Bravolebrity’s best and worst liquor brands, tasted and rated

From the dozens of “Real Housewives” iterations and spin-offs to “Summer House,” “Below Deck” and more, Bravo provides an endless source of gossip. And let’s face it: If loving reality TV is wrong, we don’t want to be right. Whether it’s a Gen X celebrity throwing a drink at another while demanding to stay away from her husband or another star being accused of various white collar crimes, we’ll be watching with rapt attention — probably with a drink in hand.

Speaking of drinks, they’re pretty familiar in the Bravoverse. Just look at the sheer number of alcohol brands launched by Bravolebrities (Bravo celebs, in case you’re new here) over the past decade. Seriously, so many are getting involved in the food and beverage space that it’s honestly hard to keep up. But just as quickly as these brands appear on our TV screens and social media feeds, they can disappear without a trace. What happened to Sonja Morgan’s Tipsy Girl Prosecco? Or Ramona Singer’s Pinot Grigio? Countess Luann’s non-alcoholic rosé, aptly called Fosé Rosé, reportedly sold out two years ago and hasn’t returned. Even finding Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz’s joint venture, Toms’ Good Lovin’ Whiskey, can feel like a Sisyphean task.

However, many Bravo-founded brands are alive and kicking right now, and we wanted to know how they all stack up. So we got to work, tracking down every line we could find, from Vida Tequila to Loverboy. Without further ado, check out our definitive ranking of Bravolebrity alcohol brands.

7. Skinnygirl (Bethenny Frankel, “The Real Housewives of New York City”)

In the pilot season of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” founding member Frankel “invented” the now-controversial Skinny Girl Margarita, which featured Patrón Silver, fresh lime juice, and a splash of triple sec. This inspired Frankel to launch Skinnygirl Cocktails, a low-calorie, ready-to-serve margarita, in 2009. While the line—which was sold to Beam Suntory in 2011—has since expanded to include several other cocktails, wines, vodkas, and even salad dressings, we stuck with the OG Marg. And, woof. Its strong kitchen cleaner scent made even taking a single sip a chore. The watery palate was no better: The drink was bursting with an unappealing, artificial lime flavor that prevented our taste buds from detecting any tequila notes.

6. Rinna Wines (Lisa Rinna, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”)

When the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills embarked on their girls’ trip to Provence, France, in Season 9, it was a bad time to have a glass of wine. During an hours-long tasting, the ladies downed bottle after bottle of rosé, resulting in some of the drunkest moments the show has seen to date. That’s where then-series regular Rinna came up with the idea of ​​starting her own wine label: Rinna Wines, which will hit shelves in August 2022. Made in collaboration with Prestige Beverage Group, the line includes Sparkling Brut and Sparkling Brut Rosé, both produced in Provence. Our tasting panel opted to sample the former, which was so tart it bordered on sour. While we detected some faint hints of pear, the flavors quickly became dusty on the back palate. In addition, the carbonation was so fine that enjoying the sparkling wine was a challenge at best.

5. Vanderpump Wines (Lisa Vanderpump, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Vanderpump Rules”)

Vanderpump has made an impressive name for herself by starring in two of Bravo’s most successful programs and opening over 30 restaurants around the world with her husband, Ken Todd. Given the couple’s illustrious careers in hospitality—and the fact that Lisa is rarely seen on camera without a glass of wine—it wasn’t much of a surprise when the former Housewife announced her own wine label in 2013. Vanderpump Pink Sangria and Vanderpump Red Sangria hit shelves the following year, and unfortunately, neither is particularly good. The former smelled like the juice left in a bowl of fruit salad (not in a good way), and on the palate, everything fell apart even further: Sugary, overripe fruit dominated our taste buds and stuck in our mouths. The Red Sangria was slightly better, offering notes of ripe red berries and baking spices that meld better with the relatively tannic, dry red base. While we’re not sure we’d ever buy this product again, at least it was drinkable.

