Brown Bag Speakeasy

06/13/2021

Hey BBS Fam! First of all, sorry for ghosting you here on IG. Everything’s all good with us, we’re still cranking out mixers for everyone. Haven’t really posted because I hit a crossroads with this business (a good crossroads I promise).

The orders and support has been constant and I’ve been able to grow this business organically and naturally. With that, BBS has grown to a point where I can’t do everything on my own; I launched this with a full time job, a supportive wife and now an almost two year old.

The question I faced down was do I pack it up, call this a good run and get some semblance of my time back OR do we continue to grow, get bigger and turn this into a slightly less “small” business.

At the end of the day, I’ve committed to providing you with premium cocktail mixers, I’ve put in too much work into this to walk away from it. Sooooooooo, the only other option is to expand.

I’ve taken on a business partner (more about him in coming posts). The goal here is to grow, operate out of a commercial kitchen space, to break into retail and to expand our offerings. We’ve got ideas, goals and dreams, and we’re going after them!

In the meantime, we’re still available for your craft cocktail mixer needs. As things develop and expand, I’ll be sure to share more and more. As always, thank you for your continued support. Couldn’t have gotten here without your orders and enthusiasm.

04/11/2021

Morning BBS fam! We’re still cranking bottles out, some quick updates ahead:

-The Tangerine Dream is making its triumphant return this week
-Our Tokyo Mary is going to be phased out with a new M.O.M. on the way
-Two brand new mixers are being workshopped right now.
-Our partnership with is strong as ever and you can pick up mimosas by the glass while enjoying their weekend brunch every Sunday morning.

Thanks as always for your continued support!

03/28/2021

Woke up craving a BBS mimosa? Maybe some coffee?

Go see our friends for brunch this morning!

Thanks as always for all your support!

03/21/2021

Got so much stamping done last night! Don’t sleep on our new Mango Honey Thyme mixer!

For your BBS fix in mimosa form alongside some tasty brunch is the place to be on Sunday mornings. Get you some!

03/19/2021

Oh hi, hello, please allow me to introduce myself.

03/19/2021

Look, I’m not excited about it either, but the current tangerine landscape is just too volatile. Mango futures are down, watermelon options are up, and my tangerine plug stopped returning my calls.

Thank you for your service Tangerine Dream, you’ve been a titan of non alcoholic craft cocktail mixers. Versatile enough for bubbles or gin, you really could do it all.

This isn’t goodbye forever though, it’s farewell for now. I’m seeing watermelon on the horizon. Stay tuned BBS fam.

03/16/2021

Your mid month reminder of the M.O.M. The Tokyo Mary is here for roughly two more weeks.

Honey Mango Thyme is available now and word on the street is it’s 🔥.

03/10/2021

Oh it’s mango honey thyme alright.

It’s Mango Honey Thyme BBS fam! This ones been in the works for a little bit now. It’s got a tiki soul, but none of the cloying sweetness.

Mango Purée, Pineapple & Lemon Juices provide all the fruit content you’re going to need - scratch made Honey Thyme syrup is the glue here, pasting all our fruit together. Grapefruit bitters provide a spice note on the finish.

An homage to tiki libations before it - Rum is your star here. Regular silver rum or the aged good stuff, any kind of rum should pair swimmingly. Not a rum fan? No problem, Bourbon, Tequila, Vodka should all work just as well.

03/10/2021

It’s Mango Honey Thyme BBS fam! This ones been in the works for a little bit now. It’s got a tiki soul, but none of the cloying sweetness.

Mango Purée, Pineapple & Lemon Juices provide all the fruit content you’re going to need - scratch made Honey Thyme syrup is the glue here, pasting all our fruit together. Grapefruit bitters provide a spice note on the finish.

An homage to tiki libations before it - Rum is your star here. Regular silver rum or the aged good stuff, any kind of rum should pair swimmingly. Not a rum fan? No problem, Bourbon, Tequila, Vodka should all work just as well.

03/07/2021

Hey I’ve been around since December and y’all have been wonderful with your orders and support. Buuut, it dawned on me that I haven’t really properly introduced myself or my credentials. I guess firstly, I’m not a bot. My name is Fadi (AKA Joe, ) and I’m a restaurant and beverage veteran with about ten years in the industry. I’ve posted pictures of me doing boozy bar things so you know I’m really not a bot.

I’ve bartended in Manhattan & Los Gatos, CA since about 2011. Along the way, I became a certified sommelier, general manager and beverage director. The majority of my time in the industry, I’ve been behind the bar. I love the magic of cocktails & mixology, I love the feeling of serving a perfectly crafted cocktail and watching my guests reactions as they sip. When I say magic, I mean it, being a mixologist to me is about being a scientist, magician, entertainer, craftsman, historian & therapist all at once.

In 2020 this thing happened that pretty much wrecked our beloved hospitality industry. I left my restaurant job in March 2020 just as the pandemic started wreaking havoc. I’ve since started working in a different industry but I needed to scratch my bartender itch. In December 2020, I launched Brown Bag Speakeasy.

It’s been my goal to try and recreate the craft cocktail experience at your own home, and I like to think I’m getting better and better at it with every new mixer. Mixology is a science that requires trial and error, historical context of what’s been done and what can still be done along with a healthy dose of math and ratios.

What I’m getting at is, if you’ve tried my mixers and enjoyed them thank you for trusting me...if you haven’t yet but are planning on it, thank you for trusting me.

03/06/2021

We’ve been busy at BBS HQ, please accept our apologies for being a little quiet on the gram.

We’re developing and dropping another mixer here in the next few days so stay tuned for that. (Small Clue: 🥭🍯)

If you need your BBS fix in a restaurant setting, our friends are pouring Tangerine Dream, MK & Resolution Mimosas at their Sunday Brunch tomorrow. Word on the street is they’ve got live music too.

Here’s another shot of our Mary of the month, our Tokyo Mary. It features organic lemon, wasabi, pickled ginger and ponzu - it’s far from conventional and definitively not something you’re going to find in the mixers section at BevMo. (Garnish pictured: daikon radish & shaved ginger taco)

As always, thank you for your continued support!

03/02/2021

Welcome to March BBS Fam! It’s a new month and a new M.O.M. We’re proud to be offering our Tokyo Mary for the next 31 days.

This Mary (all our Mary’s, really) is far from traditional. Organic Tomato & Lemon Juices make up the base. Ponzu Sauce, Fish Sauce & Sea Salt combine to form an umami trinity. Finally, wasabi & pickled ginger are added for some acidic heat.

Vodka, Tequila & Gin are your go to spirits here. Healthy amounts of Soju would play nicely just as well.