“It’s a lot of cheap gross beer and energy drinks that most people don’t want to drink. “A lot of the brands that are in the alternative space are really unhealthy,” Cessario says. Riggins, bartender Pat Cook, and artist Will Carsola - was conceived as a different way to hydrate partiers. Liquid Death - a collaboration between Cessario, partner J.R. “Seeing how people in the market are actually reacting to it on social media is a much better barometer for figuring out whether or not we had an idea that would actually work.” Even though a lot of the early commentary about Liquid Death was negative, Cessario knew that you just couldn’t buy this kind of buzz.Ī post shared by Liquid Death I was working with these huge corporate brands, they would do all kinds of testing and focus groups, but I never felt like those were really accurate,” Cessario says. Before launching Liquid Death, Cessario was a graphic designer by trade, working at advertising agencies and producing projects for big companies like Netflix.

A teaser video made with mock-ups of the cans netted more than 3 million views before anyone had ever tasted a single drop: That’s when co-founder Mike Cessario says he realized that he’d created something special. Within a couple of months of its launch, the brand had racked up more than 100,000 fans on Facebook, which at the time was a number that eclipsed bigger brands, like Aquafina, on the platform. Liquid Death captured the imagination of the internet immediately. That was especially true when I reached for a chilly can in the midst of a brutal hangover last week, which was also when I learned that it is surprisingly easy to chug an entire can in a matter of seconds. The can also makes the water feel colder, a perception that’s apparently backed by science, making it taste more refreshing than the water that flows out of my Brita pitcher. When I first tried it, I was a little worried that the aluminum can would impart a tinny flavor, like those stainless-steel water bottles, but the water inside was surprisingly neutral with a mild minerality to keep things interesting. Mostly, though, people just thought that the brand was a highly targeted stunt intended to sell expensive water to punk kids, skateboarders, and anyone else dumb enough to pay a premium just because it comes in a tall boy can emblazoned with a skull.īut it turns out that Liquid Death - and this is coming from someone who insufferably considers themselves a water snob - is pretty damn good. Others decried the water’s heavy metal branding and slogan - “murder your thirst” - as toxic masculinity run rampant.

Some called it the “Ed Hardy of water,” recalling the worst fashion trend of the early ’00s. When Liquid Death launched in 2017 - with just a rendering of its now-distinctive tall boy can hitting the internet - everyone was pretty sure that this new water brand was just a gimmick.

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