Cocktails & Commerce Podcast

Bill and I have been looking forward to this one. Rob Garf joins us to mix up a great riff on his beloved Espresso Martini and dig into the transformation happening at the intersection of marketing technology, agentic systems, and customer experience.Rob is Head of Strategy at Cordial, a cross-channel marketing platform that sits at the convergence of data, AI, and the activation layer. Cordial works with leading brands and retailers — Levi’s, Abercrombie, L.L.Bean, Boot Barn, and others — to orchestrate personalized customer experiences across marketing channels, and now sits squarely in the middle of what AI and agentic systems mean for the marketer’s day-to-day.Prior to Cordial, many of you will know Rob from his time at Salesforce and Demandware — including his role driving the Salesforce Shopping Index, one of the most-cited benchmarks in retail eCommerce. He has also done stints as an industry analyst, as an long-time advisor to NRF, and as a merchant in the early days of omnichannel at Lids, where he implemented one of the first buy-online-pickup-in-store programs. He has been at the center of this industry for a long time, and it shows. And yes — a good number of you have probably taken a “Garfie” with Rob at some point. We get behind that story as well.Once a rival, it’s been a tremendous joy to become friends with Rob over the years and now invite him on the show. So please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our interesting and delightful conversation with Rob.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and a deep dive into the Night Moves cocktail — why Oloroso sherry is one of the most underused tools in cocktail building, and what it does to an espresso martini riff.* Hey Levi! Kai’s contract is up — Bill’s younger grandson Levi is stepping in! Rob explains what Cordial does and we’ll see how he does. Winner-Winner-Chicken-Dinner?* From warehouses to strategy: Rob’s journey through retail, omnichannel commerce, IBM, Demandware, Salesforce, and what brought him to Cordial.* What are marketers actually saying about generative AI — and why the consumer transformation happening underneath them is the real story.* From websites to marketplaces to answer engines: 25 years of commerce shifting off the retailer and onto someone else’s platform.* AI brain fry and what “process transformation” for marketers is up against.* Martech consolidation: cost, ease of use, and seamless activation, and simplification.* Answer engines as the new shopping mall: the platform charges the toll, not the consumer. What brands need to understand about “paying to play” in AI-mediated commerce.* How the Martech stack evolves in the agentic era — and why the convergence of data, intelligence, and activation is the real shift.* Agencies at an inflection point: an existential threat to billable hours, creative, and media buying.* The future of research and thought leadership: frameworks vs. answers, and why the six-month research report is already obsolete.* “The Garfie”: the backstory story.* Rob’s post-big-win cocktail order.Let’s not sweat subscribing… share! These stories and POV’s deserve to be heard!This week’s cocktail: Night MovesThe espresso martini has had quite a run. It became the drink of the moment a few years ago and has stubbornly refused to leave. Which makes sense — coffee and a little sweetness in a coupe is a hard formula to argue with. But Bill has come up with something interesting here: taking the soul of the Espresso Martini and riffing it, adding more structure and less sweetness, and the result is a considerably more grown-up drink.The name is a Bob Seger reference, which might age us a bit, but it fits. The Night Moves cocktail is dark and composed, yet as comfortable as an old pair of beat-up jeans. Coffee is still the lead, but it’s been given something to work with. The secret ingredient is a quarter ounce of Oloroso sherry — one of the most underused tools in mixology.Oloroso sherry is a fortified wine from Jerez in southern Spain, aged in contact with air, which gives it layers of dried fruit, walnut, and dark chocolate. It’s not sweet and it’s not sharp. In a coffee-forward drink it acts like seasoning — you don’t taste the sherry exactly, you just notice the drink has more dimension than the ingredients list might suggest. That’s the move. Brian used Palo Cartado which leans a bit more saline and minerality, but in a similar vein as Oloroso sherry.The rest of the build is well-considered: a good, clean vodka; Mr. Black coffee liqueur (drier and more coffee-forward than Kahlua, which matters); chocolate and orange bitters; and a few drops of saline solution to tie everything together. The orange peel expressed over the top lifts it at the end and keeps it from feeling heavy. An optional grating of dark chocolate on a microplane adds an aromatic, bitter finish.This is a nightcap that will keep you rolling as you make your Night Moves. Cheers!And in case you don’t quite remember the ins

