Will Justin Glaze find love on this season of Bachelor in Paradise? Only time and reality TV producers who violate their non-disclosure agreement will tell, but we do have the scoop on Glaze’s new labor of love: a ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail brand that launches today.
The Bachelor hopeful has channeled his celebrity into an espresso martini brand called Love Potion, debuting today via direct-to-consumer at $22.99 per 4-pack. The nitro-infused cocktail in a 200ml can is crafted with La Colombe espresso, premium American corn-based vodka, and natural ingredients, like Madagascar bourbon vanilla and cold-pressed citrus oils.
“As a self-proclaimed espresso martini connoisseur, it was natural for me to launch with the espresso martini as our first skew,” Glaze told BevNET.
Following a pre-Bachelor career in finance, Love Potion is Glaze’s first jump into CPG and bev-alc. Glaze was runner-up on the 17th season of The Bachelorette, and returned for the 8th season of Bachelor in Paradise. He now joins the latter show for its tenth season, which premiered this month.
After ordering many iterations of his favorite cocktail around the world, Glaze took a hands-on approach to crafting his own version, drafting nearly 50 attempts working with a California craft distiller until hitting upon the final formula. Glaze’s passion for painting can be seen in the can and branding design as well. The ombre coloring is meant to mimic the look of foam on top of the martini as it fades into the deep brown base of the drink.
“I wanted to add some kind of decaling in the background too and to create something that was unique, appealing, but also repeatable for when we come up with other SKUs as well,” he said.
Glaze has his own network of followers and will lean on other “public-facing folks” to help drive initial hype, as well as a team that will develop strategies for social media and in-store tastings to “keep the traction moving forward.” Retail sales will begin in California later this summer. He’s confident that his focus on perfecting the product over the past few years will help create loyalty.
“I want to create something that people are going to love – even if someone doesn’t know that Justin Glaze created Love Potion, I want them to go back to their local liquor store because they love Love Potion’s Espresso Martini or whatever other SKU I launch with,” he said.
A possible tequila iteration is next up, and seasonal releases as well, with ideas for other cocktails brewing as well.
Glaze has some competition: at the height of the espresso martini craze the number of prepared espresso cocktail UPCs rose by 180% at the beginning of 2023 compared to the same time the year prior. The cocktail has been coined “the Millennial Red Bull and vodka” with craft canned cocktail brands like Tip Top Cocktails and Via Carota adding SKUs. Other coffee and booze-focused RTD brands have made headway on shelves as well.
Some celebrities have found success lately leveraging their followings into the category leading growth for spirits. Brands such as fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s VMC, Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre’s Gin & Juice, and Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter have made strides on the retail charts over the last year.
As Glaze throws his hat in the ring, he can apply one lesson learned from reality TV to entrepreneurship: how to take risks.
“You learn to develop a thick skin, and do things for yourself,” he said. “I’m hoping the product is great, I believe in the product, but I want to hear what people think and it’s not going to hurt my feelings, because those are things that I’m going to take in and continue to develop the recipe and use for future SKUs.”