Say Yes to the Bitters
Ian and Carly Blessing left "fancy wine" to start a line of non-alcoholic cocktail bitters and make something entirely of their own.
Ian Blessing was sitting in his home office taking his third day of virtual real-estate classes when it struck him. Studying easements, mortgages, and learning legalese is something he just didn’t care about. One more day of that, he jokes darkly, and “I would have offed myself.”
It was during the pandemic and him and his wife, Carly, both former sommeliers at the world-renowned French Laundry, with two newborns born 18 months apart, fretted about how they were going to pivot their lives. Not only were restaurants now closed as mandated by the country-wide shut down, but they had both given up drinking.
Ian thought to himself, there are only a few options after working in restaurants: “Either you become a [alcohol] rep or distributor or you go into real estate.” He pauses for minute, “Maybe a consultant.”
It’s not that he didn’t try. He even ended up working at one of the top wineries in Napa Valley, Opus One. But, ever since they had both quit drinking, he began churning out ideas of how he could be part of the growing mindful drinking movement. A movement rooted in alternatives to alcohol. A winery seemed too much of a stretch.
His first thought was—maybe a book. Despite his self-professed hatred of studying, Ian claims to love learning. In fact, when he first met his wife-to-be, he wanted to learn at one of the best restaurants in the world. He started as a food runner and Carly was his trainer.
They both worked their way up the ranks at French Laundry by learning about wine and eventually became part of the wine team. But they also worked their way into late nights followed by early mornings. Alcohol had become such a part of their relationship while working in restaurants that, when asked about their marriage proposal, they both laugh. It happened more than once, but always with a bottle of Krug Champagne.
“We were super excited to be in love. [But] we were both alcoholics, working 16 hours a day. We weren’t ready to be adults,” says Ian.
They eventually got married and their first son was born. When Carly got pregnant, she quit drinking. Ian cut back in solidarity, but it was short-lived and they both went back to drinking after the pregnancy. However, by then, alcohol had started to lose its appeal.
Five months later, they quit drinking alcohol for good.
It wasn’t long after that the pandemic began and Ian sat in his office taking real estate exams, distraught. But his interest in non-alcoholic spirits had already become a full-formed obsession. The book was only the first iteration of an idea that came out of his obsession.
According to Carly, “Ian is the dreamer. I’m the realist.”
His dreams led him to more ideas: a blog and a magazine with a point-rating system for non-alcoholic spirits. He had spreadsheets ready to go. But he decided he didn’t want to pan others.
“Ultimately, I didn’t want to have to drag anyone down,” says Ian, “I didn’t want publish this or that [non-alcoholic] beer is bad.”
Then the idea came to him: non-alcoholic cocktail bitters. The mindful drinking space was already growing rapidly with non-alcoholic spirits that often emulated distilled spirits with alcohol, but no one had yet created classic cocktail bitters without alcohol. He thought, “Bitters… made sense and we get to play with everyone. Bitters are the glue that brings the cocktail space together.”
Ian walked into the living room and told Carly, “I want to make bitters.” She wondered if he meant a hobby. He didn’t. But, like the other ideas she thought, maybe this one will work itself out on its own. She stared at him silently and then went back to playing with the kids.
He started with a mason jar: bitter herbs, spices, peels, barks, and botanicals infused into a mixture of water and glycerin. Then Carly joined him and All the Bitter was formed. Mason jars became 5-gallon cambros, a large plastic bucket used for food storage, and then 55-gallon barrels. They now have a line of four cocktail bitters—aromatic, orange, New Orleans, and lavender—and earlier this year they moved into a new production facility.
As their operation grows, they’ve added new equipment, new experimental products such as Chocolate Mole Bitters and Meyer Lemon Verbena bitters, and new employees. Their first part-time employee is Carly’s step-dad, Ed Butler.
For Ian, he sees room for even more growth, “Every single bar is going to have non-alcoholic beverages. The market is limitless.”
Carly jokes, “I’m glad I didn’t pump the brakes on that one.” But it also didn’t seem like she needed much convincing. She adds, “So many years selling fancy wine to rich people. Making something of our own felt so good.”
The Blessings have done more than create a bitters company, they’ve become anchors of the mindful drinking movement, adding both their expertise and enthusiasm. On the largest online forum for non-alcoholic spirits with 28.7 thousand members, the Facebook group “Non-alcoholic Spirits,” you can almost always expect Ian or Carly to add a like or comment to each post.
But that kind of enthusiasm for their passions is not at all surprising. It shows in their dedication to their burgeoning company, in cheerleading the mindful drinking movement, and in their personal lives.
Something had struck me earlier in conversation, which I had to ask. Though we know the final outcome. If Ian had proposed to her more than once, what did she say?
She answers, “I said, yes, every time.”
Learn the history of the cocktail (and bitters) from my book, Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World. Makes a perfect Father’s Day present!
The World’s Best Non-alcoholic Martini 0% ABV
One Serving/ 5.5-7.5 ounce Coupe or Cocktail Glass
2 oz Roots Divino Apéritif Bianco
1 oz Sipsmith “Freeglider” or other Non-alcoholic “Gin”
Barspoon Apple Treats Barrel-aged Apple Cider Vinegar
Barspoon Castelvetrano Olive Juice
3 dashes All the Bitter Orange Bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir gently. Strain liquid into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon peel.
Derek Brown is an author, NASM-certified wellness coach, and founder of Positive Damage, Inc.
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Everybody loves them and me too!
Thank you for profiling them! I love bitters, and always happy to try new ones.