Will Best, Big Brother and Botox Bloody Marys?!

19:28Alan Carr:No, well... Oh, God. Your guess is as good as that. Here are my wares that I've provided. Well, we should explain, actually. This is your drink. You're not just coming in with a random... This is your company. Yes, this is my brand. And they are canned, for the purpose of the list, like Bloody Marys. So, like Alan said, I love a Bloody Mary. I feel like... Do you agree with this? People say... The most things I hear about people when they say about Bloody Marys, They go, I really want to like Bloody Mary's. It feels chic. It feels chic. Yeah. I think it does. Well, it's an acquired taste. It suggests that you have a very well-developed, advanced palate because it's got spice.

20:10I agree. It's got, it's getting QVC now, it's got umami. Oh. Umami, what's that? It's a posh word for salty. It's a bit like ectoplasm in that respect. It can be quite salty. Yeah.

20:26And it's, what has it got? We don't put ectoplasm in our bloody house. It's got citrus. No ectoplasm, please. I'm driving. It's got citrus and it's got spice. Because obviously you have a lot of Tabasco. So shall I talk you through what we've put in ours? Oh, tell me how it bloody started.

20:46Alan Carr:Yeah. Well, yeah. Well, let's have a drink. No, no, let's have a drink. Pour a drink because I'm worried the ice is melting. The ice is melting. But look, so I've got three. How do you want to do this? Because I've got three flavours. I didn't know this. I just thought you did Bloody Mary, but you've expanded. We've expanded. You've got Bloody Mary, which is the classic. All right. So that's this one here. Then you've got Bloody Maria. Now that's... Maria is with Mezcal. So we've formed a partnership with Ojo de Dias. Oh, that's a good Mezcal. It's costing us a fortune. They don't give us much of a discount.

21:21Okay. But so this is much smokier and we use a slightly different base on this one. So we don't put Tabasco in this. We use like a kind of pickled jalapeno mash to give it the spice. And then we use a little bit of like a hot sauce. Then we have all the tomato and everything as well. And then we have a red snapper, which is a Bloody Mary with gin. Gin, yes. Are you more of a gin? Oh, I do like a gin. Yeah? That could be the one for you. That's interesting. I've never had you with James.

21:52Alan Carr:Well, I think we should try all three. We should. I think let's start with the classic. Okay, now they've only given me three glasses. So should we, shall I, shall I, do you want a little splash in each? Cold stores, no, I don't as well, yeah. So hang on, so I'll give you a little bit to taste and then you, and then you. We'll get more glasses. We can get more glasses. Or you could just neck it. You know, when you go back to your house, can you pop next door and get some compede? And I don't mean from the kebab shop. I've got a pit of bread here so

22:24Alan Carr:yeah let's listen let's pour the Bloody Mary in the classics I think we start with the classic and I think actually for the purpose of the listeners and the viewers if they don't know a Bloody Mary let's talk through the history of a Bloody Mary great okay this is brilliant yeah where does it come because we do like to learn things on this podcast yes despite what everyone I've heard you talking about wine in extremely sorry I've just handled your celery there You can do that whenever you are listening. Oh, hang on. Put it away, Lee. A bit of lime? Go on, then. Shall I squeeze it in there? Oh, see, that's funny that you choose lime.

22:57I would go for lemon. I prefer lime. Do you? It's just a little bit more zesty, I find. Lovely stuff. There we go. Squeeze that in. Because people go rogue, and this is... Okay, I'm going to sound like a wanker, but when you go to LA, California, they really go to town. Sometimes it's like a hanging basket in the top. You've got all these different kinds of... Yeah. They put in whole lobsters. I've seen people try and stuff roast chickens into a Bloody Mary. It's absolute carnage out there. Roast chickens. Seriously, they have big jugs. They have massive jugs and they'll put in a roast chicken.

23:31They'll hang prawns off the edge. Oh, I like that. Do you actually like it? I like it. Are you being... Because I really genuinely... You don't need to just be nice to me because we're being filmed. I like it. You've heard the podcast. Yeah.

23:45Alan Carr:No, out in the seat. So I feel like with a Bloody Mary, it is probably one of the most difficult cocktails to make in terms of getting it right. So if you were going to kind of, and actually it's faff. It is faff. I mean, I love making cocktails. I really enjoy it. But with a Bloody Mary, I will just get a pre-mix and add vodka. Because it doesn't make sense. You're hung over. You've woken up. You've crawled out the skip. You're like, oh, I need alcohol. I need a bloody Mary. And then you've got to find the celery, you've got to find the lime. Exactly. And we put a lot of ingredients in ours. We add a little bit of sherry to ours.

24:22Yeah, just a little bit of a Montalado sherry. Who's got sherry lying around? Do you know what I mean? We also add a little bit of soy. So remember I talked about umami earlier, which is a posh word for like savoury saltiness. We add soy because rather than just adding more salt, soy brings out that umami, but in a less kind of, without, you know, it being an additive, if that makes sense. And we use Kikuman soy, because it's like naturally fermented and naturally brewed. Oh, so you really put some element in. You're passionate about this. You don't get two great taste stars without giving a lot of thought there.

24:58Wait, hold on. What are these great taste stars? I always see them, but I always just thought... You don't always see them. No. You'll see them very occasionally on really special things.