This week Nitin Mangtani joins Bill and I to mix up a delicious C&C bespoke mocktail and give us an update on Salesforce Commerce Cloud, their recent acquisition of Cimulate, and share his point-of-view on agentic commerce, and what the rise of AI-driven agents means for the future of B2B and software as a whole.Nitin is Executive Vice President of Agentforce Commerce & Retail Cloud at Salesforce, one of the largest and most influential software companies on the planet. Nitin came to Salesforce by way of PredictSpring, a modern POS solution he founded and which Salesforce acquired in 2024. A long-time builder and leader in commerce, Nitin is in a unique position to talk about where agentic commerce and systems are heading - and the practical impacts that will have short-term as well.We’ve known Nitin for sometime and been looking forward to having him on the show. So pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our great conversation with Nitin.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and a deep dive into our bespoke mocktail with Dromme - what it is, what’s in it, and why it actually works.* Hey Kai! Nitin explains Salesforce in a way Bill’s nine-year-old grandson can understand.* From founder to EVP: Nitin’s path through commerce — PredictSpring, the Salesforce acquisition, and what drives his passion for commerce.* Salesforce’s acquisition of Cimulate : the thesis, the timing, and what a CommerceGPT brings into the Commerce Cloud fold.* Merchant control in the AI era: how brands use AI-driven discovery to tell their story, prioritize assortment, and drive campaigns.* The Salesforce Commerce Cloud strategic reset: what changed, what it means, and what to pay attention to.* Agentic commerce from the inside: what Salesforce customers are actually asking for, and where this sits on the priority list right now.* B2B on the verge. Is B2B about to leapfrog B2C in the agentic world? Procurement agents, selling agents, and the autonomous commerce thesis.* The SaaSpocalypse: if agents can orchestrate workflows, write software, and interact with systems directly — what happens to the traditional SaaS model?* Reading the platform market: Solutions coming up-market, slower replatforming cycles, and where Salesforce Commerce goes from here.* Looking to 2030: What does commerce look like, and what does that mean for the solutions market?* Nitin’s next mocktail order.Thanks for listening to C&C! Please subscribe so you don’t miss the next great conversation!This week’s mocktail: The Calm Before the StormThe no-and-low alcohol movement has been building for years, and at this point it’s no longer a trend - it’s a genuine shift in how a lot of mindful drinkers approach the glass. At C&C we love exploring NA, so when the opportunity came up to build an episode around a well-crafted mocktail, we wanted to do it right. Enter Dromme Calm.Dromme Calm is a functional Scandinavian-inspired zero-proof elixir built around a serious functional ingredient stack — adaptogens, nootropics, and anti-inflammatory botanicals. We are talking Ashwagandha for stress response, Lion’s Mane mushroom for anxiety and cognitive support, L-Theanine for calm focus without drowsiness, 5-HTP as a serotonin precursor, Lemon Balm and Valerian Root for nervous system support, and water-soluble Turmeric and Ginger for anti-inflammatory effect. There is also Magnesium Citrate and Hop Essence — which adds a slight bitterness reminiscent of a spirit’s edge, and which carries mild sedative properties of its own. This is not a glass of sparkling water with a lime wedge. This is a bottle of something that has been thought through.The name “The Calm Before the Storm” felt almost too perfect for a conversation about agentic commerce with someone sitting at the center of it. There is a kind of productive stillness in this moment — the feeling of standing just before something big arrives. The drink captures that. It’s grounding, clean, and surprisingly complex for something with no alcohol in it.The Dromme Calm carries the body, the coconut water softens and rounds it, the lime juice lifts it, and the agave balances the whole thing. The optional ginger adds a little bite if you want it — and if you swap in honey syrup instead of agave, you get a rounder, more floral sweetness that really opens up the botanical notes in the Dromme.If you are sober-curious, doing a dry stretch, or just want something interesting in your hand that is both delicious and brings on some relaxation — this is it.Cheers!The Calm Before the Storm Mocktail Spec2 oz. - Dromme Calm zero-proof elixir3 oz. - Coconut water (fresh or high-quality bottled)3/4 oz. - Fresh lime juice (freshly squeezed)1/2 oz. - Agave syrup (or honey syrup — see notes)Optional: 2–3 thin slices of fresh gingerGarnish: Lime wheel and a sprig of fresh mintSteps:If using ginger, muddle slices gently in the bottom of a shaker or glass. Add the Dromme Calm, coconut water, lime juice, and agave syrup to a shaker with ice.

