THE MEZCAL FIRECRACKERS.
The ladies of Gem & Bolt are wild.
Before alchemist-artist duo Adrinadrina and Elliott were Gem & Bolt, they almost ran off to join an eccentric Mayan circus in the Yucatan backwoods. The unorthodox makers of the plant-based “clean spirit” are on a mission to restore personal elevation to the art of celebration.
Produced by fourth generation master distillers in Oaxaca, Mexico using a sacred herb called Damiana, Gem & Bolt is organic, sustainable, and rooted in the mystical. Because mezcal chooses you, you don’t choose it—discover how the founders were seduced by this radical, healing elixir.
Join their party below.
Name: Adrinadrina and Elliott Coon
Instagram Handles: @adrinadrina @elliottcoon
Business Instagram Handle: @gemandbolt
"Positive life elevates consciousness." What does that mean to each of you?
We're dedicated to conscious evolution and find that teaching innovative ways to celebrate and creatively express oneself is fundamental to a positive life.
And how is that ethos imbued into the spirit of Gem & Bolt?
Positive forms of celebration and a clean plant-based botanical spirit elevate rather than deplete the human experience. Damiana is a connective and expansive herb connecting heart and mind which helps people celebrate in a more holistic manner. We call it Spirit in the Spirit.
How did you know that you wanted to launch a mezcal company?
They say Mezcal chooses you and you don't choose it. We were called to mezcal as artists, to bridge art and plants through celebration.
How did you know you wanted to do it together?
We were an artist duo and decided to create a project bringing together our shared passion for art and plants - born and raised together in a radical community of artists and visionaries, we share a deep-seated trust in one another and core values. It's the well-spring of all our cocreations.
Where does each of your respective drives and passion come from?
Bringing people together through art plants and celebration.
What are your biggest respective pet peeves?
That creative roles within companies are not always appropriately valued or honored. But this does seem to be changing. The most pioneering and successful new companies are those that do understand the value of balancing creative within the business.
What's something you'd like people to know about your job that they probably don’t?
That the biggest responsibility we have as founders is to keep the heart and soul of the brand vital and vibrant in every respect, every day.
IYO-- How can we stay original when we are so saturated with other people's work?
Our perspective is that information is a gift and it's all about how you filter it through your own lens. We grew up outside of conventional society and we learned how to observe culture anthropologically and to curate our personal sources of inspiration and then reflect it back to the world.
What about your careers make you feel the most complete?
COLLABORATION !! & The fact that we've been able to take a heartfelt creative concept and turn it into a brand that reaches such a large audience.
If you had to trade jobs with anyone else in the world, who would it be and why?
In the early stages of GEM&BOLT we were very close to joining an eccentric Mayan circus in the backwoods of the Yucatan. We often fantasize about the path that may have taken us down. So, perhaps we'd trade places with a past possibility of ourselves.
At what point in your careers did you find the confidence to really take charge and become the women you are today?
Yesterday. And every day.
"We recommend singing and dancing throughout the day as a preventative measure to bad moods."
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What's the best advice you've ever been given? Or your favorite piece of #realtalk?
"Lead your team from within" - Bobby Klein, friend, healer, and advisor to GEM&BOLT
When you hit a big bump in the road, how do you find a new road or a detour?
We learned early on to reach out to advisors and mentors for perspective & also the power of creating our own realities, as well as our own roads. Bumps in the road are a phenomenal opportunity to revise and refine the vision.
What song do you sing in the shower when you’ve had a bad day?
We recommend singing and dancing throughout the day as a preventative measure to bad moods.
Photo Credit: @davisfactor
Hair & Makeup: @SmashboxCosmetics @TheGlamApp @TheOuai
