Sammy Hagar Sounds Off on Celeb Tequila, Guy Fieri and More

The first celebrity to have their own of tequila brand (long before it was trendy to do so) was Sammy Hagar.

The former frontman of Van Halen and Chickenfoot, and now with supergroup The Circle, Hagar created Cabo Wabo Tequila in 1997. In 10 years, it became the second-best selling premium tequila in the U.S. By 2010, Hagar sold his interests to Gruppo Campari in a deal that quite possibly kicked off the celeb tequila trend.

In 2017, Hagar returned to spirits with Santo Mezquila, a tequila-mezcal hybrid. He subsequently teamed up with Guy Fieri to grow the brand, launching of Santo Tequila Blanco, and Santo Reposado in 2021.

Bottles and packaging were redesigned earlier his year, coupled with “A Reputation Earned,” a campaign from PriceWeber.

Muse caught up with Hagar before he began “The Best of All Worlds” Tour, which kicked off last week. We discussed the new campaign, why his tequila is different and what music works best in advertising.

Muse: You were essentially the first celeb to launch a tequila/liquor brand. What’s your take on so many stars doing it today?

Sammy Hagar: I started my first tequila brand because I wanted to serve guests at my Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the same awesome tequila that I would drink myself. I brought it to the States because I wanted everyone to have that experience. I’m glad to see so many other people following in my footsteps. Some of these celebrity brands are better than others, and not all of these celebs are as involved in their brands as Guy and me. We are thinking about Santo every day and getting involved in all the decisions that have to be made in running a business. At the end of the day, rising tides lift all boats and I’m glad people have so many choices and access to lots of different tequilas. 

How did the partnership with Guy Fieri come about?

Guy and I go way back. In fact, the first time I met him was at one of my shows. He won a contest for selling the most Cabo Wabo at his restaurant, and the prize was backstage passes. We got to talking and realized we both loved music and we both loved tequila. When I sold my first tequila brand, Guy called me and said that he wanted to be involved in the next adventure. So when it was time to get going with Santo, I called him—and here we are.

How is it different compared to other tequilas?

Santo is different because we make tequila the way it’s supposed to be made. A lot of these guys out here are taking shortcuts and cutting costs. So, they have to use a bunch of additives to make their tequilas taste better—flavors, colors, diffusers. We’ve been certified additive-free, and fewer than 10 percent of the tequilas out there can say that. We’ve also had a longtime relationship with our distillery, going back almost three decades. And Guy and I are involved in the day-to-day of the business. Most other celebrity tequilas are not like that. People put their name on a bottle and don’t touch the business at all. 

Talk to me about the new campaign and redesign.

We completely reimagined the bottle design so that it could reflect the high quality of our tequila. The bottle design was done by my longtime art director and friend, Todd Gallopo of Meat and Potatoes. The new bottle was the inspiration for the campaigns which were created by PriceWeber and our VP of marketing Ana Kornegay. They took the bottle design and did some work to fine tune our brand strategy around the idea of boldness. All of the taglines are new to Santo, and we are stoked about how they speak to our brand and the people out there who love it.

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Where will ads run? Strictly POS?

The ads have definitely translated to our points of sale. Hopefully you’ll see some of this in your favorite local liquor store. We are also using this creative to support Google ads, Meta ads, other digital ads, and a media flight on ESPN.com.

How do you typically promote the brand?

I’m doing interviews with writers and podcasters whenever I can. I’m making and posting fun content on social media. But my favorite place to talk about my brand is on stage when I’m performing. I’m headed out on my next tour and you can be damn sure you’ll see Santo at every stop. 

Any similarities between creating music and creating tequila?

Creating anything from your heart, mind and soul is very similar no matter what it is. When I write a song, I try and write the best music and the best lyrics I can. When I walk on stage and sing, I try and sing the best I can every time I step up to the microphone. When I make tequila, rum, a cocktail, a meal, I try to make the best you’ve ever had. I’ve always said it’s not important to me to have the biggest spirits brand in the world. It’s more important to me that it’s the best in the world. 

What’s your favorite use of mainstream music and music in general in advertising?

The way I like music in an ad is when it makes sense; when it speaks for the product, and it is not just a song that is popular at that moment. I actually like it better when it’s a deep track—not popular at all—but speaks for the product.