25:05Alan Carr:But are they like the drinks version of Michelin stars? A little bit. But you'll get them on anything. You'll get them on food. I have seen them. Yes, you see that. I always just thought it was a bit of a sticker being like, oh, we like this. No, no, it means something. The complete opposite is the one, oops. You know when you work at Chester Glead? Yeah, and there's someone saying, oh, I found it like this, and there's a crock mark in the top of the sponge. It was like this when I bought it. You liar. Oh, wow, that's amazing. You must be, how proud were you when you got that? No, we were really proud.

25:32Weirdly, the proudest moment I had when we started the brand was when we moved our first big shipment. We were sending some to Sainsbury's, right, because we were stocked in Sainsbury's. And I found out that we'd filled an Eddie Stobart lorry. And when I was a kid, I used to be obsessed with Eddie Stobart lorries. And we'd always drive, we used to play a game. We'd see if you saw an Eddie Stobart lorry, you had to shout Eddie Stobart before anyone. It was riveting stuff. It was before iPhones. And we'd say, Eddie Stobart. And then we'd check to see if they're wearing their ties. And if they weren't, we'd report them.

26:04What a life. We wouldn't report them. What a life you've led. Yeah. It was exciting and now I've started the brand. Anyway, and Eddie Stobart, he was... That's amazing. He was shipping them around and I thought that it felt, I don't know, it felt real and grown up and... All right, I did the Eddie Stobart Corporate Awards at Christmas party. Oh. Did you? Did you meet Eddie? No, but a woman... You should get him on. A woman with no knickers did do a cartwheel during Oops Upside Your Head, which... Wow. ...is something I'll never forget. Yes. Classic stow bar. That is, honestly. That's so ending.

26:40Yeah. So, let's... Oh, hang on, sorry, sorry. There's one more thing. So we also, because we like to... Because Bloody Marys are often about the theatre of it as well. You've talked about, you know, seeing like lots of food in them. It's like a hanging basket. Yeah. So because we're saying, look, we've taken all the faff out of making a Bloody Mary, especially if you're working in a bar, you still want a bit of theatre, right? So as well as the celery and a bit of lemon or lime, we've developed our own rim salts, which are designed to go around the glasses. I'm looking at one. Yeah. Now I didn't add them to this because I thought we might be reusing the same glasses, but you can just take a little pinch.

27:14Alan Carr:Let's get some more glasses then, shall we? Okay. And I'll rim these. Oh no, but you'll, well, the thing is that we can't, ah, thank you, Alan. Why can't we? But we can't rim them when they've got the ice and stuff in, and we need a plate. Why not? Well, are you going to just put the end in there? I was going to do that. Is there like an etiquette for rimming? Yes. We need, like, a little plate. Can we just put a bit on the tray? Can we get a plate? Here we go. Here we go. We've got a plate here. And then we've got a plate for this bacon salt as well. Oh, my God. I love the sound of bacon salt.

27:45That's basically like crushed up frazzles.

27:47Alan Carr:No, I like to do a half rim. Yeah, nice. All right. So, it's weird with the icing, but let's just do... Absolutely pro. Oh, I see that. There we go. And that's nice. And that is already a bit theater. Do a bacon one. A bacon... Oh, yes. Do a bacon one. Good idea. I think I'm going to love the bacon one. Yeah. You can have a pinch of that. It's... Oh! I could just eat this all day. It is good, isn't it? Okay. So, let's try the Bloody Maria here with the mezcal. Do you like a smoky drink, Alan? Yeah. I think the mezcal will be nice with the bacon salt. I think the mezcal could be... And you can use the celery as a stirrer.

28:26I think, Alan, I think this could be the one that finally converts you to a Bloody Maria. Okay, right. Okay.

28:31Alan Carr:And ultimately, they say, I mean, this, to me, is a hangover cure. What do you think? I love it. Do you prefer that? Yeah, I prefer that. Because I prefer that. The other one, it's still lovely, but it's too tomatoey. This sort of neutralizes, to me, this is more like a, this is the gin one. Oh, is that the gin one? Okay, yeah. So that, so the gin one we've done, it's a collaboration with a gin brand called The Botanist. Nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They are... It's so smoky. Have you had this one? They're on Islay, the island of Islay. They're the only gin distillery on Islay up in Scotland. So they have a whiskey distillery and then next door they have the gin.

29:09And they make their gin with foraged, hand-foraged botanicals from the island. So a guy goes around with a carrier bag, basically, and just puts bits of bushes in. But it's really amazing. Don't spoil it. I love the story.

29:23Alan Carr:Can I just say, because Mezcal is a little bit divisive, this isn't as smoky. and so it's still a, it's really nice. Sometimes with Mezcal, it can be overpowering. This is delish, right? But I want to get into the history of it. Okay, great. How it came about. And we'll go on to Big Brother later on as well. But I'm fascinated by this journey because for me, it's all well and good sitting with your friend and saying, we need to make a drink. But then how does it go from that? So you co-founded this with your friend, Yes. Harry Farnham, is it? Yes. Wow, you've really done your research. Thank you.

30:04Alan Carr:And you basically both love Bloody Marys. Yeah. But again, and I agree with this, it's hard to find a good one. Exactly. Most bars can't make great ones. And when you find a bar that can, you're like, oh, we'll go to that. So what happened? You both sat there and said, we need to make Bloody Marys. What then happened? So, well, we were in a pub and we'd been served another dodgy Bloody Mary. That'll be the spice. Yeah, it's one here in the back of my friend. I sound like the man in the Saw movies. Do you like Bloody Mary as well? Carry on. Imagine if Alan loses his iconic voice. Oh, no. I wouldn't say iconic.