As we get the pod back up and rolling after a bit of a break, we are excited to bring you a great conversation. John Williams joins Bill & I to shake up a Dark & Stormy - which one is ‘dark’ and which one is stormy? - and dig into a topic we’ve been wanting to explore for a while: what AI is doing — and will do — to the commerce content supply chain.John is the Founder, Co-CEO & CTO of Amplience, a solution provider many of you will know well. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in London, Amplience started as a digital asset management solution (a DAM, DAM-it!) and evolved into a leading headless content management platform purpose-built for retail and eCommerce. Today, Amplience works with major retailers and brands across the UK, Europe, and North America — sitting squarely at the intersection of commerce content operations, merchandising, marketing, and AI-driven automation.Bill and I have known John for many years - John and I even worked together for a bit - and we’ve been wanting to get him on the show for some time. So please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our fascinating conversation with John.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and a deep dive into the history and mythology of the Dark & Stormy.* Hey Kai! John explains what Amplience does in a way Bill’s nine-year-old grandson can understand.* From DAM to headless CMS and beyond: the Amplience founding story and evolution.* Defining the content supply chain, and why it’s become more critical than ever.* Amplience Workforce: the new product and how it reshapes how commerce teams work.* The future of the CMS: Does it survive the agentic era, or does it transform into something else entirely?* Marketing content in the age of AI: briefs, segmentation, channel distribution, and the push for personalized, consistent experiences.* Connecting Amplience to the broader agentic ecosystem — multi-agent collaboration and where Amplience fits.* Looking to 2030: AI companions are shopping, brand.com is no longer the center of the universe — what does the content supply chain look like, and who wins?* John’s next cocktail order.F**k subscribing, just share it so others can join the party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: Dark & StormySome cocktails announce themselves. The Dark & Stormy is one of them — darkly layered in the glass, the deep amber float of rum sitting above a haze of ginger beer and lime, looking every bit like the Atlantic horizon before a squall rolls in. It is a drink that tells you something about where it came from before you even lift the glass - if you are listening.The Dark & Stormy harkens from Bermuda - specifically, the dockyards and mess halls of the Royal Navy in the years just after the First World War. Sailors stationed on the island had access to two things in generous supply: Gosling’s Black Seal rum produced by the island’s most storied distillery, and the ginger beer brewed in the Royal Naval Officer’s Club. The combination was inevitable, and reportedly it was a sailor who, looking into his glass at the dark rum floating above the lighter ginger beer, remarked it looked like “the color of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under.” Whether or not that story is apocryphal, the name stuck.What makes the Dark & Stormy distinctive - and famously protected - is the insistence on Gosling’s Black Seal rum. It is one of the few cocktails in the world that is actually trademarked to a specific rum. Gosling’s has held the trademark on the Dark ‘n’ Stormy since 1991, meaning that technically, if it’s not Gosling’s it’s not a Dark & Stormy. It’s just rum and ginger beer. That’s a meaningful distinction and it says something about how seriously Bermudians take this drink.What makes Gosling’s the right rum here is the profile: rich, molasses-forward, with notes of vanilla and toffee that stand up to the sharp heat of a good ginger beer rather than being swallowed by it. The ginger beer matters too — a weak, sweet one will flatten the whole thing. You want something with a real ginger bite and some carbonation behind it. The lime isn’t optional either; it brightens the whole drink and gives it a clean finish.The Dark & Stormy is one of those drinks that rewards simplicity. If you’re going to experiment, but we love to riff. If you are up for it, try the Stormy Forecast variation below, which adds Angostura bitters and a pinch of flaky sea salt for some extra depth and complexity. Both are excellent — the question is just how much weather you want in your glass.Cheers!Dark & Stormy Cocktail Spec (Classic)A simple, refreshing cocktail built in a tall glass with ice. The key is the float — pour the rum slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits on top of the ginger beer, creating that signature dark-over-stormy look.2 oz. - Gosling’s Black Seal Dark Rum (and yes, technically matters, but only to Gosling’s lawyers)4–6 oz. - Ginger Beer (Spicy is best; Fever-Tree or equivalent)½ oz. - Fresh Lime JuiceLime wedge for garnish

