The shiny copper top of a bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka is instantly recognizable at any bar across the country. The brand may have humble roots as the oldest legal distillery in Texas, but these days, imbibers from Los Angeles to New York City commonly order the vodka by name, advancing it into the echelon of Jack, Crown, and Grey Goose. But Tito’s was not an overnight success, says Taylor Berry, the vice president of brand marketing, but rather a “25-year overnight success.”
When Tito’s celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022, the Austin-based company considered it the right time to document its history alongside dozens of cocktail recipes. The brand’s debut book, Spirit in a Bottle: Tales and Drinks from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, out May 7 from HarperCollins, chronicles the company’s journey and provides a litany of libations.
The 192-page book includes a foreword by mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim (The Modern Mixologist), who details his friendship with Tito’s founder Bert “Tito” Beveridge and the company’s catapult to spirits stardom. The book starts with chapters on mixology basics, barware, and classic vodka-based cocktails, such as martinis and cosmopolitans, before diving into more creative interpretations inspired by everything from music to dogs.
While it might seem like an odd thing to associate with drinks, canines have been a part of Tito’s since its founding. When Beveridge began distilling vodka in his Southeast Austin shack, his dog, DogJo, often kept him company. It wasn’t long before strays started to show up in search of food and shelter. The furry creatures inspired the brand’s Vodka for Dog People program, which sponsors numerous efforts, including providing transport to get dogs out of dangerous situations such as natural disasters. The Berry Mut-Tito cocktail featured in the book—made with blackberries, blueberries, mint, and lime—is an ode to Beveridge’s beloved animals.
Just as ingrained in Austin’s culture as a love of dogs is the lake life. The book has a few cocktails inspired by Beveridge’s Saturdays spent fishing and hanging out with friends on Lake Austin. The Lake Breakfast is less of a recipe and more of an order of operations. Pour maple syrup and Tito’s in one glass, then chase that with a shot of blueberry juice and a slice of crisp bacon.
“I think that’s probably my most favorite of this entire book,” Berry says. “Across the board, it’s probably the most experiential cocktail that we have in there.”
If you prefer to make your vodka cocktails more bespoke, there’s a chapter explaining how to craft infusions, which Beveridge did as a hobby before starting the company. The habanero infusion is one of the first he experimented with, and calls for one to two sliced and deseeded habanero peppers to be soaked in vodka until it reaches a comfortable heat.
But for all the laid-back, folksy energy Tito’s exudes, becoming one of the fastest-growing vodka brands in the country is serious business. Wirecutter ranked Tito’s as one of the best vodkas among recognizable brands such as Smirnoff and Stolichnaya Vodka, praising its subtle sweetness. And drinkers tend to agree: Forbes reports the brand’s 2024 net worth is $6.8 billion, up from $4.6 billion last year.
According to Berry, it’s the “seemingly insignificant moments” that turned Tito’s into a powerhouse, from popping up at the Austin City Limits Festival or getting in local restaurants. “You could almost start writing the story in your head and see how these little different turns and people that we’ve met along the way have changed the entire trajectory of how this company has grown into what it is today,” Berry says.