30:42Alan Carr:Grating. It's like a Bloody Mary. Some people love it. Alan Carr, great, doesn't he? So, go on. You sat there with Harry and said, we need to make a drink of Bloody Mary. Exactly, because for some reason, a Bloody Mary, despite the fact it is one of the most complicated cocktails that there is, really, in terms of the number of ingredients, and it's really hard to make. And the way you do it. And the way you do it. It's the one that you kind of expect to get in every pub. Do you know what I mean? You go to some random pub, you know, and you'll expect the 18-year-old bar person to be able to make a Bloody Mary.

31:14You wouldn't necessarily ask them for an espresso martini. So we thought, you know, it is ripe for being kind of, you know, for somebody taking out the guesswork and making something that you know is going to be good every time. Yeah. So we then, we thought, yeah, let's just do it. But obviously we knew absolutely nothing about how to start a drinks brand. His background was in like publishing stuff. And then, and obviously I've never started a drinks brand, but we just had this kind of attitude of like, how hard can it be? So we started mixing in his kitchen. And then, and then we, we went shopping to find, like, we thought what we could do would be get basically like a giant cauldron.

31:56Okay. like something from like this used from a brewery or something, pour all our own ingredients in, stir it by hand and then bottle it off using like a hand canner. And that will be our way of making drinks. We just fill up a can and you kind of close the can off one at a time and make Bloody Marys like that and then expect A, them to be good and B, people to actually buy them. But tomato juice, it can give you botulism. So me and Harry were just like cartons into a big vat. So this is dangerous. We could have done some serious damage, yeah. Analyzed yourself. Yeah, exactly. But luckily, we started speaking to some people who had a bit more expertise than us.

32:34Oh, some botulinum, that's like Botox, isn't it?

32:37Alan Carr:Yes, that's where Botox came from. So actually, Botox is botulinum toxin. That's what actually is. God, you can tell he lives next door to a pharmacist. He's been listening. He's been listening. Actually, the kebab shop owner told me that. Yeah, and that's what it was. and then they realised, the beauty brands realised a tiny little bit of that. Really? They used to use it for people who had tics and stuff and it would treat people. Wow. And then they started looking at these people with tics and they went, God, they have an age. God, they look fit. Yeah. That's incredible. And the beauty industry went, oh my God, we need to rename this.

33:13Alan Carr:And they said, well, we can't call it botulinum toxin. So they used it as a portmanteau and said Botox. Botox. That is amazing. What is going on with me today? Have you got a Botox brand? clearly not

33:28we first had the idea in 2017 yeah so we've been plugging away for ages but then it took us two years from having the idea to actually having something in a can that was good that we were proud of that people would actually buy and that wouldn't paralyze anyone's face yeah that's always a bonus yeah so we launched our first listing was Selfridges in 2019 December 2019 and then obviously COVID bloody happened COVID bloody happened so our plan was let's get this in pubs and bars and then all the pubs and bars closed and then when they reopened the whole pubs and bars landscape was very different you know people do want to save money and stuff and you know and have consistency but they've had so many other sort of problems to solve if you know what I mean like around you know the drinks industry that getting a can into pubs and bars has been very difficult but But the one good thing about COVID from a business point of view for us was that people were drinking at home more, and that was how we got into Sainsbury's.

34:28So Sainsbury's approached us and were like, we've seen what you guys do.

34:34Alan Carr:What I would say, actually, is if I was going to go into a bar and I'd said, oh, I'll have a Bloody Mary, and I did see them pour it out of a can, I might be like, I would actually be more inclined to buy these cans to have at home, where I've got maybe guests coming over or whatever, I pour just very quick. Do you want a Bloody Mary? You know, so actually, for me, those canned cocktails are more suited to picnics or at home where you can't be bothered. Drinking on the train. Drinking in a bar. Journey juice. We love journey juice. So the other day you said, Alan, should we take some journey juice?

35:09Two stops on the tube. Yeah. Four cans. We got through.

35:17Alan Carr:And so you, when you set this up, I think I read somewhere a while ago did you you had the job at T4 and stuff and then that went that went and did you go I need a side hustle well I've always felt I need a side hustle telly is very precarious because have you always had a kind of entrepreneurial streak or did telly and our industry as you said precarious push you into being that or a bit of both maybe a bit of both but I because I had a business outside of telly before. I started a music streaming. I know, audio splitter. Audio splitter. He's done a lot of research. I know. Where's your research?

35:57Alan Carr:Nothing. I've got an earpiece. I've got an earpiece. I've been through yours. Because I was reading that and I thought, you must have some sort of entrepreneurial kind of thing in you to go, I'm going to do this. I think it's fear. I think it's fear that the telly will just stop. Yeah. Because it sort of could do and it sort of did really for me because I was doing T4 and stuff. And then there was a time when I was doing, and I was doing T4 in this building upstairs in Whitelance. Yes, I know. The Princess, I did a, what's it, Friday Night Project. You did, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that kind of, so I was working on T4.

36:34I was working on a show called The Crush, which was on 4Music. I was working on Freshly Squeezed, which was a daily youth music show. And within the space of genuine two weeks, they all were cancelled. And I was okay. You know, I started doing some other stuff. I did some bits for Simon Cowell and things. And things were sort of poodling. And then I got a dance show called Dance, Dance, Dance that was me and Alicia Dixon hosting it for ITV1. Sunday night, I thought, this is it. You know, you've hit the big time. And people, my agent was like, this is it. You've hit the bit. Everyone was saying all of this.

