A few months ago, I sent you a note about an idea I'd been sitting with: a private space for people who make cocktails (both at home, and professionally) to connect, share what they're working on, and learn from each other without all the noise that comes with most online platforms.
I've been building it quietly since then, and next week, it opens.
It's the official High-Proof Preacher Cocktail Club, and I wanted to tell you about it here first... not as a pitch, but as an honest explanation of what it is, why it exists, and what I'm hoping it becomes.
Why This Exists
For the last few years, I've been making content across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and now this newsletter. And the more I've done it, the more I've realized something: I've become the bottleneck.
If you have a question about a technique, you DM me. If you want feedback on a drink you made, you tag me and hope I see it. If you're looking for a specific recipe I posted six months ago, you're scrolling back through hundreds of posts trying to find it.
That's not sustainable, and honestly, it's not the best way for any of this to work.
The people making these drinks (the ones replying to emails, sharing their riffs, asking thoughtful questions) you all have as much to offer each other as I have to offer you. But right now, there's no way for you to connect with each other. No way to ask a question and get different perspectives. No way to share what you made and have someone else build on it. The Cocktail Club is meant to change that.
It's a private, members-only space where you can:
- Share what you're making and get real feedback from people who care
- Ask questions and actually get answers... both from me, but also from other members who've been there
- Access a searchable, organized library of all my cocktail recipes, syrups, and technique guides... tagged by base spirit so you can actually find what you're looking for
- Join live happy hours where we make drinks together and talk through techniques in real time
- Participate in monthly challenges that give you something tangible to work on and share
- Be part of a community that's focused on craft, curiosity, and supporting each other... not on chasing engagement or selling you something
No ads. No algorithms deciding what you see. No brands trying to get in front of you. Just people who make drinks talking to other people who make drinks.
What It Costs and Why
The Cocktail Club is $27/month.
I know that's not nothing, and I don't take it lightly. But here's why it's priced the way it is:
This is a lot of work to build and maintain. The recipe library alone (organizing, tagging, formatting, and keeping it updated) is an ongoing project. The live happy hours, the challenges, the moderation, the infrastructure, the time it takes to show up and be present in the spaceā€¦ all of that requires actual resources.
The monthly subscription is what makes it possible for me to run this without relying on ads, without taking on sponsors that would compromise the integrity of the space, and without turning it into just another platform or media company.
It also keeps the community intentional. People who pay to be part of something tend to show up differently. They contribute. They care. And that's the kind of space I want this to be.
If $27/month doesn't work for you right now, I completely understand. There's no pressure, no hard feelings, and you're still welcome here in Simple Syrup Monthly... which, by the way, is not going anywhere.
Simple Syrup Monthly Isn't Changing
Let me be clear about this: Simple Syrup Monthly will continue exactly as it has been.
If you just want syrup recipes and the occasional cocktail landing in your inbox, nothing is changing. You'll still get those. This newsletter has always been free, and it's staying that way.
The Cocktail Club is an addition, not a replacement. It's for people who want more: more connection, more structure, more access, more actual community. But if this is all you need, that's completely fine. I'm grateful you're here either way.
What Happens Next
The Cocktail Club opens next week. If this sounds like something you want to be part of, you can by clicking the text here.
If you're on the fence, that's okay too. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is the club. Take your time. Think about it. And if you have questions, just reply to this email.
Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for being part of Simple Syrup Monthly. And thanks for making drinks that matter enough to you that you signed up for a newsletter about syrups in the first place. You're kinda weird, but you're my people.
Whether you join the club or stay right here, I'm glad you're part of this.
ā€”Jordan
Three Syrups, Three Old Fashioneds: A Simple Syrup Monthly Special Edition
It's only ever so slightly different from my usual High-Proof Preacher content, but my Cocktail Camera YouTube channel has a brand new video today that focusses on three Old Fashioned riffs, and using three different syrups. It's a chance to see how much a syrup can shift the direction of a drink without making it unrecognizable...
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