BeautyTies Interview: Gary Hollywood

 

Gary Hollywood is a producer and actor who is better known for his role in Taggart, Mrs Browns Boys and various roles on stage. Gary is now the CEO of Hollywood Drinks, the business he created, with an incredible variety including Gin, Cocktails and Spiced Rum.

 What made you create your own drinks business? It's so different from acting. 

It was one of those things it was on my bucket list and being a lover of Gin, my wife encouraged me to give it a try. So, after asking a mutual friend that I had met through the singer Sam Bailey, Em and her brother-in-law Graham who put me on the right track and Hollywood Gin was born.

How long did it take you to come up with the taste you wanted for your first Hollywood gin?

I attended a Gin school that Graham owned and my wife and I spent two days finding our tastes. My wife was pregnant at the time so she couldn't drink but she did have a great sense of smell haha! so I politely kept on tasting the gin until we got our taste.

Hollywood Spiced Rum looks interesting. What made you expand from Gin to Rum?

 We decided to expand to spiced rum and an acknowledgment to my eldest son Zach we decided to make it Captain Zach’s Spiced Hollywood Rum. We will this year hand the daily running of this over to my son who will nurture and look after it. 

What were you thinking of when it was created? There’s a lot of flavours combined: Fresh pine, vanilla, chocolate and more. We wouldn’t know where to begin with creating a rum

 I knew I wanted a Rum and with having ginger in our Gin I wanted to keep the heat in our Rum and so decided to go with spice. 

Do you have any advice for people wanting to start their own alcohol business? 

I’m always about following any dreams you may have and if this is so in creating your spirit then go for it. I would set make sure you have the right team around you as this I found to be very important, your team have to have the same energy as you for launching your vision.

Who inspires you?

My wife, my family inspire me they truly are my energy my strength my confidence. Having my young family, they keep me going and keep me focused to be the best person I can be and to thrive to achieve my visions.

What are your future plans for Hollywood Spirits? 

 My plans with Hollywood Spirits is to launch a Vodka next which will be named after my youngest son Ollie and we hope to have that launched for this Xmas 2022. I plan in 2023 to launch some liqueurs and then I will have achieved my collection. I suppose after doing this is possibly to move from online sales and get the product out mainstream. 

                                                Doc Hollywood Cocktail

Whisky is a treat in our house. Do you think Hollywood Spirits will create a whisky? If so, we are available for whisky tasting. 

I haven’t given Whiskey a thought actually, now you have me thinking, yes, I think we will have to look at that one haha! a favourite tipple of my fathers. I’m sure we could do with some extra tasters.

Perfect, we will hold you to that! Doc Hollywood sounds an interesting cocktail. Do you have a favourite tipple? 

We collaborated with Karen at Drinks Co last year to come up with a cocktail “Doc Hollywood" which happened with my old pal Pamela Docherty and us. So we thought it would be fitting to use both our names and Doc Hollywood was launched.  I have to stop drinking the stock haha! 

You have a very beautiful family. Is it difficult to juggle work and home life? 

We have a busy life with Ollie and Cherylanne working full time. We are no different to any other family, we get on with it and enjoy our working life and makes it even more special to have and create good times with Ollie. We try and keep our weekends solely for us as a family and do fun things with Ollie. My rules in life is to create as many good memories as you can, life is for living and it’s no rehearsal, so enjoy, be kind, strive to be happy and make those memories good ones. 

Click here to purchase Hollywood Spirits, They would make a perfect gift for someone : Hollywood Spirits Website