37:03Was that the one where a woman came on and she was from Manchester and she was doing, she had like the knee things on. Don't be tight, right? This is my life. I thought you were going to say, is that the woman who did oops upside your head with no knickers? No, that's the Eddie Stover.

37:17Alan Carr:Oh, Eddie Stobart. No, don't be tight, this is my life. That was Britain's Got Talent or X Factor, wasn't it? Don't be tight, this is my life. You're so snag. Oh, no, that's the one who went round the clock who came round with the shoes on. Yeah, yeah. Oh, what's she called? I can't remember. I don't remember that. Is it a viral moment? Chloe Mafia. Chloe Mafia, that was it. Don't be tight, right? This is my life. Was that her act? Well, no, no, no. Or was that just she was gross? No, no, they booed her. Oh, oh, I see, yeah. Well, back to your life story. No, I think let's get Lisa. What's she called?

37:48Mrs. Mafia. Mrs. Mafia. She only is Mrs. Mafia now.

37:52Alan Carr:Don't know if she is married. I think she's Ms. Mafia. So yeah, so you did Dan San San's. You got that. I got that. And then that only had one. You know how you were asking Alan earlier about when you're working on something and you, do you know if it's going to be a hit? Oh, did you know it wasn't? Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, no. It was a good show. Yeah, okay. But it didn't come back. It was just a one series deal. And then, you know, things slowed down, you know, which can happen. And I thought, I can't just be relying on, you know, a commissioner being like, yes, he's allowed to work. Do you know what I mean?

38:30That's the thing. And also, you know, your future, you know, like my pension, you know, it just seems so precarious to rely on the thick of world of media. Yeah, exactly. So I always wanted something going on outside of it. And so when my friend actually kind of, we were talking about this in the pub and he was like, I've been thinking about this for a while. What do you reckon? I thought, yeah, because, you know. And it's interesting listening to you because there's a passion there, isn't there? And you know all the ingredients, you know where everything's from. I really get the impression that you are like, this means a lot to you and it's so lovely, isn't it?

39:06And, you know, you're joking about QVC and stuff, but you're selling it to me and it's really, isn't it? I find it very hard to... I think because it's my baby, I find it harder to sort of sell it, if you know what I mean. Because it feels very tied up with me. It's almost like showing off, being like, we've made this amazing thing. Yes, I know what you mean.

39:29Alan Carr:You don't want to look like you're bragging. Yeah. Almost, or like... Not that we have that much to brag about, but... Well, it's delicious. We're no trip. No, but listen, you've chosen a drink that is quite divisive with people. You know, we've chosen this drink because this is my favourite. It's a passion. It's my favourite cocktail. And it was my mate's favourite cocktail. And we sort of bonded over them. And, you know, a Bloody Mary is associated with good times. Yeah. You know, because you're either having it the day after a good night out, or it's the beginning of a good day out. I remember waking up once and I thought, this is it.

40:05Alan Carr:This is the day I die. And I had a Bloody Mary. And you know, like flowers. Have you ever seen a flower that hasn't been watered for a while? And then all of a sudden, it just pricks up. And I was like, I'm back. There you go. And that was a bloody Mary for me. And that's why we do it, you know? That's why you can buy this in the pharmacy. I promised myself I wouldn't cry today. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects. And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files, and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports.

40:52Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on Plus and Pro plans. Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu is now streaming on Disney+. What are you waiting for? Hop on. The must-see galactic adventure comes home on Disney+. This is the way. Our only chance is to work together. I like this kid. Always wear your seatbelt. Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu. Now streaming on Disney+. Read PG-13.

41:32This episode is brought to you by ITV. Arnley there's no place like ITV is there do you know what I feel like with ITV

41:41Alan Carr:it's that kind of channel where they have the shows that make you talk to each other it's about connection it's about belonging coming together like for me the masked singer yeah I can't watch it on my own I always like to sit and watch it with the family we all sit we all have our guesses and I love that it kind of brings people together have you ever guessed one of them's me no I never have guessed Every series, anyone with a high voice, that's Alan Khan. I'm sitting home, it ain't me. I'm watching it. I'm shouting at the screen going, but it's not me. No, I know. It's me. But that's the thing.

42:15Alan Carr:I like to do it with people. It feels like a game. It feels like you're in it. You're in the audience. You're in the live show. And then you get Mr Bates versus the Post Office, where that gets people talking about human stories, corruption, things that affect all of us. And it's that thing where, with Mr Bates versus the Post Office, you can't watch it if you're watching it with your partner, for example. You can't watch one without them. It's like cheating on them, isn't it? You have to watch it together. That's a bit intense. Well, it's true. Really? If you watch a programme that you have done as a duo, as a group, and you go ahead, no, no, no, no, no.

42:53Alan Carr:That's a no, no, no, no, no. I say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's what I feel like with great telly. It's like joining that little club that you're an exclusive member of. Whether you want to be part of a huge national moment or keep up to date with all the memes in your group chat or simply want to join the catch-up convo at work, there's no place like ITV.

43:19Alan Carr:One thing that has come out, Big Brother. That's come back, it's come back, it's come back. It's back, isn't it? That's how we met, isn't it? Because I used to do warm-up on that. You did. I did the launch show. Yeah, you were incredible. Which was, oh, bless you. People were saying that the crowd was second to none. And that's thanks to you. Oh, no, you too can, you too can. It was quite a... Because I remember Big Brother is like an institution. Yes. And it's its third reincarnation kind of. It was originally Channel 4, then Channel 5, and now ITV. Oh, you know, you mentioned Friday Night Project.

