Woody Harrelson is beloved for his roles in Cheers, The Hunger Games, No Country for Old Men, True Detective (alongside his friend and possible half-brother Matthew McConaughey) and more. He has also made a name for himself as an outspoken vegan, a staunch supporter of environmental causes and a marijuana enthusiast.
Now, he’s entering the drinks business. Last fall, with entrepreneur Amy Holmwood, Harrelson launched Holistic Spirits Co., which makes gin and vodka from botanicals including artichoke leaves, elderberries, green tea leaves and Muscadine grapes. The company’s ethos reflects Harrelson’s commitment to plant-based, clean living—an attitude that also informs his preference for biodynamic wine.
Harrelson chatted with assistant editor Kenny Martin from London, where he was rehearsing for a limited run of the play Ulster American, in which he starred alongside Andy Serkis. Read on for Harrelson’s thoughts on his favorite wines, Holistic Spirits, good health, creativity and more.
Wine Spectator: How did you get into wine and spirits?
There was no drinking of any kind in our house, interestingly. My mom has never been drunk in my life. I’ve never seen her have more than one drink, and I’ve only seen her have one drink about two times. And my dad, well, I’m sure he must have been a drinker, but I wasn’t around him enough to see that.
It wasn’t a part of my growing up. But, you know, just like most kids, I was always curious about it. My first experience was drinking wine with my brother Brett.
When was that?
I think I was about 15, so that must’ve been around 1974. I’m feeling older by the second. How old are you? Is that a weird question to ask?
I’m almost 28.
I’ll trade you! Jeez, I wish I could be that kind of old.
Do you remember what you and Brett would’ve been drinking?
It was about the worst, nastiest wine you could even imagine. Of course, we both got really sick from it—we drank the whole bottle between us. It was not a good experience.
How did you come to enjoy wine?
I didn’t start drinking—other than that one mishap—until halfway through my junior year of college. I started drinking a little, but it unleashed a side of me that wasn’t very respectable, so I stayed away from it mostly.
But down the line, I started drinking wine. A lot of it had to do with the influence of my friend Jim Brooks, the director and writer, who has impeccable taste in wine. There’s a quote: I can’t remember if it was Gary Cooper, or someone, who was asked, “How do you manage to hold up so well and be so youthful?” And he goes: “Good wine!”
I thought to myself, if I’m going to drink, let it be good wine. That was the case for a while—I’d always have some spirits too, but I really started liking wine.
What wines do you like to drink?
Honestly, I’m not that knowledgeable, but I do really like biodynamic wine when I can find it. I have a friend who says Burgundy is almost always going to be organic, with fewer sulfites and everything. I started believing in Burgundy.
Do you collect wine?
I don’t, but my brother does, and he’s done very well. He might as well have collected good paintings—economically it’s been very good for him. But God forbid you ever get that guy to share one of those bottles! That just don’t seem to be in the offing.
Not even with his brother?
You know, “brother” only extends so far!
Do you have any favorite wine memories?
I wish I could remember the names, because some of them have been off the charts. With my buddy Jim Brooks, we have a special thing where we get together, and we drink his wine—and have dinner, and have the greatest conversation imaginable.
I really do believe that if you go back to the year, and the area, and the soil and everything, I feel like it has such an important impact on this liquid you’re taking into your body. The wine somehow resonates with the energy in your body, and you have a conversation that would be elevated from what it would’ve been otherwise.
You’re passionate about health, sustainability and the environment. How do you see wine and spirits fitting into a healthy and balanced lifestyle?
Well, it would be hard to take up the argument that alcohol is good for you in any way. I’d like to see someone do so. Probably Oscar Wilde could’ve said it in such a way to make you think he’s absolutely right.
I’m coming out with these two spirits with my friend Amy Holmwood. I never thought about getting into this business. But I had this bottle of vodka called Origen that Amy had come up with. It’s really cool because there’s no sugar, no artificial flavors or colors, no GMOs. And it’s got these botanicals, these superfoods. My wife and I drank half a bottle of this vodka and literally felt nothing the next day. No effect whatsoever. It really piqued my interest, and I thought to myself: It’s surprising that no one’s put superfoods, antioxidants and things to help the liver into spirits.
I joined the company, Holistic Spirits, and we have Origen vodka and also Harmony gin. We use a proprietary blend of botanicals, with artichoke leaves, elderberries, green tea leaves and Muscadine grapes. It’s interesting because Muscadine grapes are in some wines. They add color, so it looks pretty; also, you can’t legally call it healthier, but let’s say it’s less unhealthy.
Why do you think these spirits would appeal to a wine drinker?
I’m a wine drinker, and I do every once in a while like to have a spirit, which is true of a lot of people. I think, if you’re going to have it, have the cleanest possible variety of spirit you can have.
How do you like to drink Holistic’s gin and vodka?
They taste great by themselves or on the rocks, but I like to put them on ice with some grapefruit and hot pepper, a little lemon, a little bit of salt. I think it tastes amazing.
Do you find drinking wine or spirits to be stimulating creatively?
William Faulkner said something like, “When I need to write: pen, paper, bottle of Jack Daniel’s.” I’m not saying if you get a spirit in you, you’ll write like Faulkner, but sometimes I think it helps. It can make you less self-conscious, it uninhibits you, it relaxes you in a way that I think can be helpful.
Of course, the abuse of anything’s not good. But if you’re going to drink, why not drink as clean as possible? And hopefully that helps.
If I’m drinking something, I’m not going to then sit down to do anything productive. I just want to hang out and talk—and hopefully listen!
Can fans be on the lookout for a Woody wine project?
I wouldn’t necessarily say no, but there aren’t any plans for it. That’s entering into quite a field—wine is a very tough field because there’s just so much great wine. Whereas I don’t know any other gins or vodkas like ours. I know some other organic and sustainable spirits, but I don’t know any that have these superfood botanicals, which are what attracted me to the project. Probably that’ll start happening. It just seems too logical not to progress.
But I love the idea. I wish I had a vineyard. I would love that!
Have you heard of my buddy Dan Buettner? He did Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix. He collected all the criteria that link these areas where people live longer. One would be a sense of community; another is a more plant-based diet. The number one thing is a sense of purpose. But one of the things, happily, is that these communities would typically, at the end of a workday, have a drink or two. They’d drink moderately. That was very heartening for me.
Last question: Did you ever serve a glass of wine on Cheers?
Ah, that’s a good one. I don’t think so! I was about the worst bartender you ever saw. Most of what you saw me doing, lazy as I was, was just wiping the bar down—I barely even made drinks. But I don’t remember serving wine.