For the last episode of 2025 - or the first of 2026, depending on when you listen - Bill and I have a great episode and the perfect cocktail for you. Bjarke Sejersen joins the pod to mix up some Bloody Mary riffs and talk about the transformation AI is bringing to B2B Commerce - and perhaps most importantly, we are not just talking about the B2B eCommerce website.Bjarke is the founder and CEO of Go Autonomous, an interesting early stage company focused on B2B, and - as the name implies - one leveraging AI to enable autonomous commerce, the next level of agentic commerce process automation. Based in Copenhagen, Go Auto has up to this point been primarily focused on large B2B distributors and manufacturers in Northern Europe - and is starting to make a name for themselves.Bill and I met Bjarke a little over a year ago now and have wanted to have him on the show ever since. So please pour yourself something savory to sip along with us and enjoy our fascinating conversation with Bjarke.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and a dive into the history, myths, and our inspired riffs on the Bloody Mary cocktail.* Hey Kai, Explaining Go Autonomous with pizza.* From consultant to founder, how early B2B eCommerce realizations led to Go Autonomous.* Uncomfortable truths: email is still the dominant B2B channel and why B2B eCommerce has never really taken off and met expectations.* Founding Go Autonomous: digitizing the channel no one wants to talk about.* The state of B2B Commerce tech investment and why 2026 feels different.* Agentic Commerce vs Autonomous Commerce: channels vs execution.* AI’s impact in B2B: Accuracy, responsiveness, and eliminating rework.* Who buys Autonomous Commerce? Sales, CFOs, COOs, and the emerging VP of Commerce.* Building the business case for Autonomous Commerce: Efficiency, growth, and velocity.* Agents, humans, and governance: When to automate and when to not.* The future of agent-to-agent procurement and negotiation.* The perfect end-of-day drink: The Espresso Martini vs a Manhattan.Please subscribe to our Substack! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: The Bloody Mary - and a few riffs!Among the pantheon of classic cocktails, the Bloody Mary holds a peculiar distinction. It is both nearly infinitely adaptable and yet historically consistent - a drink as likely to be garnished with a celery stalk as with an entire fried chicken (Milwaukee, we’re looking at you); or amended and transformed with everything from a shot of clam juice (Bloody Caesar), or beef broth (Bloody Bull). But behind all the riffs and brunch flamboyance lies a tale as savory as the tomato juice it’s built upon - a story that leads us straight to the bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York.The Bloody Mary is well known as a reviver - a hangover cure - and indeed that is reflected in its very origins. In roaring 1920’s America, hungover drinkers were already prying open cans of stewed tomatoes and drinking the liquid in them seeking relief. By the end of the decade, canned tomato juice had taken off and found itself into the speakeasies and bars of the era - most notably as a salty reviver. The next move was in some ways already inevitable.Many claimed to have first mixed vodka and tomato juice - including American actor and comedian George Jessel, a widely known entertainer in 1920’s Vaudeville America who originated the title role in the stage production of The Jazz Singer. It was the morning after one of his more enthusiastic turns as a master of ceremonies gigs in Palm Beach, Florida - he was often referred to by the moniker “Toastmaster General of the United States” - that Jessel later claimed to have first mixed the tomato juice and vodka. But most will trace the Bloody Mary’s creation to Paris and the seminal Harry’s New York Bar. It was there in 1921 that bartender Fernand “Pete” Petiot was experimenting behind the stick, mixing his own variation of a reviver by mixing equal parts vodka and tomato juice with the spices that hinted at the classic Bloody Mary. The drink’s name? A nod, perhaps, to England’s most infamous, ruthless queen, Mary I - and a spilled drink.The cocktail’s transformation from novelty to nobility came when Petiot crossed the Atlantic and took up his post at the St. Regis Hotel’s King Cole Bar in New York City in 1934. It was there that he adapted this simple Parisian mix to American palates—adding Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. It was this variation - and The St. Regis clientele’s enthusiasm for it’s packed flavor and complexity - that launched the enduring legacy of the Bloody Mary. Interestingly, to avoid ruffling genteel feathers with a name evoking blood and monarchy, Petiot renamed the drink the Red Snapper at the St. Regis bar - leading to much confusion of which name came first. Despite the polite rebrand, the original name endured, much like the cocktail itself.The as the St. Regis hotel chain grew, the drink t

