Camille Cohen/Special to the Chronicle
Stephen Curry revealed his latest side hustle at BottleRock Napa Valley over the weekend.
The Golden State Warriors star made a surprise appearance as a bartender in one of the luxe Wine Country music festival’s exclusive VIP lounges on Saturday, May 25. At his station within the opulent Salesforce Platinum Lounge, there was only one libation on offer: his signature Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky straight bourbon.
Each bottle boasts a maturation period of five to seven years and is bottled at 90-proof, commanding a retail price of approximately $90.
Fans eagerly lined up, braving the sweltering confines of the lounge for a chance to savor a sample of Curry’s creation, engage in brief conversation and snap a quick selfie with the basketball luminary.
Curry’s affinity for bourbon is no secret.
“I love the dark liquor taste. It has a lot of different notes that I jive with: the oak from the barrel, the vanilla caramel and dark cherry taste,” he said in an interview with Barrons last year. “I also like the kick up front and the smooth finish on the back end.”
For those who missed out on the tasting, Gentleman’s Cut’s website explains that each sip delivers a mix of “honey, fresh vanilla bean, and rich caramel on the palate.” It adds, “The rye element engages earthy and spicy notes, while the dash of barley offers bold touches of cocoa and toast.”
But Curry didn’t just cater to the festival VIPs.
Later that day, the Warriors point guard shared the spotlight with chef José Andrés on the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage. The world-renown philanthropist and basketball star shared a toast of the bourbon as Curry explained Gentleman’s Cut contains 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley — to which Andrés quipped a glass is like getting a good amount of your veggies or having “corn on the cob” during a cookout.
Soon after, actor Bradley Cooper joined the party with his hometown favorite, Philly cheesesteaks. Their collective presence drew one of the largest crowds in the history of BottleRock Napa Valley, festival organizers confirmed.
Gentlemen’s Cut may find home in Curry’s latest acquisition, a building at the corner of 20th and Illinois streets in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood that has been pitched for redevelopment into a five-story mixed-use building, which will serve as the new headquarters for Thirty Ink, the basketball star’s off-court business enterprise.
