Lenny Kravitz on why sotol is the next big category of liquor.

Lenny Kravitz is among the most recognized artists of the modern era. That’s what happens after you enjoy sustained success on a global level for over 30 years. To this day, he’s the only man to ever win four consecutive Grammy Awards in the same category. He’s also a prominent actor, designer and philanthropist. But there’s another passion he counts, one which might not be as apparent to the masses—until now: Kravitz loves a good glass of booze.

For years he’s actually been quite experimental in the pursuit of such, eschewing the more mainstream examples of spirit in favor of liquids which are, shall we say, a touch more indie in nature. To wit, in 2021, while on the set of Shotgun Wedding, he was presented with a bottle of sotol and instantly fell in love. Despite the fact that the vegetal-forward Mexican spirit has been distilled in the Chihuahuan desert for centuries, it remains relatively esoteric to most American drinkers.

In other words, it’s not the sort of liquid that makes for a surefire investment opportunity. But that’s music to Kravitz’ ears. He was so compelled by the rounded, inviting nature of this juice that he decided he was up for a challenge: to share this drink with a global audience.

It helps, of course, that he counts Alexandre Ricard as a personal friend. The third generation CEO of Pernod Ricard—the world’s second biggest distiller by sales—knows a thing or two about building a lasting liquor brand. And together they believed they had a juice they could champion: a sustainably-produced example crafted by fourth-generation master sotolero Don “Lalo” Eduardo Arrieta.

After a lengthy, spirit-soaked, moonlit night on a Caribbean beach, Nocheluna was born. The final product, bottled at 86-proof, benefits from slightly sweet, almost lavender-like flourishes. It’s not as assertively vegetal as other entries in the category, which likely marks it as a more approachable entry point for newcomers.

Nocheluna hit shelves in North America last year, retailing at $80 a bottle. On the eve of its launch into the European market, Kravitz sat down with me in his hometown of Paris to discuss both the drink and the journey.

Why Sotol? It isn’t exactly a category which is on the front of everyone’s mind.

Lenny Kravitz: “At the moment…Even in Mexico. I thought perhaps it was something unknown outside of Mexico. But a lot of folks in Mexico don’t know it.”

What made you want to enter the business with something esoteric?

LK: “I was in the Dominican Republic, actually, making a movie with J-Lo and someone reached out saying that they wanted me to try something. I had relationships with people in the spirits business and I had been in that world. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary for friends to reach out. But I was sent this bottle and I opened it and I didn’t know what sotol was. So I had to do the research. Upon the first smell and taste I was intrigued. I knew it was from the Dasylirion plant and it’s not tequila, it’s not mezcal. But this is really, really good. Who were these people making it? So after the movie I ended up taking this trip to Chihuahua.”

What happened there?

LK: “I met Don Lalo and a lot of the families down there that had been doing this for generations. I hung out and went into the desert. We talked, I saw a lot, I got educated on the process. The whole technique, the history, the sustainability. When you bring up the notion of working with something that’s not known yet, to me that’s more exciting. I’ve always been about things that I like whether people know about them or not. But I also really got to like the people that I was dealing with: the farmers, the distillers. It was just a really good vibe.”

How did it evolve from a vibe to an actual product in the bottle?

LK: “They came to the Bahamas and we had dinner and drinks on the beach. I showed them my world there. The bottle wasn’t there yet. The name wasn’t there. We had discussions about all of this and by the end of the night we had the name and most of the bottle executed; we left the building that we were having this dinner and discussion in and the moon was right over our heads. And it was just that moment—this is the brand.”

How would you describe your role in this project?

LK: “It’s something that I’m passionate about. I’m here to amplify the history and the culture. But it’s not about me, by any sense of the imagination. I’m here to respect and give my service to this wonderful spirit and to the people who’ve been doing it.”

How do typically like to drink it?

LK: “After having it neat, it was good to see how it mixed. My tour manager Karen, when we were in the Dominican Republic, broke out a pineapple and started making these cocktails which pretty much became the signature cocktail: The Fly Away. It’s made with Nocheluna, Ancho Reyes [chile liqueur], lime and pineapple juice.”

And how did this partnership with Alexandre Ricard come to fruition?

LK: “We met. We had drinks, and we had interesting conversation. We didn’t even get to the business discussions until later. We just liked each other as people. Then we found out that we were neighbors, and things just flow.”

Speaking of flow, what’s your creative process like?

LK: “A lot happens at night. I dream a lot of my music. I find myself waking up at three, four, five in the morning, I hear it. I wake up—no matter how tired I am. Because if you don’t wake up, you lose it. You’re like, I’ll remember that, the pillow feels so good…No, you gotta get up. I tend to wait to hear it. Depending on how much I hear; I might hear the whole song or I might hear a quarter of it. I might hear the music but no lyrics. Whatever I come up with, I go and I begin and then I work. Work, work—keep shaping and sculpting until I have something. But I like to wait for the inspiration to come, like an antenna picking up radio waves. I like to be as far away from it possible; meaning I’m out of the way. Whatever I’m receiving is what I’m receiving. I like that.”