Meet Jonathan And Christian Watson | Liquor Connoisseurs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan And Christian Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan and Christian, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Our initial thinking was actually quite simple. We wanted to marry our various interests together in a way that would allow us to truly enjoy ourselves. Those interests being, food and beverage tasting, exploration, travel, and our background in mass communications, film and art.

What should our readers know about your business?
We started Drink Tales with a simple goal: travel the world in search of interesting liquor. Sometimes that may mean going to the local liquor store and trying out a new bottle of a local distiller. Other times that may mean going out of the country to drink a cocktail made with a wine that may be restricted from being sold in the United States. While working our day jobs, we realized that we had never truly taken the time to travel to the fullest extent that we could. We also realized that when it came to food, and especially beverages, we wanted to see and know more. Our motto has always been a simple one: “Try It.” If it’s new, if its obscure, even if its out of reach because of elements such as region or rarity, we just have to try it.
Of course, this isn’t as easy as it looks. There is a lot that goes into what we do. Because it is just the two of us, we are constantly making sure that whatever moves we make when it comes to filming, traveling, or even just buying a bottle of liquor to review, is always planned out.

I think what I am proud of the most, would have to be the fact that we actually took the leap. While what we do probably isn’t really drastic or life changing, I think it takes a lot of determination for anyone to follow their dreams. There can be a lot of second guessing and doubt. There can be a lot of false starts. Even in the middle of going after your dreams and goals, you can have those doubts and false starts. The determination is what keeps us going.

We want the world to know that Drink Tales purely about fun and exploration. This is our outlet to discover the world around us, one sip at a time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If your looking to visit Atlanta, there are many spots we would recommend to check out.

The Atlanta Zoo and the Aquarium are great if your an animal lover, and especially if you have children.
The city is also overflowing with many options when it comes to food. If you are looking to have lunch, I would recommend heading to the Atlanta Beltline and checking out Hawkers for their Asian Street Food. If your willing to travel outside of the city a little bit, head to Yakitori Jinbei out in Smyrna. In our opinion, they have the best ramen you will find. With Spring and Summer around the corner, another great place to have lunch would be Breaker Breaker, also on the beltline. They also have a rooftop bar called Florida Man that’s nice for some day drinking.

If your looking to have a nice dinner, you cannot go wrong with No. 246 in Decatur. They have great Italian food. There are a lot of places to get a great steak, but I’m going to suggest Rays on the River. Not only is the food good, but they also have excellent service. If you are looking for tapas, I suggest going to Dunwoody and checking out Eclipse Di Luna. Not only will you get great food, but you will also get live music and dancing. For dessert, you just have to take a short 1 minute walk to Cafe Intermezzo for their cheesecake and hot chocolate. Another spot for tapas that we highly suggest would be Barcelona Wine Bar. They have 2 locations in the city, but either one works.

If your looking for the best drinks in the city, we have several options. First and foremost, we always recommend people to check out Mambo Zombie on Edgewood. They always have very unique drinks and it’s our favorite bar in the city. If your looking to just chill, then Ranger Station is also a great spot to drink with your friends. Moonlight is one of the nicest rooftop bars in the city and is also one of the newest. Highly recommend it for date night situations. We could go on and on, but our final recommendation would have to be AGAVE Bandido in Dunwoody. It is not only a nice Mexican restaurant, but they also have a hidden tiki bar speakeasy called Maya SpeakTiki. They have some truly delicious cocktails.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s actually several people we would like to shout out. First would be our mother, who has always been a source of encouragement behind everything we do. Our friends who have also been a support system when it came to helping us launch Drink Tales, and continue to stick with and support us. Jasmine Bailey and Kenneth Lyles in particular have been prominent support systems over the last few years. I’d also like to extend shout outs to the various liquor producers, bartenders, and restaurants, out there who welcomed us into the community with open arms. Particularly, Blended Family Spirits, one of the first local bottles we ever reviewed. Simple Man Distillery, another local brand who focuses strongly on community, and Candela Mamajuana, a brand out of Miami that welcomed us with open arms and has always been in our corner.

Website: https://tiktok.com/drinktales

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drink_tales01

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrinkTales

Image Credits
Christian Watson