Apparently, Ryan Reynolds bought a stake in Aviation Gin earlier this year and became its chairman, because he drank some cocktails once and thought they were super good, and the normal human response to that is to purchase the company that makes it and then order new business cards. I’m always very curious about why celebrities invest in alcohol. (There are several celebrity-owned vodkas, and of course Intern George had Casamigos tequila for a long time.) Obviously, I understand having an interest in owning alcohol, in a general sense, but randomly buying into a company… Is that the new real estate? Is it better for tax reasons than starting some random fashion line, or slapping your name on some watches, or starting a foundation? Are you fools all laundering money? As someone who is not sitting in a pile of money so large that my accountant is begging me to find a place to put it, I do not know the answers to these things, but I am extremely curious, and I usually don’t believe the answer, “It’s just really good gin,” because you could just order a case of it instead of ordering a seat on the board of directors. Perhaps Ryan has calculated out how quickly his investment will pay for itself in free gin. He also thinks Gin Is Having a Moment With Young People, which might be true, I don’t know. I am not a young person, and I have extremely basic tastes in cocktails. I take my booze the way I take my fish: tasting like what’s around it, rather than what it is. Anyhoo, best of luck to you on your gin company, Ryan, and thanks for bringing Blake to the party because it’s been awhile:
The dress is Cushnie et Ochs, and it’s extremely sleek and flattering. I don’t think it needs the neck string, though. It looks uncomfortable, like it is going to spend all night slowly flossing her nape into raw oblivion, and really gives off the vibe that she’s got her bikini on underneath there in case a luau breaks out. Ryan looks… fine. I am not wild about the shirt color with all that navy, but his stylist stuffed him into a lot of ill-fitting waistcoats and shrunken or bizarrely oversize jackets for Deadpool 2, so I’m glad we’re backing away from that at least.
This photo op included what Informative Caption describes as his first orientation. I assume that is his first, and not that he is leading an orientation for his staff, many of whom probably already know how to work at Aviation Gin because they didn’t just teleport there the second he bought it. I am hopeful, too, that here he is discussing the power of merchandising, and that those pots on the table are either candles, gin-based pomade, or alcoholic lip balm. He could also be explaining, I don’t know, actual aviation. Or how to make gin, based on what he read on Wikipedia. I cannot imagine anything more awkward than holding a staff meeting on-camera, especially one in which you are a) the celeb trying to prove that you’re genuinely interested and useful, or b) a staff member who wants to eyeroll this and/or ask questions about Betty White. Although it’s worth noting that every employee here pictured is a woman, so maybe Aviation Gin is hella progressive and fueled by the power of ovaries, and what he’s saying to them is, “Just keep doing what you were doing, because the whole reason I bought this thing is that you’re already good at this.” Good luck to you all, and may the gin be with you.
