’re loyal. They’re influential. And they’re often the ones talking to bartenders, bar managers, and other drinkers.

That’s a huge point for anyone working in bars or spirits education. These customers may be niche, but their voice carries — and their desire for honest labeling and cleaner communication is already shaping how some producers market their bottles.

What Comes Next?

There are some promising developments:

• In Cognac, a voluntary disclosure initiative is gaining traction among major players.

• In rum, more brands like Planteray are openly sharing details like dosage (added sugar) amounts.

• And at the federal level, the TTB is reviewing proposals for nutritional labeling on alcohol — though that effort doesn’t yet require a full ingredients list, and any rollout could be years away.

For now, progress is coming piecemeal — one producer, one category at a time.

Bottom line: The issue of additives isn’t black and white. But transparency should be non-negotiable. Barton’s article is one of the best pieces I’ve read on this subject, and I think every bartender and spirits professional should give it a read: 👉 “Inside the Debate Over Additives in Spirits” by Suzanna Barton – VinePair

Let’s keep this conversation going — and let’s keep asking what’s really in the bottle.

Why Ice Is the Unsung Hero of Your Favorite Cocktail 

A Toast to Ice: Shape, Size & the Secret Science Behind a Better Drink

Last week, we talked about how some bars are rethinking ice altogether — from switching up ice programs to ditching it entirely. But this week, I wanted to take a step back and dive into why ice matters in cocktails in the first place. Like, really matters.

To help us break it all down, I’m pulling from one of the best in the game: Camper English. He’s a longtime spirits and cocktails writer based in San Francisco, and he’s carved out a bit of a niche as the industry’s go-to ice guy. Not only is he the author of Doctors and Distillers, but he literally wrote The Ice Book — a guide to everything from crystal-clear cubes to fancy spheres and why they’re more than just eye candy.

In a recent piece for Food & Wine, Camper gets into the science of how ice shape and size affect drinks — and it’s more important than you might think.

Sure, we all know ice chills and dilutes. But the how behind it? That’s where it gets good.

Let’s start here:

• Surface area affects how fast ice cools and dilutes.

• Volume determines how much cooling power the ice has overall.

So when you drop a big, slow-melting cube into your Old Fashioned, you’re not just making it look good — you’re slowing the rate of dilution and controlling how the drink evolves over time. That same cube, tossed into a room-temp soda? Practically useless. It won’t melt fast enough to make an impact.

On the flip side, crushed ice — perfect for a Mint Julep — melts fast, dilutes quickly, and keeps the whole drink icy cold, even after the bourbon’s long gone.

There’s also this myth that ice spheres “cool more with less dilution,” but as Camper points out, that’s not really how physics works. Cooling and dilution are a package deal — the slower it chills, the slower it waters down. If you want a cold drink without dilution, just pre-chill the glass.

One of the more underrated takeaways from Camper’s work is that ice shapes affect texture and the feel of the drink just as much as the taste. A vodka soda over regular cubes hits differently than one packed with pebble ice. Too much surface area, and you lose the carbonation before the first sip.

At the end of the day, using the right ice is all about control. Control over temperature, over dilution, and over how a drink unfolds as you sip it. Once you start seeing ice as an ingredient — not just something to fill the glass — your drinks start getting a whole lot more dialed in.

P.S. If you’re curious to geek out more on this topic, The Ice Book by Camper English is a killer resource. Whether you're running a bar or just upgrading your home setup, it's a crash course in making better drinks through better ice.

BCB Is Just Around the Corner — And I’m Speaking This Year!

Bar Convent Brooklyn is officially less than three weeks away!

If you’ve never been, BCB is one of the biggest and best events in our industry — a massive gathering of bartenders, brand folks, distillers, educators, and cocktail nerds all under one roof. The energy is unmatched.

Over two days in Brooklyn, you’ll find hundreds of brands showcasing their spirits, tools, and innovations. There are tasting booths everywhere, pop-up bars from all over the country (and the world), and an incredible lineup of panels, seminars, and workshops. It’s part trade show, part reunion, part bar crawl, part masterclass. And whether you're deep in the industry or just passionate about the craft, it's a space where you learn, taste, and connect.

Every year, I look forward to it — catching up with friends, discovering new brands, getting inspired by what others are doing behind the stick and behind the scenes. It’s truly one of the highlights of the year for me.

But this year is a little different — I’m not just attending… I’m speaking.

I’m beyond excited (and honestly a little nervous!) to be on the main stage this year alongside two good friends and content creators: Jordan Hughes (aka @highproofpreacher) and Miguel Buencamino (aka @holycityhandcraft).

Our talk is called “Cocktails, Cameras, and Credibility: Taking Your Career Online”, and it’s all about how bartenders and beverage professionals can build meaningful, creative careers through content and digital platforms. Social media is here to stay and there are some incredible ways to enhance your career through social media.

Jordan and Miguel are two of the best creators in the game, and I’ve learned so much from both of them over the years. To be able to share the stage with them and open up a real conversation about creativity, professionalism, and authenticity in this space feels like a huge honor.

📍 If you’re coming to BCB, make sure to swing by the Main Stage on Tuesday, June 10 at 1:45pm for our session. Whether you’re already building a brand online or just curious where to start, we’ll be digging into the highs, lows, strategies, and lessons we’ve picked up along the way.

Hope to see you there — and if you see me around, please say hey!

Spirited Awards Nominees For 2025!

The Spirited Awards are annual awards given during Tales of the Cocktail (the other major bartending & spirits convention) and this years nominees were just named! There are some incredible people named in here. And so cheers to them!

In Other News:

• There is an incredible Pop-Up bar being run out of a NYC diner, and a bartender I know Kevin has been working with them! Punch wrote an incredible article on how they turn a diner (which isn’t a bar) into a full blown cocktail bar.

• Mezcalistas published another incredible article that continues their great reporting on the Class Action Lawsuit of Don Julio & Casamigos called "The case against Casamigos: Can tests prove that tequila isn’t 100% agave?"