43:49Me and Justin spent half a day in the Big Brother house as an experiment. Did you? And it's so... Do you forget the cameras are there? You do forget. And then, and I just remembered, like, you just would... What year was that? Oh, 2006, 2007, like that. And they locked us in there. And I just remember being so indiscreet. And that Justin was like, Don't, Alan! And you'd hear the camera, like, whirr behind you and stuff like that. And then you would end up picking your nose or just... Yeah. It's so dirty in there. Isn't it dirty? Well, no, not anymore. Not anymore. It was dirty when it was on Channel 4.

44:31Not on our what? Dirty. Yeah, filth. You should have seen it on Channel 5. I was a skinny on the carpet. Oh, God. There, I've said it. Was it right, didn't it? Yeah, it was a skinny. It was still pubes. Disgusting. Did you... Dirty. I was so dirty. Yeah. Well, because they don't send cleaners in. No, they don't. People have to fend for themselves, and it just shows, isn't it? People are happy to live in school.

44:52Alan Carr:Did you watch it when you were younger as a kid? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was such a thing, wasn't it? It was amazing. I remember the first... I mean, the first series I really watched was the second series. That was kind of when I got into it. The first one sort of passed me by slightly, but I've, you know... I mean, it's still iconic, though, even that first one, Nasty Nick. I mean, come on. Oh, God, yes. And so it was one of the biggest scandals. International... He had to flee to Australia. You try and explain to, like, young people, he smuggled a pencil in and he wrote the names on a piece of paper.

45:19And it was like... Britain's most hated man. I know, I know. I was like, yeah, granddad. Honestly, he had a piece of paper.

45:28Alan Carr:that's our version of telling stories about the war isn't it I could not wait to get home I worked in the call centre at the time I couldn't wait to get home to watch because I'm not a big reality TV fan but I still do love a bit of Big Brother there's something about that show where it is a social experiment what how so when did you find out you'd got it when it was coming back and it was bubbling up I'm guessing you screened Tess I did and you obviously co-hosted it with the lovely AJ. Yes, AJ. She's brilliant. You're both so good together because you were friends before, right? Yeah. And I've got her to thank for it.

46:03Really? Yeah, 100%. So when I was screen testing for it, I was actually producing telly. Like I was working behind the camera. I was still doing bits and bobs, but I was working, I was kind of producing and directing little bits. And I was on a job that I was producing when I found out I was in a car with the rest of the crew I was making this show for Ali Plum, you know, the movie reviewer guy, Ali Plum for Radio 1. We were doing like a thing about films. And he was sitting in the back with like the rest of the crew. And I got a call from my agent and they were like, can you take... You're like, I've found out about whether you've got it.

46:40And she was like, you are doing it, you're doing it. But I obviously couldn't tell anyone. But I couldn't believe it. I spent about two days just going, extraordinary. Just every now and again, extraordinary. I couldn't stop saying the word, extraordinary. It was like I've developed some kind of a... But it was, yeah, it was mainly because of AJ. So AJ was already signed up to do it. And then they wanted to find a guy to pair her with. So they screen tested me, but very much as a favour to AJ. Like when she...

47:10Alan Carr:To shut her up. Basically to shut her up. Yeah, we'll bring him in. Yeah, no, literally. And she showed me a message that had been sent to her agent, which her agent had forwarded on, basically to manage her expectations, being like, you know... Because I knew some of the team making it. They're like, we love Will, but he wasn't on the list, right? So just, we'll get him in at the end of the day, you know, if there's time, and, you know, and we'll see how it goes. But, like, don't pin your hopes up on it. And then it went well. I think maybe I got it because I cried during the screen test. Did you?

47:46I begged. Please give it to me. I did. I cried though because they were playing us clips from previous series and just getting us to like react to them and talk about them. And there was a clip where a housemate called Cameron came out on the show.

48:03Alan Carr:That was the Channel 5 version. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Didn't he win it? He went on to win it, yeah. But, and I hadn't watched that clip for years, obviously. And then we watched it and then we were talking about it and we both had a cry because it's such a beautiful moving clip. And you only get, it's very rare that you would get that sort of moment on any other show. And to get it, and then, you know, even all those years later, it can, you know, affect you. I think that just shows the power of the show. Right, listen, I think it's time to play a game. I love a game. And I'm going to pitch you both against each other.

48:40Alan Carr:And it is Bloody Mary theme. Okay, excellent. We're calling this game What the Bloody Hell is in this Drink? That's good. Actually, we can use that for marketing. Don't, it's copyrighted.

49:00Alan Carr:Alan, I've got something to get off my chest and I never thought I'd say this, but you're looking quite good at the minute. Well, I ate it when you're right. There you were banging on about wild nutrition, collagen, 500 plus. I thought, here we go, Lee, with another health fad. But? But, well, I've been using it every morning. I knew it. I've been sprinkling it on me yogurt and do you know what? I've seen a real difference in my skin. I was going to say that, actually. Hmm. Aging like a fine wine, you said. Well, I'm thinking I'm a bit more fabulous. You know, maybe I've got a bit more fizz than before.

