Gentleman Jack Double Mellowed Tennessee Whiskey has launched Gentleman Jack Culture Shakers, a national program designed to celebrate the contributions Black and Latino bartenders continue to make to the spirits industry.
In its first year, six bartenders from around the country (Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, New York, and Seattle) have been selected to showcase their craft by paying homage to industry trailblazers, drawing inspiration from their roots, and celebrating their unique cultures through the art of mixology.
“Through Culture Shakers, Gentleman Jack honors creators who take the extra step in their craft and strive to leave a legacy within their communities,” said Keenan Harris, Jack Daniel’s Senior Multicultural Marketing Manager.
This year’s Culture Shakers include New York’s Shannon Mustipher, Miami’s Santiago Vazquez Cuberos, Atlanta’s Myia Butler, Seattle’s Derek Jeffries, Chicago’s David Leon, and Detroit’s Asher Miller.
Their stories have be captured by Jamaican filmmaker Storm Saulter, and shared at local events in their hometowns.
“As a filmmaker and visual artist of color, I find it critical to capture our voices and histories in a way that unwraps complex social and cultural dynamics,” said Saulter. “I’m excited to work with Gentleman Jack on this compelling storytelling opportunity of Black and Latinx cocktail culture using my passion of film to do so.”
To further pay tribute to the historical impact multicultural bartenders have on the cocktail industry, Gentleman Jack has partnered with Black Bottom Saints author Alice Randall. Her book explores Detroit as the epicenter of mid-century American Black cocktail culture. “African-Americans have played a central, but often unheralded, role in the development of the cocktail, the cocktail bar, and cocktail culture,” said Randall. “Thomas Bullock and Ada “Bricktop” Smith are each viable candidates if we want to claim one person who has made a greater impact on the cocktail than any other single person.”
In honor of Randall’s partnership with Gentleman Jack Culture Shakers, Jack Daniel’s enlisted national brand ambassador Eric Tecosky to curate a special cocktail, the Black Bottom Old Fashioned (seen above), aligned with Black Bottom Saints.