Bill and I are joined by Kailin Noivo to mix up a NA cocktail and talk about eCommerce analytics and what is happening ‘for realz’ with Answer Engine traffic and impact today.Kailin is the co-founder and President of Noibu, where he leads the company’s mission to help eCommerce businesses identify and eliminate both small and large problems that impact traffic, conversion and bounce rates. Since launching in 2017, Noibu has grown quickly into a trusted platform used by many leading global retailers and brands. Prior to founding Noibu, Kailin worked in software engineering and product roles that gave him a first-hand view of the hidden costs of undiagnosed website issues.Bill and I wanted to connect with Kailin and understand his perspective on the market and what he is hearing from the many merchants leveraging the Noibu solution.So please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our fascinating conversation with Kailin.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and The Paper Crane: NA riffs, maple syrup, and a Kyoto memory.* Hey Kai! Explaining Noibu, making online shopping easy with that extra cocktail.* The Noibu founders story: From VR shopping to finding the real problems on eCommerce sites.* Hypergrowth and humility: From fastest-growing to a decade of incremental progress.* Inside the eCom leader’s brain: Profitable growth, consolidation, and AI confusion.* Answer engines impact in the real world, vaguely futuristic fallacy?* AI vs Apps vs the web: Declining site traffic, surging native app sessions, and the emphasis on push notifications* ROAS reality check: Rising CAC, softening conversion, and the “s**t cocktail”.* Earned media and micro-influencers: Life after Facebook ads* The challenge of attribution in the AI era: Black boxes, missing analytics, and what brands actually know.* Commerce analytics is just different: Vertical data and last-click tuning.* eCom business-building for the next 3–5 years: Own the channel, own the data, own the relationship.* AI on the inside: Automating redundant, laborious work so merchants and marketers can gain higher leverage.* Structuring data for “magic”: When analytics experiments actually start to feel like sorcery* The perfect end-of-day drink: Whiskey sour with a real egg (no shortcuts!)Please subscribe to our Substack! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: Paper CraneThe Paper Crane is a contemplative, non-alcoholic riff on the modern-classic Paper Plane. The Paper Plane was created by mixology legend Sam Ross for the influential - but unfortunately now shuttered - Chicago bar called The Violet Hour in the late 2000s. Of course, as is often the case, the Paper Plane itself was a riff - off the equal parts wonder that is the Last Word. Ross originally used equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Campari, and lemon juice - and only later did Aperol somehow find it’s way into the drink instead of Campari (F**k Aperol!).In this C&C spirit-free interpretation, the Paper Crane we replaced the bourbon with a robust, spicy NA whiskey and swapped in a bitter non-alcoholic aperitif for the Amaro Nonino. We then added maple syrup to add warmth, woodsy sweetness, and mouthfeel. The result is a surprisingly well-balanced cocktail that can easily trick the palate into forgetting it is non-alcoholic. It’s great!As for the name, we were thinking of something to make clear this NA wonder was a nod to the Paper Plane when I looked down at my desk at a paper crane I found on the ground in Kyoto - right after this picture was taken in November at the former Imperial Palace, looking out at the Emperor’s private garden.Paper Crane Cocktail Spec3/4 oz. (~20-25 ml.) - NA Whiskey (Free Spirits “The Spirit of Bourbon” recommended)3/4 oz. (~20-25 ml.) - NA Appertif Roots Divino Appertif Rosso3/4 oz. (~20-25 ml.) - Fresh lemon juice3/4 oz. (~20-25 ml.) - Maple syrupGarnish - Paper Crane (Optional)Steps:Add NA bourbon, Roots aperitif, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Add ice to top, and shake vigorously until your hands scream from the cold. Strain into a cocktail glass. (Optional, garish with a paper crane.)Try this the next time you are looking for a solid NA cocktail to make at home, it’s great!Cheers!Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Why not share a drink and an interesting perspective to talk about while you enjoy it! Please share with you network or workplace today. Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This episode Bill and I are joined by Jim Herbert, CEO of Patchworks to mix up a few too many Pisco Sours - complete with reverse dry shakes and a bit of history - and talk about the evolution of composability, integration, MACH architectures, and agentic commerce systems.Patchworks is a solution provider competing in the dynamic, rapidly evolving integration platform-as-a-service market (aka: iPaaS). Patchworks describes its mission as one to make integrations effortless.Prior to Patchworks, Jim was key leader at services firms Sceneric and Publicis Sapient, before he moved to the platform side with BigCommerce, working with some of the biggest names in eCommerce across the UK and Europe.Bill and I have known Jim for some time and wanted to have him on the show to learn more about Patchworks and get his perspective on this dynamic market we all find ourselves in.So, please pour yourself something to sip along and enjoy our conversation with Jim.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and the Pisco Sour: Reverse dry shakes, cocktail foam science, and the mixology rivalry between Chile and Peru. Who really invented the Pisco Sour?* Hey Kai! Explaining Patchworks to an 9-year-old by talking about plumbing.* From coder to CEO: The integration thread through Jim’s career.* Patchworks and the case for “chief plumbing officer”.* Composable commerce and the evolving role of MACH commerce architectures.* APIs, AI, and why garbage-in still means garbage-out.* MCP and A2P protocols: The new language of digital agents.* Rethinking orchestration: Systems, data, and rhythm.* AI as infrastructure: Agents sitting on top of APIs.* What the enterprise commerce stack will look like in five years.* B2B’s agentic revolution and the future of autonomous commerce.* Click-to-manufacture and synthetic demand creation.* AI coding tools, configuration chaos, and the black box problem.* Zero-defect launches and testing in the agentic age.* Cycling, skiing, and the Tour de France stage that nearly broke Jim.* The perfect end-of-day drink: Champagne victories and smoky ManhattansPlease subscribe to our Substack! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: Pisco SourA timeless South American classic, the Pisco Sour blends bright citrus, silky texture, and a dash of cultural debate. This frothy South American cocktail was born of both necessity and invention, combining the local grape brandy, pisco, with lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and a few strategic dashes of Angostura bitters. But much like a perfectly balanced drink, its history is anything but straightforward. Peru claims the original creation in the early 20th century by American bartender Victor Morris at his eponymous Morris’ Bar in Lima - which he started after sticking around Peru following working on the railroads there. Meanwhile, Chile argues that their version of the cocktail - slightly different in execution and ingredients - reflects a deeper cultural heritage tied to their own long-standing pisco tradition.Pisco itself is a clear brandy distilled from grapes, with roots that dig deep into the colonial era. Spanish settlers brought viniculture to South America in the 16th century, but thanks to a tax on imported spirits, locals turned to distillation and pisco was born. The spirit differs a bit between Peru and Chile, both in the types of grapes used and the method of production. Peruvian pisco is distilled only once and never aged in wood, retaining a brighter, purer grape essence, whereas Chilean pisco is often distilled multiple times and sometimes aged in barrels, yielding a richer, rounder flavor.The real kicker? International bars, cocktail books, and even diplomatic campaigns have been dragged into the fray over the cocktail’s rightful birthplace. Both nations have designated the Pisco Sour as a national drink, and each has a public holiday in its honor - the first Saturday of February in Peru, and May 15th in Chile. Whatever side of the border your loyalty falls on, there’s no denying that this cocktail is a beautiful expression of place, culture, and the alchemical magic of shaking citrus, spirit, and egg white into each delightful, silky sip.Pisco Sour Cocktail Spec2 oz. / ~60 ml. - Pisco1 oz. / ~ ml. - Fresh lime juice½ oz. / ~ ml. - Simple syrup1 - Egg white (~1 oz.)Garnish: 3 dashes - Angostura Bitters (or other aromatic bitters)Steps:Add pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) vigorously. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. (Alternatively, you can strain it into a rocks glass over fresh ice.) Garnish with 3 to 5 drops of Angostura bitters. (If desired, use a straw, toothpick or similar implement, swirl the bitters into a simple design.)Notes:* The dry shake is a technique used to emulsify egg whites in cocktails - or agua faba for the vegans out there. First, combine all ingredients (including the egg white) in a shaker witho