49:41So I guess what you're trying to get at here is I was right. Absolutely not. Collagen was right. There's a difference. Okay, if you say so. So if you fancy giving it a go, Wild Nutrition is giving Bottoms Up listeners an exclusive 50 % off their first three months, plus a free personal consultation with a nutritional therapist. head to wildnutrition.com forward slash bottoms up. T's and C's apply.

50:13Alan Carr:Hello and welcome back to Bottoms Up where we're playing a game called Bloody Hell. What's in this? The title's changed since I said it before. What the bloody hell is in this? Wow, it's good though. Either way. Thank you, yeah, yeah. And just to confirm, this is stuff that you've bought in the pharmacy next door. You've put in these drinks. Yeah, yeah. Dissolvable pills. You have to tell me what they are. Definitely a laxative. No, so we have some Bloody Marys here, but we have added in, I've added in a secret ingredient. All I am going to do is hand you both a glass and you have to taste it.

50:56Alan Carr:Don't taste it yet. Okay. All right, you have to taste it and tell me what you think is I have added in. and then at the end, I'm going to confirm. Give it a sniff nicely. Well, you've got a very developed palate and nerves now. Well, because of your wine. Your wine stuff. That's right. You and your buttery Chardonnays. So, have a taste of this. This is number one. Now, it's all above board. It's not like broken glass. No, it's not. It's fine. Yeah, no. Have a taste. What do you think? What are you getting from that? Wow, interesting. Is it nice, firstly? Well, can I just caveat this by saying And the thing about a Bloody Mary is there are so many punchy flavours in there.

51:35That's one of the reasons why it's my favourite drink. Yeah. That it's very hard for things to... It can get confusing. Well, to really stand out in the mix. Can I say something? Of course you can. I've drank about four Bloody Marys. Can you remind me when I go to the toilet? Just in case I go, oh my God, I'm dying. Right, go on. Do they do colonoscopies at the pharmacy next to your house? The walk-in centre. So, I think you've put something more tomato in, really. It's actually not unpleasant. Okay. If you're trying to make us feel... It's hard, isn't it? There's a sort of slightly bitter aftertaste, maybe.

52:16Is it some kind... Is it booze? Is it... No. Right, I'm going to have to push you for an answer. I don't know. You've put more tomatoes in. Okay, you think more... What a great game.

52:29Alan Carr:You think more tomatoes. Is this going as well as you'd hoped, Link? No, no. What do you think? I mean, it's not bad because I'm finishing whatever it is. I think you've added some extra spicy thing. Tomato puree. All right. I can tell you neither of you are correct. Right. I've actually added some clam juice. Oh! It is a bloody Caesar. Caesar? Why have you? And it's the national drink of Canada. And I will say this. its origins can be traced back to a 1951 cocktail book by Ted Saucier. Guess what the cocktail book's called? Clams? Don't give a clam. No. Clam, I wish I was your lover. No. Bottoms up.

53:14No way!

53:15Alan Carr:Oh my God. Wow. And that's a bloody Caesar, so you add a little bit of clam brine. Frasically, my dear, don't give a clam. So when we launched, we actually wanted to launch with a bloody Caesar. Did you? With clam juice, because that is, because we, have you ever tried Clamato juice? Yes. It's incredible stuff. But we thought we're already the first people to, you know, to say, hey, try this Bloody Mary in a can. If we were then like, it's full of clams. Yeah, yeah. It might not. Yeah, yeah. Don't go full front. Do you know what? If I'd seen on that menu, clam juice. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

53:47I think, if anything, Lee, just if I can give feedback, add a bit more next time.

53:51Alan Carr:Yeah. Add a bit more. Well, I'm a bit worried that the ice might be diluting it. So let's get a drink of number two. Yeah. Yeah, you give it a... I'm jealous that I'm not drinking any of this. Okay. So, what do you reckon this is? What's going on here? What's happening here then? So you know it's not clam, unless I've tricked you, but I haven't, because that would be really boring. It's ham. You think it's ham? From clam to ham? Could it be from clam to ham? It actually tastes a bit like ham crisps. Yeah, ham. You've put way for thin ham. It's very thin. It could be. Do you think? So thin, I can't actually see it with my eyes.

54:30Okay.

54:31Alan Carr:Well, you're close. You are close. Yes. This is a bloody bull, and it's beef broth. Okay. So this can also be called... So this is based on a bull shot. Yes. I told you this morning, I've become a militant vegan.

54:49He could just about do a clam, but bulls! What a day to become a vegan. Bull beef? but is this an actual thing?

54:57Alan Carr:Bloody Bull said to have originated from a bar in New Orleans. The rich and savoury broth adds an extra beefy umami kick. Yes, thank you very much. What does umami mean? So umami is the, it's like the, how many tastes are there? Just try a little bit of this. You've got, it's one of the bits of the tongue. It was discovered in 1911 by a very clever sort of Japanese scientist who discovered umami as a flavour because seaweed is what is very rich in umami. because of the salt. And he sort of said, oh, look, that bit of the tongue is responsible for umami. So it's just savoury niceness. But bull shot is vodka and beef stock, basically.

55:39And that's something that people drink hot when they're out and about. That feels like something Ernest Hemingway. It feels like a very manly drink. But again, this is great.

55:46Alan Carr:So, yeah, again, we'd like to do all of these things. But then you can just buy your classic can and they can add to it. You can just add some... That's what's the, you know, that's the beauty of it. You could get some of the runoff juice from the kebab shop. Yes. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. And just stick a pita bread in the top. Yeah. A bloody donna. A bloody donna. Is that bloody donna? That's actually a really good idea. This is the third one. And is it true, like, because no one really knows where Bloody Mary comes from, wasn't it? Because it was called Bucket of Blood, wasn't it, back in the 30s?

