I thought I wanted to work in music production for a while. I worked for a film producer. Then I was given the opportunity to open a bar in New York. So, I was like, 'You know what, I'm going to give it a shot.'
— Rande Gerber
There are so many things I love about he. She's still a small town girl at heart. The most important thing to Cindy is her family and making sure that we're all happy. She's so low-key despite her high-profile position. She's someone who constantly gives back, who does so many things for so many people without asking for anything in return.
I do have the most beautiful wife in the entire world.
To me, it's important, always in life, to never wonder what would've happened if I only tried something.
You'll get the maximum potential out of everyone on your team when you create harmony, when you treat each employee well.
My favorite hotels are anything Aman, because their properties are always so beautiful.
When we were younger, but still of legal drinking age, it would be things like Goldschlager or peppermint schnapps. Things like that are not something I ever enjoyed.
Our rum, Caliche - I call it Cali - is a blend of three-, four- and five-year rums: It took us about three years to find the perfect blend.
I wasn't a party boy.
We made Casamigos just for us to drink. Four years later when, you know, we're offered a billion dollars to sell the company, yeah, we were kind of shocked.
When I interview someone, I want to find out about their life, get a sense of their personality, their passion. Maybe I'm hiring for a certain job, but even if your job is marketing, I'm going to ask you for your opinion on other things - taste this, what do you think of this bottle?
I like to adapt to each city. I like to come up with a concept for each space I do. The vibe in L.A. is a little sexier than New York, so the colors are a little different.
My wife is great at giving input for my projects. She's good at naming places, she has pretty good taste in music, and as a model, of course, she's excellent when it comes to lighting.
Real entertainers love to entertain.
When I get dressed, I do wear Armani.
It's always nice to get fresh flowers.
I don't give my employees hours - some of them come in at 7 A.M., some at 10 A.M., some stay until 6 P.M. or midnight. They have that freedom to come and go as they wish, although they all put in more hours than your 9 to 5.
Studio 54 was the place you could never get into. Of course, the place you can't get into is the place everyone is trying to get into.
I have to be proud of what I'm doing. When I created Caliche, it was something I really wanted to drink and that I wanted my friends to think is the best.
There's nothing like driving a Corvette.
I know what I know and I also know what I don't know, and I make sure I hire the right people who can teach me.
My favorite website is The Daily Beast, and I also like 1stdibs.com, where I'll browse for great rugs or classic furniture.
I travel light, but always with three key things: Passport, cash and iPod. The latter is perhaps the most key - it keeps me going at the gym or on the plane; I listen to everything from rock to country to blues.
I don't love mixed drinks.
We own a proprietary recipe for Casamigos Tequila that can't be duplicated.
I'd only been to Studio 54 a couple of times, when I was 16.
Attention from the photographers is part of my life and I think the best thing is to learn to deal with it.
When I was in the restaurant and bar business, I followed a rule, which was that the places that I opened were places that I wanted to go to.
None of our bars smell like a bar at all - that's our number one rule - and we use certain scented candles and certain types of incense in order to give our bars a specific feel and ambiance.
A lot of people go into the bar and nightclub business thinking: 'Hey, we can make money for a year or two, close and then open again,' but for me, it's always been a business and it's always been about longevity.
It's nice to be able to have a conversation with someone and know there's nothing they can gain from me, nothing I'm looking for from them.
I don't want to be stuffing my face at a party - I just want to talk and socialize.
My mind starts to work creatively past 10 P.M. or 11 P.M. - all of a sudden there's silence and my head starts going.
I'm usually up until around 1 A.M. or 2 A.M. I don't get much sleep - and I prefer it that way, writing notes and coming up with different ideas for two to three hours between 11 P.M. and 1 A.M. or 2 A.M.
Around 16 I began going out with friends to the city. That's where the action was. We would go to this place on Times Square - real shifty - and get fake IDs made up.
I want to be unique and original and truthful.
I play a little but also like to keep the guitars around for when friends come over.
I've hired people I've met at parties and other events, and I've hired a lot of people right out of college. It's really based on personality as opposed to experience.
Wherever I travel, I always head for a drink at the hotel bar as soon as I arrive. Not only is it a great way to relax, but it's a fantastic way to feel the pulse of a city.
Big cubes, small cubes - it's all ice. I'm not that fancy.
Nothing says the party is over more than when you run out of ice.
I was always a design junkie.
I had long, blond, wavy hair.
Casa amigos means house of friends and that's how we work. We have lunch together every day; a couple of times a week we have drinks. There are no assigned desks - everyone just moves around. It's very social and creative.
Pour two parts mix and you throw in one part tequila, some Don Julio, which is my favorite, shake it up a couple times. There's a perfect margarita.
Oh, the secret of a great club is all in the detail. When I walk into one of my bars, I have to have all my napkins a certain way and all the pourers in the bottles facing a certain way. It drives some people crazy, but I figure if I notice something's off, then other people will notice it, too.
When times are good, people drink. When times are bad, people drink.
I love blues, mellow rock 'n' roll.
Always be interested in what's happening with other people.
On weekends we try and stay around the house, have a BBQ, have friends over.
