Spain’s vermouth culture comes to the United States
NEWPORT BEACH, CA (APRIL 7, 2026) – Emblem Public Relations, a leading Southern California-based boutique agency specializing in media relations for beverage brands, bars, and hospitality organizations, announces today that the firm has signed on as the agency of record for LAIE Vermouth.
Emblem has been tasked with growing media presence for LAIE (pronounced: “LA – Yeah!”) through proactive media engagement, with work beginning immediately. The agency won the business in February 2026.
What is LAIE: Founded by Barcelona-based Alex Cardona and California community organizer & restaurateur Raj Nallapothola, LAIE aims to bring Spain’s vermouth culture to the United States. The liquid iscarefully crafted by one of Spain’s oldest vermouth producers using 20 aromatic herbs and spices. The name ‘LAIE’ is a tribute to the Laietani people, the ancient pre-Roman settlers of the Iberian Peninsula.
How to use LAIE: Spanish vermouth is the original ready-to-drink bottled cocktail. LAIE Red ($32.99/1000ml bottle) is as tantalizing when served chilled over fresh ice and garnished with an orange slice and an olive, as when deployed to elevate cocktails that call for red vermouth, such as a spritz or negroni. LAIE’S flavor profile elevates the base spirit, allowing it to shine as the centerpiece of the drink.
Process: 75% Cava wine from Penedes (southwest of Barcelona) – Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo; 25% neutral grain spirit + non GMO sugar + Botanicals.
Botanicals: 20 Aromatics including wormwood, gentian, elderflower, cinnamon, sarsparilla, young walnuts and local citrus rinds. The botanicals are infused first, then combined with spirit, sugar and wine in a 3000L neutral oak vat for 3 months, then stored in SS.
Said Nallapothola, “Emblem PR has built its reputation over the better part of two decades by performing for brands like ours with layer upon layer of honest, intentional and compelling stories to be told. LAIE and Emblem align on many facets and we’re thrilled to be working with the Emblem team.”
Emblem PR founder and president Colin Baugh commented, “There is a magic to the ‘vermouth hour’ experience in Southern Europe that we want to help LAIE bring to the US. Today’s drinkers are looking for lower-alcohol consumption moments that are transportive, are rooted in authenticity, and that tell a story. LAIE delivers on all of those values.”
How to LAIE: LAIE is currently available at retail and on-premise accounts in California and Oregon and can be shipped nationwide through K&L Wines.
Follow LAIE on Instagram @laievermouth.
LAIE is a craft sipping vermouth created to capture a sense of place, to reenergize a historical drink in the context of the modern world. It is a celebration of Spain’s La Hora del Vermut (vermouth hour), a generations-old tradition of friends gathering over drinks and tapas after work to unwind and indulge in each other’s company. As a nod to LAIE’s Catalan heritage, the name itself refers to the Laietani, the original settlers of the beautiful and bountiful lands around Barcelona.
LAIE is artfully crafted following the same methods in use since 1880. Founders Alex Cardona, a Barcelona-based food journalist and cultural curator, and Raj Nallapothola, a Los Angeles-based restaurateur, community organizer, and entrepreneur, work with Catalonia’s oldest vermouth maker to select the highest quality wines before marrying them with macerated natural aromatic herbs to produce a beautiful sweet red vermouth.
LAIE is equally enjoyable on the rocks with a slice of orange and an olive; with a splash of soda and your favorite gin for a “vermut preparat”; or in cocktail recipes calling for a great red vermouth.
Learn more at www.laievermouth.com or on Instagram @laievermouth; #laievermouth, #vermouthislife, #vermouth, #vermuteke.