Beef It's What's for Dinner Commercial: Bryan Cranston
Information technology'southward just before noon on a crisp winter in the San Fernando Valley. I'yard continuing in the parking lot of an Encino strip mall when an alabaster white 1990 Range Rover Defender rolls up to my right. On the commuter side door is a decal of 2 donkeys flanking an agave plant, appearing in a higher place the words, "Dos Hombres." The door opens to reveal the 2 men, whose famous faces are instantly recognizable fifty-fifty behind their K95 masks.
An enthusiastic Aaron Paul pops out of the driver'south seat, wearing a blackness beanie. He is joined by his good friend and former Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston, who could be confused for a lab technician with his white button-down and professorial countenance. Through five seasons of the television drama, the duo antagonized each other as uneasy associates in the meth manufacturing business. They combined for seven Emmy Awards along the way. At present, in a archetype example of life imitating art, they've over again partnered up every bit pushers—albeit of a far less nefarious adulterant.
In 2019, Paul and Cranston launched their own brand of the agave spirit, sourced from the remote village of San Luis del Río in Oaxaca, Mexico, under the expertise of their mezcal maker: third-generation mezcalero Gregorio Velasco Luis. "I've never started my ain business before, and then this is all very exciting for me," said Paul.
It's too been a very informative endeavor for both actors. Paul and Cranston are entrants into an incredibly crowded field of celebrity spirits. In the tequila space lonely, there are actors, athletes, singers and manner icons already vying for shelf space. But similar their fictional counterparts, they've had to leverage a sophisticated distribution network. In the U.Southward. booze business it'south referred to every bit the iii-tier system: liquid goes from producer to dedicated distributor before it can reach retail shops. So for bottles to move, Paul and Cranston have learned, they must encourage demand from consumers and coax involvement among liquor store owners, all to convince distributors that theirs is a product worth spreading.
Reverse to popular belief, non all of these celebrity brands are guaranteed to become the fashion of George Clooney'due south Casamigos. In fact, many of them flounder. The ones that rise rely on heavy lifting by the stars themselves—which brings us to this commercial stretch of suburban Los Angeles on a Mon morning time. Paul and Cranston are servicing existing accounts (parading from one Bevmo! to the next, signing bottles, shaking hands, posing for Instagram photos), while intermittently attempting to win over some new business organization.
The two men enter Encino Park Liquor off of Ventura Boulevard, introducing themselves to the manager, Wilson, while scanning the shelves for their product. "Do you carry Dos Hombres here?" asks Cranston. Wilson shakes his head no. "Oh, man. Well y'all should. Nosotros're the co-founders, you should effort some."
As Cranston signs a bottle for him, Paul leans poetic on the virtues of the liquid within— explaining the artisanal methodology behind its production and touting the expertise of mezcalero Velasco Luis.
"You lot accept to believe in the production," says Paul. "I don't wanna exist pushing something that I'yard not completely obsessed with."
Underscoring this sentiment is the readily observable fact that these two genuinely bask each other'southward company. It'southward an almost-baroque dynamic for any diehard fan of the evidence to behold, given the constant friction of their fictional friendship.
"We had such an incredible experience shooting Breaking Bad," Paul explains on our fashion to the next liquor store. "Having this relationship bloom through the years; it's not always like that. You hope that it is. Perhaps you stay in touch, only almost of the time y'all don't. We were blest to accept him equally our number one on the call sheet. He was such a perfect leader, and he became my mentor actually early on."
Not long after the finale in 2013, Cranston was already floating the idea of working on another project. He suggested a play or a film of some sort. Paul countered that it was a niggling too soon, "because everyone is merely going to see us equally [those same characters] whenever we're together."
Kind of similar how Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio had to wait ten years after Titanic before working together on Revolutionary Road, I point out.
"Exactly right," Paul laughs. "I'm more Kate, and he'due south more than like Leo."
He navigates afternoon traffic on the 101 superhighway to arrive at the Bevmo! parking lot in Sherman Oaks. Earlier entering the store Paul notices a middle-aged couple on their mode in to practise some shopping. He asks them if they're mezcal drinkers and the wife reluctantly admits she's never even heard of mezcal. Without missing a crush, Cranston jumps at the opportunity for a hand-sell. He holds up the Dos Hombres, distilled entirely from Agave angustifolia, he explains … Better known as espadin. Ten minutes later that same couple exits with their ain purchased bottle—signed, of form.
Meanwhile, Cranston and Paul work the crowd inside, applying their autographs in felt marker to several cases worth of product. Paul shows off the leaflet clasping the neckband of each canteen. It features a picture of Velasco Luis, who has equity in the make. "Information technology was always his dream—non only to make mezcal—but to get it out to the world," says Paul. "So nosotros feel very blest to be the ones that he chose to help him achieve that."
Cranston, who's now unpacking bottles onto a display table recalls his about recent visit to the palenque in San Luis del Río. "We couldn't go at all in 2020 for obvious reasons," he says. "Merely we just got dorsum and I can't go enough of it. I recollect when we commencement tasted his mezcal, [Velasco Luis] didn't want to work with us right away until we had lunch with him and his family—to make sure we connected and got forth. They are so generous."
Paul and Cranston are committed to returning the favor. "It's actually of import for u.s. to requite back—not only to San Luis del Río—but to all of Oaxaca," says Paul. "We're getting some things in identify with the governor downwardly there and we've got some lofty goals that we're really excited well-nigh."
Most recently, the two received a promise from the Oaxacan governor that the state would fund improvements to the just road in and out of San Luis del Río. The dirt thoroughfare includes an often treacherous serial of switchbacks. "I'm going to stay on the governor and go along reminding him that he promised to pave that road," says Cranston, channeling the unnerving focus of Walter White. "He'll practise it. He genuinely cares nearly his state. So hopefully they'll accept a paved road their pretty soon. A lot of their infrastructure difficulties will be straightened out because of information technology. Non just for Gregorio, but for the 500 people living in that town."
Cranston takes a intermission from signing bottles to pose with starstruck employees backside the counter. Paul has stepped outside to assistance a customer load up a bar'south-worth of bottles into the dorsum of his truck. Neither are shying abroad from enthusiastic fans. In fact, their social media team is in-tow, broadcasting their current location to hundreds of thousands of followers.
"The common denominator of all successful businesses is hard piece of work," Cranston tells me equally he breaks down cardboard boxes. "You gotta be willing to put in the hours and put in the work or information technology's not going to happen."
The steady expansion of Dos Hombres over these past two-and-one-half years stands as testament. And they've already proven themselves enough to attract a minority investment from booze behemoth Constellation Brands Inc. "I always knew there was going to exist growth in this space," says Paul. "I'm just glad I get to enjoy it together with my buddy." Subsequently all, heavy lifting is easier with a pair of helping hands.
Source: https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/bryan-cranston-aaron-paul-dos-hombres
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