As senior vice president of marketing at OpenTable for more than a decade, Marin local Scott Jampol knows a thing or two about the hospitality business.
He tapped that insight to launch Sausalito Liquor Co. in 2023, as a way to capture our namesake locale in the bottle. One may find him on Monday nights tending bar at his own neighborhood haunt and otherwise playing bocce in the local city league or hiking with his Bernese mountain dogs in the Marin Headlands.
Amber Turpin: What’s your job?
Scott Jampol: Founder and CEO of Sausalito Liquor Co..
How did you get into that work?
It all started with the big idea that people want spirits made with quality local ingredients that let them enjoy the beauty of the moment, the people they’re with and the place that surrounds them. … “Local” was taking hold as it had in beer and wine, and I wanted to be a part of that for the amazing area we live in.
I attended Moonshine University’s intensive distilling program in Louisville, Kentucky, took on a job as a bartender at a local bar and partnered with a master distiller to help refine my recipes.
Did you ever have an “aha” moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.
When we were formulating the recipe (for our Marin Coastal Gin), we were amazed that you could actually drink the gin straight … without any mixers or dilution. … We hear so often that gin reminds people of the smell of their grandma or that horrible night they had in college. Once they taste the new era of gins, ours included, it’s a game changer.
AT: What is your favorite thing to drink at home?
I am a classic three ingredient cocktail lover. My favorite is a Rye Manhattan. Light vermouth, heavy on the bitters and stirred with a little of the cherry juice on the spoon.
Where do you like to go out for a drink?
The Sausalito Cruising Club, where I bartend, is also my favorite destination for a drink. Good people, great views and simple, delicious cocktails. … I am also excited that we partnered with Canela in SF to put together a spirits and food pairing menu for SF Restaurant Week in mid-April. It’s a combination of food and drink that you’ll never get any other time.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?
Well, I would need to get all my food groups to stay alive on a desert island, so probably a spicy Red Snapper—a Bloody Mary with Marin Coastal Gin. It would have two strips of bacon, grilled shrimp and an assortment of pickled veggies … a meal in a glass. Sausalito Liquor Co., 415.602.8765. sausalitoliquor.com.
