Albert Hammond Jr. has been back and forth with issues of addiction and sobriety, but lately he’s found a place of peace with alcohol. In fact, he’s found low ABV drinks like the Aperol Spritz so helpful with keeping a balance that he’s launching a wine seltzer brand of his own. Jetway is a low-level, 5% ABV drink made with no added sugar or artificial flavors. Speaking with Inside Hook about the brand, Hammond cited his connection with a winemaker as the impetus for actually creating his drink.
“If anything, I thought more of it as competing with beer, in the sense that you’re making something refreshing like a shandy, but less sweet,” Hammond Jr. said of the line. “So I had all these thoughts mixing in my head. I tried a bunch of different ways in different places and kept bringing different people to the idea. Finally, I met Ben [Parsons]. We hit it off like star-crossed lovers. We were on the phone every day for like three hours talking, daydreaming about the product.”
Hammond and winemaker Ben Parsons proceeded to team up for Jetway, and are launching two initial offerings sourced from the McNary Vineyard: a Syrah/Cabernet Sauv rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc. But even if he’s starting with just a few flavors, Hammond has big plans for his new brand. “I definitely see many different ways it can go,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure out how, because we’re a new brand. I feel like at first maybe I’ll just try to do some stuff for the local environment. Beach cleanups or stuff in that area. Then if it is able to grow like that and become lifestyle brand, I want it to — as much as it enhances other areas, I want it to give back in as many areas as possible. That’s a big deal for me, just because of my road in life in general.”
Check out the full interview here, and shop Hammond’s newly-launched Jetway here.