56:20Bucket of Blood. And then they thought, well, that's a bit grim. Yeah, that is one of the theories. Mary Pickford or something, he's got that kind of 1930s film. Well, there was...

56:28Alan Carr:The Queen, Mary, she became known as Bloody Mary, is that what it is? Yeah, it's not based on her, no, it's not based on Mary Tudor. One of the theories is that it was actually, Bloody Mary was invented by a 1930s movie star guy, he was like this kind of B-movie idol type character, kind of socialite in Florida, called George Jessup. and he had been up all night drinking and then discovered that he had a tennis game the next day and he'd been drinking with this lady called Mary and they were going to go and play tennis but they hadn't been to bed so they needed something that would like wake them up a bit give them some breakfast but also top them up on the booze so they could plough on through and he made a big jug of tomato juice spices to wake them up tomato juice to fill them up loads of vodka and then he spilt it on Mary when he went to pour her a drink and she turned to him and said I guess now you can call me Bloody Mary, George.

57:22And where was she from? Hull.

57:27She travelled a lot. So basically, there's something, this is like an old-fashioned hule. What? Hule. You guys are going after the Diary of a CEO crap. I know, I know. No, it's like hule. They say everything. Hule. Hule. Why are you turning into Maggie Smith? Oh, I've had a hule.

57:51Alan Carr:Which again is another pun, human fuel. I never knew that. Yes. Is that really hule? Yeah, that's where it stands. Because it's a weird hule. I know, human fuel sounds weird. Right, we've got number three now. So this is obviously full of horseradish, but you've added, have you just added... Give some jeopardy. No, but it must be something else, because you've... Why is it that colour? It looks like you've poured horseradish in it. Have you just, did you just literally... So I can tell you, and you're not going to lie, This is a militant vegan. It's got actual horses. We've gone from clams to beef to horse.

58:22Alan Carr:Okay. It's a horse. It's horseradish. So... PNH. So some recipes suggest adding horseradish to liven up a classic Bloody Mary with an extra kick of heat to get things... That's where you're getting the heat from. Have you seen a horseradish? Have you ever seen a horseradish? What do you mean? Have you ever seen a raw horseradish? Is it a radish? They are... Do you know why they're called horseradishes? This is like hanging out with Susan Dent. because they look like a horse's member. What did you say? What did you say? I went to say what? I accidentally said... Sorry. A horse's... Member? Member.

59:05Alan Carr:I don't know what came over me. A horse's radish as a female horse. No, a horse is... Look! And they're massive. Oh, I thought that was normal size. Why do you hate horses so much? Poor Harry's algorithm on this episode. So, yes, you were correct there. So, has that got a real tanginess to horseradish? Which do you like the best then? Do you like the beef? Do you like the clam? Or do you like the horseradish? I think the clam for me. Really, the first one? And if I saw that on the menu, I would go, no, that horseradish, that is too much for me. Yeah. How about you've gone to town on the horseradish?

59:43Really, is it quite a lot? Did you just tip from... Yeah. It was a watery one, wasn't it? That horseradish is quite girthy. Yeah. It's a herd of horses got in there.

59:53Alan Carr:And what's your favourite then, Will, on that one? Oh, um... Do you like the clam? I mean, I do like a bit of horseradish. But too much on that. We went too much. Yeah, I think that... No, I'm going to go for the beef. The bloody bull. Lovely stuff. It's very good. Okay, well, this has been Bloody Hell. What the hell is in it? Or something to that effect. Your horse... Now, listen. Now, listen. Before you go, I want to talk to you about radio because you do everything. You're a drinks brand. You're a triple threat. Triple threat. You are a triple threat. Entrepreneur. But you're also on the Hits Radio with Lovely Flirties.

1:00:35Alan Carr:With the Lovely Flirties. And James Barr, who I love. James Barr. I do love James. Yeah, he's great. Do you know James Barr? Yes, I do. He's a fantastic comedian. No, I'm very lucky. I just you do the breakfast show right do the breakfast show with those girls what time do you have to get up for that it's not that bad I get up about I get up about quarter past five are you an early riser anyway are you absolutely not no no and if I was even if I was an early riser maybe have a little bloody Mary just to get you a bit of clam bit of clam juice to get you going it has been though maybe I'll have the occasional bloody bloody horse just to get me out the door you get some great guests on it who have you interviewed where you're like oh my god Well, obviously the biggest name we had was Taylor Swift.

1:01:17Alan Carr:How was she? She was very nice. Did the building have a bit of a buzz with it? It was on full lockdown. Was it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, she was lovely. Disappointed you didn't get invited to the wedding? Yes, very disappointed. It seemed like on that tour, everyone that met her got invited to the wedding. I know, Graham Norton. Except me and Fleur and James. I know. I interviewed her in 2016 on Chatty Man for nine minutes. It's almost like that was for nothing. which I hadn't bothered she owes you everything how dare she had a lovely gift for her what the bloody hell is that she said save me Matt what was she like she was really nice yeah everyone says she's nice she was really nice it's like it's hard to know whether she's just so well it's hard to know whether she is really nice or whether she is just like incredibly professional.

