Mezcal Mamas

They say mezcal finds you. And it was only a matter of time before this sacred spirit found the mystical alchemist-artists AdrinAdrina and Elliott Coon. The duo’s unconventional story starts at childhood, both born to bohemian-bootlegging outlaws (what are the odds?).

But it wasn’t until they were deep in the Mexican wilds discovering mezcal and the healing powers of the damiana plant that their real journey began. Out of that trip came GEM&BOLT: less a spirits company, more an adventure story with a global community of celebrationists, misfits, and merrymakers who recognize the transformative power of this elixir.

EDITION also joined the party, stocking GEM&BOLT in every property (check your mini bar people!). There’s even the Mezcal Mama, a signature EDITION cocktail dedicated to these magical ladies. Here, the founders sat down for a spirited interview with each other.

Elliott: We started GEM&BOLT as a bootleg passion project, hand-infusing massive quantities of mezcal with damiana in our backyard, and turned it into a fully commercial venture. How do you feel about that?

AdrinAdrina: From the moment we imagined GEM&BOLT, it was obvious she wanted to reach as many people as she possibly could. One of the keys was still allowing her to develop organically into exactly who she needed to be.

Elliott: If you were to write a screenplay about the creation of GEM&BOLT,
what would it be called and who would it feature?

AdrinAdrina: INTERGALACTIC CELEBRATION! And it would feature unknown actors from a parallel universe!

AdrinAdrina: If you were an alien, what galaxy would you come from?

Elliott: I’m pretty sure I am an alien in some form, but have simply lost track of which galaxy. For the sake of speculation, I’d say I’m from a bright, colorful galaxy of dancers and sensual, radical, raving creative beings…it’s like a nonstop roadshow.

Elliott: If you could give any piece of advice to your earlier self at the outset of this project, what would it be?

AdrinAdrina: I would tell myself never to worry and to focus on the vision from a purely joyous perspective, to trust my gut always, and to lead from within.

Elliott: What’s a deep-seated truth you feel the world hasn’t yet come
to embrace?

AdrinAdrina: “Waste not, want not” and “you are the other me” are good ones. We have all this great knowledge as a species and it looks like maybe we are in a phase of our evolution where we can start to catch up to these great concepts!

Elliott: If you could choose one instrument to communicate your BEING, what would it be?

AdrinAdrina: The piano.

Elliott: What instrument would mezcal/agave be?

AdrinAdrina: The voice.

Elliott: How do you deal with the box imposed upon you as a human being in modern society?

AdrinAdrina: I draw a circle around the box so it feels safe, and then slowly I dissolve the box so it is simply another aspect of the circle