Celebrities getting into spirits and wines is a headline we’re all used to by now—Ryan Reynolds, George Clooney, Drew Barrymore, and Brad Pitt are just a few that come to mind—but it’s not often that we hear about one starting a non-alcoholic beverage company.
In town to launch his new non-alcoholic drink—correction: “sparkling elixir”—Love Conquers All, Waris Ahluwalia, the famed Indian-American actor-designer-retailer-model, needs little introduction; the aesthete clothes horse’s steady stream of colourful imagery and spot-on outfits floods the stable of the mind long before he does.
Counted among the handful of Vanity Fair’s “World’s Best Dressed Gentlemen,” a recurring star in auteur Wes Anderson’s films, and appearing in more fashion editorials than we can count, Waris Ahluwalia is the “chic Sikh” whose slim silhouette—topped with a colour-block turban, beard and signature kada (silver bracelet)—is instantly recognisable.
His iconography and imagery are so symbiotic that anything less than a head-turning jacket with a signature splash of colour would diminish his aura. As the first Sikh man to front a global campaign for an international brand, whose aesthetic choices and visual impact in all aspects are so strong—just look at the veritable smorgasbord artefacts in his Sotheby’s auction—there’s something to be said of the sartorial spectacle of immaculate choices.
Many came to The Upper House to see and hear the man himself, but ostensibly to try his heady concoction, his message in a bottle: Love Conquers All.
Well, “heady” gives off the wrong implications—there is no alcohol, nor the post-alcohol-induced buzz, as the ingredients of this exotic drink include “a proprietary blend of pomegranate juice, fermented ashwagandha, cardamom extract, cinnamon extract, rose extract, saffron, orange blossom, bourbon vanilla, bitter orange, damiana, hibiscus, shatavari.” Most importantly, “every one of the 10 ingredients serves a purpose,” and some of the herbs are used in Ayurvedic medicine as well for that extra-healthy boost.
“Purposeful” could also be the theme that ties in the multi-hyphenate, among the many things Ahluwalia does. Film and fashion choices may be what he’s most known for, but at the Hong Kong launch of Love Conquers All, it’s all about the bevvies. “We have no interest in a sober movement,” he says right off the bat. “We’re not dogmatic because I’m not. You want to have your whisky or wine, Champagne or cocktail—you do you. We don’t care if you drink or don’t drink. But if you don’t drink, we wanted to give you a better option, that’s all.”
Teetotallers know best that the options are limited at black-tie events. Ever had the displeasure of orange juice with steak? A drink pairing with fine sushi is also a challenge. Ahluwalia hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol as a practising Sikh, and he’s refrained from the pyrrhic pleasures of social life in New York and a well-documented (and photographed) event-hopping spree that’s taken him from the private clubs of New York to New Delhi.
“I’m trying to give you a clear start into the story,” Ahluwalia says, shoes off, legs curled into the couch. “I never drank, even while growing up in New York City. And in my penchant for partying, which is over-documented and photographed, around the world, I never found the need to. Even when launching my jewellery line—we got all these awards, and all the top retailers were selling our products. Everything was going well. I went on sabbatical from our jewellery business and started spending time with herbalists, healers, doctors, and scientists to understand what we’ve had with us for centuries, which are herbs and the power of herbs in the power of plants. We started making blends, healing blends, more so than just teas.”
“Celebrating with alcohol is not a natural law—it’s a runaway marketing success,” he says, having been part of many a celebration over the past three decades. “We have confused the two being hand in hand. But when you stop for a moment, and you think about that, something wonderful has happened in your life. Let’s celebrate this wonderful moment by chugging down a drink that, if you have enough, will make you forget all the above!”
On his quest to find an alternative way to celebrate in style and enact the rituals of celebration with the same pomp and circumstance as, say, opening a fine vintage, he’s launched this elegant bottle of fizz and bubbly that comes with zero sugar and zero calories. Love Conquers All is designed to be an energetic botanical tonic to help rejuvenate and refresh the body, while at the same time provide a beautifully layered flavour fit for celebrations and toasts.
As Millennials and Gen Z consume less alcohol and the wave of teetotallers is steadily on the rise, should the vineyards of great provenance and history worry? “Obviously not. Again, we aren’t here as an alternative, but an addition to the menu. We’re only interested in putting out the best non-alcoholic beverage in the world,” Ahluwalia concludes.
Love Conquers All can be bought at abottleoflove.com and is in stock at The Upper House.
All original images by Natalie Dunn, shot exclusively for Robb Report Hong Kong.
