Blake Lively, who doesn’t drink, faces backlash from fans over sparkling cocktail line
Blake Lively’s new alcoholic beverage line has sparked mixed reactions among fans.
The “A Simple Favor” star, 35, recently launched a new line of sparkling cocktails under the brand name Betty Booze, a companion to her line of nonalcoholic mixers, Betty Buzz.
“Drinking isn’t my thing. But for f* sake, flavor is,” Lively wrote in an Instagram post about her three new sparkling cocktail flavors. “Homemade recipes. Real fruit. Real ingredients. Quality booze. No crap. Also a real time saver. Which is why I really did it.”
The launch of Betty Booze, which includes three sparkling drinks with bourbon or tequila bases, came as a surprise to some fans, given that Lively has long been open about being a non-drinker.
“I don’t drink because I don’t like the effects of alcohol, but I like being social,” she told TODAY.com during a mixology class celebrating the launch of her alcohol-free mixers in 2021.
Many commenters were swift to voice their confusion and frustration.
“How can you market/create a product you don’t openly consume yourself? 😂 come the f on now..,” one person commented on her Instagram post.
“It’s so lame when celebrities who don’t drink suddenly promote alcohol,” another commenter wrote.
“Another cash grab from a celebrity over a liquor brand and this one doesn't even drink,” commented someone else.
“I would have loved if this was a NA mocktail,” another person commented on Instagram. “You would have quite the audience for that. … This is a bummer.”
“Possibly unpopular but I’m slightly bummed about this. I love that Betty Buzz occupied an alcohol-adjacent space but it was it’s own thing, especially since Blake Lively famously doesn’t drink alcohol,” someone else commented.
Neither Lively nor Betty Booze immediately responded to a request for comment, but Betty Buzz responded to the above comment by saying, “Blake famously makes cocktails for friends and family at home (even if she doesn't drink them herself) so we bottled up her homemade recipe for others to enjoy! :)”
And in another recent Instagram post, Lively explained that Betty Buzz and Betty Booze are aimed at different audiences. While she says Betty Buzz drinks are “good for all ages and preferences,” her new Betty Booze drinks are “for those who want the alcohol.”
“Because that’s what hosts do. We make something for everyone,” she wrote. “And not usually ourselves. Wait, I’m describing moms now.”
Several fans supported Lively in the comments, agreeing that even though she does not personally drink alcohol, she can still offer alcoholic options to her customers.
“Someone can not drink and still create a drink for those who do,” one fan wrote in part. “Why not build a company where there is something for everyone.”
“A good business person sees a gap in the market and fills it,” another person commented. “They don’t have to be a consumer of your own product to stand behind its quality.”
Lively also received support from some fellow celebrities in the comments, including Gigi Hadid.
“Drinking ain’t your thing but when u make a drink for someone else, best bet they’re having a good time (me, I’m someone else),” Hadid commented.
Actor and director Taiki Waititi also voiced his overall support of Lively’s new beverages in a lighthearted Instagram comment.
“I’m gonna mix this with my coffee and see what happens. May as well chuck in Ryan’s gin while we’re at it,” he commented, referring to the gin company, Aviation Gin, previously owned by Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.
While Lively does not drink alcohol, it sounds like she is accepting of those who do choose to partake — and in fact, she has long enjoyed whipping up elaborate cocktails for others.
“I think I’m an amazing mixologist at this point. I am the in-house mixologist in my family,” she told USA Today back in 2018.
“I love to muddle berries and shake things up with ice and swirl vermouth around and spritz and twists, all that’s fun for me,” she continued. “I love the idea of making a drink. I just think the taste of alcohol in general is not my favorite.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