1:02:15Do you know what I mean? But she doesn't do very many interviews. So I think she hadn't done press for like two years. So she was quite fresh. It wasn't like she was just fed up of getting asked the same questions for me and sometimes. I know what you're saying. I've interviewed Taylor Swift a couple of times on Chatty Man and you know, she is very professional. She had a laugh. Yeah, she had a laugh. I remember when she went on Chatty Man. She's really super sweet. But then you know, you get people who are big stars and they aren't nice and they're, you know. She had a, I remember on Chatty Man, she had a drink, didn't she?

1:02:42She got quite pissed. Yeah, she was lovely. Yeah, really sweet. I'll tell you who one of the most fun people we've had in was, and we were talking about, because we're talking about brands, you know, people with drinks brands, Kylie. Oh, we're desperate. Kylie, Kylie, come on, love. She is great. She came in, and it was for Christmas. And so we had the whole place decked out for Christmas. It was probably in June, but she played along. And we had, you know, we had a couple of bottles of her Prosecco. She got stuck right in. Great. You know, she was asking for top-ups. It was like, we had her for about 10 minutes.

1:03:11She was in there for about 45. We drank two bottles of Prosecco between the four of us. It was great. She was like... She had a whiskey and this was after the show. She went, do you want a whiskey? Yeah, she's good. She was so... You flaming galah. I said, you're more Aussie than I remembered.

1:03:27Alan Carr:I was going to say, is she from Hull as well? Before you go, I just do it because I am quite fascinated by, obviously, you know, all the showbiz stuff, but I'm actually more fascinated by the drinks bit. And is there anything that you, when you started the drinks brand, If there's someone watching or listening going, right, I want to start a drinks brand or even a business in some way. Is there anything that you kind of wasted money on or you thought I did it wrong? Oh, so much, so much. Any advice that you would give the people? Yeah, I mean, we did a lot of stuff wrong. I think one of the things that we did wrong was that we started outsourcing things too early.

1:04:00So we tried to, we thought we don't know anything about the industry, so we should get some help from professional salespeople. Now, obviously, they have contact books and they can, you know, open doors, but no one is going to sell your product as well as you. Although, based on today's performance, maybe Harry should have come on the show. But because you have the passion and you know what goes into it, and people want to buy from people, do you know what I mean? Yeah. So I think that was one thing we wasted a lot of money on was, you know, I think all the big accounts that we've got pretty much have come from us.

1:04:33You know, it just, these things just take a lot of time. I think the other thing that people need to, is patience. Like, it takes years. It really does take years. You know, people always say it takes long time to become an overnight success. People talk about Fevertree becoming like this huge thing overnight. Fevertree had been going for about 11 years before they became the Fevertree that we all know now. And I think you just need to, and also create a product that you actually love. Because it would be soul destroying selling something that you know isn't good enough. And we, I think to our detriment, you know, we spent two years getting the product right and we still have iterations.

1:05:11We don't, we have, you know, to sort of lift the lid on the back end slightly. Sounds weird. We, we're not like a pantomime horse. We have, we have, we have terrible margins. Do you know what I mean? Like we make very little profit on our drink because we won't compromise. Like in our classic, we use Tabasco sauce because a bloody man should be made with Tabasco. Yeah. We think, you know, in our bloody Maria. As I said, we use pickled jalapeno mash. Like that is not, you know, there are other companies out there that make drinks and, you know, understandably, they want to maximize profit. And so they just fill it full of whatever.

1:05:53And then send out the door. That's why you've got the two great taste stars. Exactly. And, you know, for what you might sacrifice in terms of sort of, you know, profit margin and maybe security of the business, you more than make up for in sort of passion behind what you're doing. And authenticity, isn't it? Exactly, exactly. So I think that, but also, if you don't know anything, that's not a reason to stop. If we'd known when we started how difficult it would be, we wouldn't have done it. But because we didn't know anything, every problem that we faced, we thought this would be the last problem before we launch.

1:06:24But actually, there's another one. But we had no idea. And if we had, I think, you know, I wouldn't be sitting here now talking drinking horses with you

1:06:36Alan Carr:Will honestly thank you so much for coming on thank you so much for having me so where can we get it we can get it Sainsbury's Waitrose Waitrose Ricardo yeah Co-op nice you can get our bloodydrinks.co.uk bloodydrinks.co.uk thank you very much and can you buy the salt because that bacon salt from our website oh we've got bloody nuts as well nuts that I forgot to give you I've got some round the corner in my bag I'll give you some after this we do Bloody Mary Flavoured House. Well, if they head on to bloodydrinks.co.uk it's all on there. Thank you so much, guys. That really is so lovely. Thanks, Will.

1:07:08Alan Carr:Thank you. They can catch you on HITS Radio. Is it five days a week you do it? Five days a week. Five days a week. Big Brother starting. Big Brother starting. And yeah, and I'm on another show as well. Can't believe what that is. Yeah, that's starting very soon. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, cha-cha. Cha-cha. Will Best, everyone! Thanks, guys. That's all from us this week. Don't forget to head to YouTube and press that all-important subscribe button. Yeah, it's a Bottoms Up bonanza over there. As always, we want to hear from you, so do email us, bottomsupatlisten.co.uk or message us at Bottoms Up Show on socials.

1:07:50Please drink responsibly and don't forget to go to drinkaware.co.uk for more info.

1:07:55Alan Carr:Bottoms Up with Alan Carr and Lee Peart is a Platform Media production. Bottoms up! Bottoms up!

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