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DrinkCurious would like to thank Real Producer’s Magazine for the fantastic story about DrinkCurious. They did a great job capturing our story and sharing our vision. We’re just getting started and look forward to many more feature stories about how we’re striving to teach the world drink better. The full copy of the article is below the image for your reading pleasure.
around town with Drinkcurious
Written by Stephanie Malench
An adage says, “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Making your passion your job is a goal that many folks dream about, but for Patrick Garrett, it is a goal achieved after more than a decade of pursuing his passion for all things “bourbon.”
Patrick, or “Pops” as his bourbon-drinking friends call him, fell in love with bourbon in 2007 while working in digital advertising. Seeking to connect with fellow bourbon lovers, he created a bourbon club at work that quickly spread to his company’s offices in other cities and ultimately led to the creation of BourbonBanter.com in 2012. Over the past 11 years, he and a dedicated team of bourbon writers have built one of the most trusted bourbon resources in the industry, consistently ranked as one of the top 10 global whiskey websites.
During those building years, Bourbon & Banter remained a “side hustle” while Garrett continued to climb the corporate ladder. But in 2020, when COVID turned the world upside down, companies began reaching out through the Bourbon & Banter website, looking for virtual tasting services. Garrett quickly developed an engaging and turnkey virtual tasting solution by leveraging what he learned while managing a remote team at his day job. Unbeknown to Garrett then, those initial requests were the seeds of a business concept that would eventually become his full-time job in February 2022 – DrinkCurious.
DrinkCurious is a spirits education company with a mission: to teach the world how to drink better. Bourbon was the only spirit tasting offered when it first launched, but DrinkCurious has since expanded its offerings to include all styles of whiskey, tequila, rum, and cocktails.
For the virtual tastings, a tasting kit is sent to everyone participating in a guided tasting. A typical tasting kit contains four samples: Glencairn whisky glasses, a flavor wheel for the chosen spirit, and a Welcome Card customized for the client with a tasting mat on the reserve side. Tasting kits can also be customized to include a different number or size of samples. Postcards and other handouts can also be included upon request.
While virtual tastings still make up 90% of DrinkCurious’ business, in-person tastings are start- ing to make up a more significant percentage. These tastings are available for groups of all sizes anywhere in the United States, allowing for a more personal- ized experience with the host. All tastings typically last 60-90 minutes but can be customized to meet the event’s needs.
In addition to virtual and in-person tastings, DrinkCurious offers monthly Bourbon 101 online classes for individuals looking to boost their Bourbon IQ. Gift certificates are available for online classes, making them the perfect thank you or reward for pros- pecting clients. DrinkCurious tastings are also perfect for anniversaries, galas and fundraisers, holiday parties, and more.
After chasing his passion as a side hustle for over a decade, Garrett feels incredibly blessed and acknowledges that he’s one of the lucky ones coming out of the pandemic.
“The pandemic changed everything. I’m extremely fortunate to have found a way to take my ongoing passion project and pivot it into something I can focus on full-time while support- ing my family.”
Garrett’s goal for DrinkCurious in 2023 is to become the #1 choice for companies looking to leverage the power of a spirit-tasting experience to grow their business. Based on DrinkCurious’ existing client roster, which includes a verita- ble who’s who of industry titans like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce, he’s well on his way to achieving his goal. Not a bad start for someone who doesn’t have to work another day in his life.
