Welcome to our Happy Hour Question & Answer series, where we ask questions to interesting people in the alcohol world.

This week’s spotlight is Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktails and Beach Bar Rum with Brian Hodous. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar now owns an award-winning portfolio of top-shelf spirits that embody that same spirit of Baja beach life and rock ‘n’ roll. They include Santo Spirits, Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum and Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. Beach Bar Rum, a partnership with rock icon, Rick Springfield, comes in three varieties: platinum white; Red Head, made with macadamia nuts; and Kola Nut Spiced. The Puerto Rico-made award-winning rum was founded in 2012. Beach Bar Rum steeps island flavor into his latest venture, a line of sparkling rum cocktails in a can by Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co., which debuted September 2021.

Hops & Spirits: How did you get into the spirits/alcohol industry? 
Brian Hodous: When I left Activision Blizzard in 2020, I was considering a few opportunities including a potential partnership with a couple interactive entertainment studios. I was speaking to Tom Consolo, who is Sammy Hagar’s manager, about some unrelated business when, out of the blue, he asked if I’d speak to Sammy about possibly leading the Hagar Rum business. I’d known both Sammy and Tom personally for years and they thought that I’d be a good fit to bring a new rum product that they were launching to market. Sammy had an idea to create a top-shelf sparkling rum cocktail in a can based on his award-winning rum. With my extensive knowledge of manufacturing, selling and marketing carbonated beverages for Cadbury Schweppes and 40 years of experience with consumer-packaged goods, Sammy thought I’d be a valuable asset to lead the expansion of his spirits brand. And what a ride it’s been! 

HS: Prior to this, you were the CCO for Activision? 
BH: Yes, I served as Chief Commercial Officer at Activision Blizzard for nearly 12 years. I was responsible for the global sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of all content developed by Activision Blizzard, overseeing basically everything except content development. I worked on many iconic videogame franchises such as “Call of Duty,” “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” “Spider-Man,” “Star Wars,” “World of Warcraft,” “Candy Crush,” “Guitar Hero” and many others. During my time on the executive team, Activision Blizzard grew exponentially from an interactive company with a $2.2B market cap to a market cap of over $65B. 

HS: Did you help lead the push for Guitar Hero while you were there? 
BH: I was very heavily involved and led the global commercialization of “Guitar Hero.” That was a fun time because we had created a cultural movement that every music artist wanted to be a part of. “Guitar Hero” invented an exciting way for fans to truly interact with music instead of just listening to a song passively. The game had a tremendous impact on the entire industry and built an entirely new generation of young classic rock fans. I remember being backstage at concerts with Def Leppard, Heart, KISS, etc. and marveling at an audience full of fathers singing along with sons and mothers dancing with their daughters. “Guitar Hero” gave many older bands years of extended success, robust touring and sales due to kids who were exposed to their music by our game. 

HS: How did you end up with Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. and Beach Bar Rum? 
BH: Sammy Hagar! He had me completely sold and all in from our very first conversation. 

Sammy told me how during the early days of the lockdown, his kids introduced him to hard seltzer drinks and he thought they tasted terrible. Keep in mind that back in the early days, the RTD market was full of malt-based hard seltzers with artificial ingredients and bad flavoring. Sammy completely won me over with his genius idea to develop a top-shelf, premium canned cocktail by using his award-winning Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum as the base. Using all-natural ingredients and sweetened with agave, he created something that was better quality and tastier than anything else out there. 

By aiming to create an entire entertainment property, not just another canned drink brand, we have been able to bring his amazing vision to life and commercialize it. Our intention was to create a product and packaging that delivered surprise and delight moments using every sense…feel, sight, smell, taste, and sound. AND, of course, it had to be a reflection of the Sammy Hagar lifestyle. I like to joke that our brand identity is basically, “Sammy in a can.” Each flavor, plus the branding, captures the true essence of what Sammy Hagar is all about – fun, playful and beachy. That is authentically Sammy!  

Led by our fearless leader, Sammy Hagar, and working with amazing partners such as Meat & Potatoes creative, Sammy’s social media team and our PR team at Wicked Creative, we have moved mountains! 

HS: What’s it like working with Sammy Hagar? 
BH: Sammy is the absolute best. Authentic. Genuine. Creative. Passionate. Loyal. Honest. Dependable. Fan-centric. He is truly an incredible partner, friend and boss. He and I have a great respect for each other, which leads to an easy and authentic friendship. We genuinely have each other’s back and share a deep trust and gratitude between us. One thing you should know about Sammy is that he has the energy of a 40-year-old…which keeps us young and pushes us to keep up with his pace. 

HS: What can folks expect when they try the Beach Bar Cocktails? 
BH: The first encounter with Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktails promises to be a full sensory experience like no other. Initially, they will be visually treated to bold, colorful graphics that are very playful and fun. Upon further examination, they’ll discover an exclusive QR code on each can which, when scanned, will reveal exclusive, fun video messages from Sammy himself. Their tactile senses will encounter the can’s unique surface with a gritty texture the evokes the sand and beach. Finally, a first sip will treat their palette and nose to multiple flavor encounters, each released at different moments throughout the drinking experience. We have four great flavors, the creamsicle-like Tangerine Dream, the sweet and spicy Pineapple Splash, the fruit punch inspired Island Pop and the classic soda fountain favorite, Cherry Kola Chill, all are unique and very different from anything else in the market. This is precisely what I mean by creating an entertainment equity versus just another consumer products brand. 

HS: Also, what can folks expect when trying the Beach Bar Rum? 
BH: Our premium, award-winning rum is crafted from all-natural ingredients and offers the highest quality rum for the price point. From a classic platinum white rum to our exotic Red Head rum, which is infused with macadamia nut, and the Kola Spiced rum, all of these are so delicious and so versatile that they will enhance nearly every mixed cocktail. 

HS: What’s next for these brands? 
BH: We will continue to diversify our portfolio based on consumer insights and with a watchful eye on trends and ideas that we can own. We also have plans to continue our expansion geographically and invest in areas where we see returns. The rum category continues to gain popularity and is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing spirits in the US. We are encouraged and we are on the move! 

HS: Where can folks find them? Or get more information? 
BH: Sammy’s Beach Bar rums and canned cocktails are available at local retailers, bars and restaurants throughout California, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Hawaii and Illinois. They are also available for purchase online in nearly every state. Details can be found at https://www.sammysbeachbarrum.com and https://sbbcco.com.