Michele StuevenWhat a trooper. Actor and eco-activist Woody Harrelson wasn’t about to let a motorcycle spill in Beverly Hills rush hour keep him from introducing his new Holistic Spirits Co. cocktails to California on Tuesday at his sustainable Holy Water bar in West Hollywood.
Woody Harrelson at Holy Water (Michele Stueven)
While a bandaged hand kept him from mixing up signature cocktails like the Glass Half Full, made with Harmony gin, Optimist Cocchi Americano, elderflower, and a pour-over with grapefruit and orange, specialty cocktails created by bartender Yael Stormborn and Holy Water’s Bar Director Cameron Dodge-White flowed freely.
“It’s not necessarily something I wanted to do,” Harrelson told the crowd at the cozy bar next to his cannabis consumption lounge, The Woods, joined by Holistic Spirits co-founder Amy Holmwood. “That is, to get involved with a liquor or any kind of spirit and compete with a cacophony of other celebrity voices including three of the world’s Sexiest Men Alive like Ryan, George, and Mathew. But I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know why nobody ever put organic superfoods into spirits before.”
Putting the finishing touches on a Namedropper (Michele Stueven)
From the garden to the glass, Origen Speciality Vodka and Harmony Gin are infused with artichoke leaf, elderberry, muscadine grape, and green tea leaf extract designed for a better way to drink, and created with transparency around ingredients and Harrelson’s obsession with sustainable manufacturing in mind. The non-GMO brands are made in the USA at a USDA green-certified distillery that uses less water and recycles its by-products back into farming, and a zero-waste facility that employs no-water-waste processes.
“Me and the wifey drank about a half bottle of the spirit and the next day — we felt nothing,” the lifelong environmentalist said while sipping on a Woodever made with Origen Vodka, Aperol, pineapple, and watermelon. “None of the traditional grief you feel when you wake up after a night of drinking. Our interest was tres piqued.”
Woody’s treehouse overlooking the ganja garden at The Woods (Michele Stueven)