The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast

No Liquor License? No Problem. Premium Blend Cocktails Is Disrupting the Industry Pt. 1

July 23 · 6 min · Episode 333 · 7.8 MB
0:00-6:09

Streams straight from the publisher. PodNod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

Ever wonder why your favorite neighborhood restaurant doesn't serve cocktails? Chances are it comes down to one thing: the liquor license. In many states, a full liquor license can run well into six or seven figures on the open market — making it virtually impossible for small and mid-sized venues to offer a full bar program.

That's exactly the problem Gino Santos and his brother Henry set out to solve with Premium Blend Cocktails. Their wine-based spirits are legally classified as wine — meaning any venue with a basic beer and wine license (which in Florida costs around $400) can serve them. The result? Cocktail-style drinks, no liquor license required.

In this episode, Gino explains:

  • Why liquor licenses are so expensive and hard to obtain
  • How Premium Blend products are formulated to qualify legally as wine
  • The difference between a liquor license and a beer-and-wine license — and why it matters for thousands of venues
  • How his family escaped Cuba thanks to an uncle who literally stole a boat
  • Growing up bilingual in Newark and Miami with a famous Cuban singer-songwriter father

@thebestwinepod

Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network:

Wine Podcast

Music Podcast

Travel Podcast


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.