This episode Bill and I are joined by John Andrews to mix up a smoky, balsamic riff on an Old Fashioned and talk about the evolution of commerce product discovery, the rise of CommerceGPTs, and how agentic commerce will really work.John is CEO of Cimulate, a generative-AI native solution that covers many compelling use-cases - discovery, personalization, and more - focused on commerce, which he co-founded together with esteemed MIT Professor Vivek Farias. Prior to Cimulate, John and Vivek also founded Celect, an inventory optimization solution later acquired by Nike in 2019. Prior to Celect, John was a key leader of one of the early commerce search pioneers at Endeca - where he led both product and marketing. When Endeca was acquired by Oracle, John led up the Oracle Commerce product for a number of years - bringing the Endeca and the ATG commerce platforms together.Bill and I have known John for many years - from way back to those Endeca days - and wanted to have John on the show to learn more about Cimulate and talk about what they have built - right in the sweet-spot of what we call CommerceGPTs.It’s a great conversation, so please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our conversation with John.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome and the Wood N’ Tooth: bourbon converts, balsamic reductions, and cherry smoke experiments.* Hey Kai, understanding Cimulate with a trip to the toy store.* The Cimulate Founder Story - From assortment optimization to GenAI and rediscovering the promise of commerce search and discovery.* Commerce GPTs: The new era of commerce experience, context windows and understanding true customer intent.* Data challenges and solutions to power Commerce GPTs: Why synthetic data might be the missing link.* Beyond search: Experience, context, content, and conversations.* The future of Answer Engines in commerce, and preparing for a new class of AI-powered digital companions.* Discovery, not checkout: What AI-powered shopping might actually look like* Agent-to-Agent interactions and business processes, the rise of MCPs, and the future of agent-to-agent protocols within the commerce and marketing stack.* Beyond commerce: The impact of AI on future generations.* Wood N’ Teeth redux: Shotgun shells, Jimbos, and bartender’s handshakes.Please subscribe to C&C! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: Wood N’ ToothBorrowed in name (and myth?) from a smoky suburban favorite of John’s near Boston, this drink blends the best of an Old Fashioned and a Black Manhattan. Its a smoky, boozy, cherry-cola flavored cocktail of unexpected complexity - based solidly on a classic spec. In other words, a wonderful cocktail. Cheers!Cocktail Spec: Wood N’ Tooth’ Cocktail2 oz. (~ 60 ml.) - Rye (Rittenhouse 100 proof recommended)1/3 oz. (~ 10 ml.) - Meletti Amaro1/3 oz. (~ 10 ml.) - Balsamic reduction (see notes)2 dashes - Angostura Bitters (or other aromatic bitters)Cherry-wood SmokeSteps:Add Amaro, balsamic reduction and bitters (everything except the rye whiskey) into a rocks glass and stir to incorporate.Add a large piece of ice (clear rock preferred) and then the rye whiskey and stir about 5 times around. Use a smoking cap / hat to add the smoke using cherry wood chips and a torch. Leave the cap on for a minute or more to give the smoke time to do its work.Notes:* To make the Balsamic reduction: Take about ½ cup of balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan over medium heat stirring enough so it doesn’t scorch. Add 1 tbsp of raw or demerara sugar early in the simmer and cook until volume is reduced by almost half - 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, you may use a balsamic glaze if you happen to have one handy.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Please share with you network or workplace today. Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Cocktails & Commerce, share the episode, rate the show (“Five Stars”, just sayin’!), and let us know your thoughts. We also love to hear from our listeners - hit us up on LinkedIn or through Substack.In the meantime… Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This episode Bill and I are joined by Jason Cottrell to mix up a great bespoke cocktail and talk about the evolution of commerce services, composability, the rise of agentic commerce ecosystems, and the future of the MACH Alliance.Jason is the founder & CEO of Orium, a leading consultancy for composable and adaptive commerce across the Americas. Orium is a services firm at the forefront of agentic commerce and the firm behind Composable.com, a great resource for agentic commerce education. Jason was also recently named as the new President of the MACH Alliance and one of the many people leading the Alliance into the agentic future.We’ve wanted to have Jason on the show for some time, and it was great to sit down with him at this pivotal time - over a great cocktail! So pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our conversation with Jason.