Vanderpump also launched their own line of wines in 2017 with the release of their flagship Vanderpump Rosé. We didn’t get a chance to try the pink stuff, so we opted for Vanderpump Chardonnay, which was released in 2020. Nutty and buttery oak flavors permeated the glass before a tart taste took over, highlighting flavors like pear, lemon, and brioche. While it’s not the best Chardonnay we’ve ever tasted, it was certainly better than the sangrias, which was enough to move it up a spot.

4. Casa Del Sol (Kathy Hilton, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”)

Hilton, who frequently appears on the show thanks to her sister Kyle Richards’ Housewife status, did not create the Casa Del Sol tequila brand. But her investor status sparked a pretty heated argument with her colleague Rinna, who decided to order Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila instead of Casa Del Sol during a trip to Aspen. Unlike Rinna, we wanted to try the brand, so we tried the Blanco, Reposado and Añejo variants.

Of the three, the Blanco was by far the best, although it doesn’t hold a candle to other Blancos in the same price range. While there were some peppery and grassy agave notes, the overwhelming flavors of caramel, vanilla, and powdered sugar lingered in our mouths and were even sweeter on the finish. The Reposado was similarly cloying, giving off strong butterscotch flavors that blended with bubble gum and baking spices on the palate. The worst of the trio was the Añejo, which combined cloying butterscotch with artificial-tasting vanilla and caramel to create a liquor that tasted more like saltwater taffy than agave.

3. Vida Tequila (Lisa Barlow, “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”)

If you’ve ever watched The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, you’ve probably seen series regular Barlow order a “Vida cocktail” while out to dinner. What exactly is in the cocktail is still up for debate, but Barlow just knows she wants the tequila she owns. Although the brand’s popularity skyrocketed after the show premiered, Vida Tequila was actually founded over two decades ago, before the tequila boom in the U.S. Barlow and her husband John came up with the idea in 2003 after meeting their now distilling partner, and by 2007, bottles of the stuff were on liquor store shelves in Utah.

The brand also offers reposado and añejo variants, but we grabbed the blanco and were pleasantly surprised by what we found. The spirit was intense on the nose, full of grassy agave aromas accompanied by citrus notes. The palate was similar with vegetal notes, intense black pepper and pyrazines. With a fresh and lemony finish, this tequila may not be a standout compared to other high-quality blancos, but it certainly beats other celebrity tequilas by a long shot.

2. Loverboy (Kyle Cooke, “The Summer House”)

Co-stars and now spouses Cooke and Amanda Batula launched Loverboy, a line of sparkling, low-alcohol canned teas, in 2018, just a year after “Summer House” hit TV. The two came up with the idea for the brand when they witnessed the additional success of brands like Twisted Tea and Whispering Angel after their costars drank them during filming. Promoting the line on the show generated similar buzz: By 2023, the brand had sales of around $38 million in the U.S.

Although the brand has about 10 other teas in its range in addition to cocktails and spritzers, we kept it simple and tried the Hibiscus Lime and White Tea Peach. Both are wonderful. The former is very floral, with the hibiscus contributing a certain bittersweetness that pairs well with the acidity of the lime juice. With a hint of pomegranate juice, the taste offered a nice richness and a hint of sweetness. Equally refreshing was the White Tea Peach, delivering a ripe, juicy peach flavor where you’d expect candied peach rings. The tea’s tannins were more prominent here than in the first can, preventing the sweet stone fruit from taking over the palate.

1. Bluestone Manor (Dorinda Medley, “The Real Housewives of New York City”)

Despite her popularity with fans, Medley left the franchise in 2020 after six seasons. But she’s clearly made the most of her time off: Just months after news of her exit broke, Medley launched Bluestone Manor Bourbon. Named after her sprawling estate in the Berkshires, the liquor is designed to fill a niche previously unfilled by other Bravo brands: brown liquor. And in our opinion, it’s doing a great job.

Bottled at 45% ABV, the bourbon is distilled in Newburgh, NY from a mash of 70% corn, 25% wheat and 5% malted barley. The result is a spirit with strong baking spice flavors underscored by a tantalizing orange peel. The palate was similar, with taste buds washed over with vanilla, allspice and dried fruit. The spirit is heavy on the tongue and will work just as well in cocktails as it does neat, making it the certified champion of our Bravo spirit battle.