WE’RE NOT EXACTLY sure what the fame threshold for launching your own alcohol brand is, but more and more celebrities seem to be reaching it. Nowadays, it appears that once you’ve gained enough followers or appeared in the public eye for long enough, releasing a range of alcoholic beverages is a formality. Gone are the days when fame would confer fragrance lines or signature shoes. Celebrity alcohol brands are in, and some of them are actually pretty good.

While the market is flooded by celebrity alcohol brands right now – ranging from genuine hogwash, to barely palatable, to legitimate night on the town material – there are a few that stand out from the crowd. Here, we’ll walk you through some of the best to save you time, money and a terrible hangover.

Papa Salt Coastal Gin – Margot Robbie and friends

This easy-drinking gin has an unmistakably salty element to it, as well as hints of citrus. It pairs well with a variety of complementary mixers – which is what it was crafted for. As the story goes, a group of five friends wanted to create a gin that would pair equally well with a soda as it would a tonic or martini. One of those friends just happened to be Margot Robbie, which the brand does a commendable job of playing down on their website.

D’USSÉ Cognac – Jay-Z

As a multi-billionaire, Jay-Z evidently has an astute business mind. This bold, smooth cognac was conceived with the assistance of Michel Casavecchia, one of the world’s greatest authorities on Cognac. D’Usse is one of many successful ventures in the rapper-turned-businessmen’s portfolio.

Pantalones Tequila – Matthew McConaughey

McConaughey is a veteran of the celebrity alcohol space, previously experimenting with Wild Turkey bourbon. His latest release is a tequila, which he recently paired with pickles for a ‘pickle margarita’. The actor says it holds up, we’re less enthused by it.

@nick.digiovanni Pickle Margarita #pickle #margarita ♬ original sound – nick.digiovanni

Virginia Black Whisky – Drake

Celebrity alcohol brands often rely on collaborations in which they partner with a far more knowledgeable industry expert and pretend they’re bringing an equal amount of expertise to the relationship. For this whiskey, Drake partnered with Brent Hocking, the creator of the original Deleón tequila. The result is a smoky vanilla flavour profile with notes of cinnamon. Surprisingly refreshing.

Haig Club Scotch Whisky – David Beckham

One of the more successful celebrity alcohol offerings is Haig Club, of which David Beckham is the founder and face. This single grain scotch whiskey features sweet, tropical fruit tones with a hint of spice, and its taste is rivalled only by the alluring design of its bottle.

Casamigos Tequila and Mezcal – George Clooney

The idea behind the inception of Casamigos was to create tequila and mezcal that didn’t need to be diluted by salt, lemon or lime, and could instead be ingested straight from the bottle. They may have achieved that goal, but we’re yet to see George Clooney skolling the stuff in any marketing campaigns to prove it.

Indoggo Gin – Snoop Dogg

You would have to assume that the man behind the classic hit ‘Gin and Juice’ would know a thing or two about the first half of that pairing. Rest assured, Snoop Dogg knows his stuff, and he produced this “laid-back California style” gin infused with strawberry flavour to prove it.

SelvaRey Rum – Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars, the face and founder of this line of Panamanian rum, promises it’s the “smoothest rum you’ll ever taste.” There’s a good chance he’s correct, as the entire range of rums are high-quality, but the Owner’s reserve stands out in particular.

Cincoro Tequila – Michael Jordan

When The Last Dance was all the rage a few years ago, viewers picked up on the fact that Michael Jordan was sipping on an expensive-looking drink with consistency that could rival his on-court abilities. The aforementioned drink was actually one of Jordan’s own making, and a bottle of the stuff will set you back $1,800. If you can afford to be throwing back litres of such an expensive beverage while reminiscing about how illustrious your sporting career was throughout a 10-part docuseries, we think that gives you a pretty good claim to the title of GOAT.

Lobos Tequila – LeBron James

Look out, just when you thought Jordan was running away with the GOAT argument, aided by a successful expansion into the tequila market, LeBron James answers back with a Tequila of his own. LeBron partially owns Lobos Tequila, alongside other NBA players like Draymond Green. The tequila has considerably outsold Jordan’s brand, but of course, it does fetch a far lower price. Point to LeBron?

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