Although celebrities have been endorsing alcohol for decades, the trend seems to have really picked up in recent years. Everyone from Kate Hudson to Justin Timberlake has promoted alcohol or started their own liquor brand.
One of the reasons these partnerships have become so popular is because they’re highly beneficial for both parties. According to Fortune:
The brands can boost sales by associating with a well-known actor, or rapper, benefiting from free press when those celebrities go on talk shows, or promote their brands to millions of fans on Twitter and other social media platforms. Celebrities enjoy the benefits of associating with a category that denotes luxury.
And, of course, celebrities working with liquor brands are compensated generously. Celebs are typically given an equity stake so that they can benefit from the large increase in sales they bring to the liquor company.
Today, we thought it would be fun to discuss a few recent partnerships between alcohol brands and celebrities. Keep reading to see if your favorite celeb made the list.
9 celebs who promote or own alcohol brands
P. Diddy—Ciroc
Whatever Ciroc vodka paid rapper P. Diddy to promote their product was worth it. The rapper’s endorsement helped increase Ciroc vodka’s sales from a modest 50,000 cases to more than 2 million.
George Clooney—Casamigos
Award-winning actor George Clooney is a partial owner of Casamigos, a brand of tequila made in Jalisco, Mexico. Clooney wanted to make his own brand of tequila to serve at house parties, and the brand expanded from there.
Dan Aykroyd—Crystal Head
Crystal Head Vodka was launched by comedian Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander in 2008. The award-winning vodka is sold in a quirky skull-shaped bottle to represent the pair’s shared love of the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls.
If you want to learn more about the legend that inspired the vodka, you can check out this 8-minute video that Aykroyd made to explain it.
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt—Miraval Rosé
Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased a vineyard together in 2012 and launched Miraval Rosé in partnership with a prominent French winemaking family.
Their wine consistently sells out and was even featured on Wine Spectator’s list of Top 100 Wines in 2013.
Justin Timberlake—Sauza 901
Singer Justin Timberlake partnered with Beam Suntory in 2014 to to release a premium tequila called Sauza 901. Timberlake included the numbers “901” in the name as a nod to the area code of his hometown—Memphis, Tennessee.
Timberlake boosts the brand’s sales by appearing in ads and tweeting about the tequila to his 65 million Twitter followers.
Dave Matthews—Dreaming Tree
Musician Dave Matthews teamed up with Constellation Brands to bring Dreaming Tree, a line of four eco-friendly wines, to market. The $15 bottles of wine are made using recycled paper labels and corks.
Bethenny Frankel—Skinnygirl
In 2009, Bethenny Frankel created a line of low-calorie margaritas called Skinnygirl. After two years of explosive growth, she sold the company to Beam Suntory for a reported $100 million.
Bethenny still remains involved in the company, which now sells vodka, wine, and sangria in addition to margaritas.
Hanson—MmmHop
Hanson, a music group that was popular in the 1990s, now has their own line of beer. The craft beer’s unique name is a reference to their hit song “MMMBop.”
David Beckham—Haig Club
In 2014, star soccer player David Beckham launched a single grain whiskey in collaboration with alcoholic beverage company Diageo and entrepreneur Simon Fuller.
Haig Club received mixed reviews online when it launched, but is still in business as of 2019.
Collaboration between alcohol brands and celebrities is a growing trend that doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. So expect to see more of your favorite celebs promoting liquor companies or starting booze-related ventures in the near future.