Meet BOTL’D | Artisanal Ready-to-Drink Cocktails

We had the good fortune of connecting with BOTL’D and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi BOTL’D, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It all started at the dinner table in the middle of the pandemic. While eating dinner and getting to know each other more (as new couples do 9 months into a relationship during a pandemic), Greg told Stephan his dream of owning a booze truck called “Tafya”.

Tafya — meaning alcohol in Haitian creole — would pay homage to his Haitian roots, incorporate Greg’s love of making cocktails, and would specialize in making Haitian-inspired drinks for pickup or delivery. Stephan loved the idea and encouraged Greg to pursue it. However, after some initial research into buying a truck and starting Tafya, Greg’s dream seemed unreachable.

Stephan did not let Greg’s dream die and helped revitalize it into what it is now. Using his innate creativity, Stephan came up with the trendy name, logo, and tagline, and the rest is history. Within a month of inception, BOTL’D formally launched with its Season 1 Tastes in January 2021.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
BOTL’D is a Black and gay-owned, artisanal, ready-to-drink cocktail company that provides unique and delicious cocktails for every occasion. BOTL’D cocktails are crafted with top-shelf spirits, natural ingredients, natural sweeteners, and no preservatives.

Business-wise, BOTL’D is a little over a year old and still growing. Both Greg and Stephan have full-time day jobs and work on BOTL’D in the evenings and mainly on the weekends. They have funded BOTL’D personally and without assistance, and have marketed the business organically via word of mouth and unpaid social media advertising.

Juggling 9-to-5s, BOTL’D, and a romantic relationship has been quite the challenge. This has taught them the importance of finding balance and prioritizing their romantic relationship first. It has also highlighted their drastic differences, but both agree that it is because of their differences that BOTL’D is successful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a transplant to the DC area (by way of Boston and Atlanta), Greg knows more about the city than Stephan — who’s been in the DMV the majority of his life. Greg has introduced Stephan to many spots, so if a friend were visiting, Greg would definitely be the planner.

Greg loves a speakeasy. Drinks would be at Sparrow Room, one of his favorites. They would make sure to squeeze in a night of karaoke (Stephan’s favorite pastime) at either Wok and Roll in Chinatown or iRock in Gaithersburg. A tour around DC to take in all the sights would be divided into two days because there’s so much to see, such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, MLK Memorial, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Black Lives Matter Plaza, etc. There would be a brunch at Unconventional Dinner for their amazing chicken and waffles or one of the many bottomless brunches (Ambar) in the DMV. Lastly, a Sunday Funday picnic at Navy Yard to conclude the trip.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
BOTL’D would like to shoutout Tinder! If it wasn’t for the dating app, Greg and Stephan wouldn’t have met.

Greg “Super Liked” Stephan and Stephan swiped right. The rest is history.

Thank you Tinder!

We’d also like to shoutout our amazing friends and family who’ve supported us and have been instrumental in our success.

Website: botld.co

Instagram: @_botld

Twitter: @_botld

Facebook: @botldup

Image Credits
Justin Smith Marcus Foster Charlotte Suh Raquel Bridges