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Welcome & Cocktail chat: ‘Don Draper Goes South’, a spicy C&C Manhattan riff with sherry and heat.* Hey Kai, Explaining Orium & commerce services with AI-generated coloring books.* Founders Story: From Magento to MACH, and Orium’s early bets on adaptive commerce experiences.* Why Jason said yes to leading the MACH Alliance - and his vision for what’s next.* The evolution of composability into agentic ecosystems: The “internet of agents” and why composability was just phase one.* Discovery, evaluation, and purchase are already being disrupted - and what that means for commerce.* The next 18-months: Traffic shifts, paid channel shakeups, board pressure and the urgency to invest and evolve.* What brands need to fix now: Product data, APIs, and agility.* Agentic commerce meets enterprise systems and the role of the commerce platform in the agentic future.* UX Design’s refreshed importance: Conversational UX, hybrid interfaces, and AI-native journeys.* The evolution of commerce services in the agentic future.* Spicy margaritas, hybrid cars, and Jason’s tequila redemption arc.Please subscribe! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!Connect at MACH X in London!Brian will be in London for MACH X: Creating the AI-Ready Enterprise, leading a track on Day 1 focused on Agentic Commerce, agentic systems, and digging into the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Join me there to hear from businesses already on the journey, exploring use-cases, as well as where and how to start, laying out a roadmap to enable ACP and MCP within the commerce and digital marketing tech stack. This week’s cocktail: Don Draper Goes SouthInspired by Jason’s request for something tequila-forward with a spicy kick, we cooked up a Manhattan riff we’re calling Don Draper Goes South - equal parts classic, smoky, salty, and just a little dangerous. Think of it as what Don would order if he traded Madison Avenue for Mexico City. Cheers!Cocktail Spec: Don Draper Goes South1.75 oz. (~ 50 ml.) - Añejo tequila0.5 oz. (~ 15 ml.) - Palo Cortado sherry0.25 oz. (~ 7-8 ml.) - Punt e Mes vermouth0.25 oz. (~ 7-8 ml.) - Ancho Reyes chile liqueur1 dash - Mole bitters1 dash - Angostura cocktail bitters2 drops - 20% saline (or small pinch of sea salt)Garnish - Lemon peelSteps:Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or pitcher, add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail coupe or glass. Twist lemon peel over the cocktail, swiping the rim and stem and add garnish to the glass.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This episode Bill and I are joined by Bryan House to mix up a bespoke Manhattan riff, check in on Elastic Path, discuss the state of the commerce tech market, and look forward to the impact of agentic commerce.Bryan is now CEO of Elastic Path, having taken over the leadership role in May 2025. Bryan joined EP in December of 2020 to lead product and customer success, then became President in 2024. Prior to that Bryan was Chief Commercial Officer at Neural Magic, which was acquired by Red Hat, and spent a number of years at Acquia where he was a founding team member and went on to serve in a variety of leadership roles.It’s another great C&C conversation, so pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our conversation with Bryan.Cheers!Episode Timeline:00:00 – Meet Bryan + This Week’s Cocktail: We kick things off with Bryan House, CPO at ElasticPath by breaking down a bespoke, smoky, spirit-forward Manhattan riff we call Burning Down the House.06:15 – Commerce 101… for an 8-Year-Old: Bryan explains what a commerce platform is using Pokémon instead of lemonade stands.09:20 – What Most People Get Wrong About ElasticPath: Bryan reflects on EP’s 25-year evolution — and the misunderstood strengths that still set them apart.13:40 – Why Some Brands Still Need Full Control: A breakdown of ElasticPath’s self-managed option vs. SaaS — and why it matters for many clients. 18:45 – The MACH Alliance Debate: Bryan shares his candid take on MACH: the movement vs. the marketing.24:10 – How AI Is Reshaping Commerce: From merchandiser agents to B2B sales bots — how ElasticPath is building AI-native tools today.29:50 – What Happens When Storefronts Disappear?: A bold prediction: AI agents might make traditional eComm interfaces obsolete.33:30 – The Future Role of Commerce Platforms: No storefront, no problem? Bryan explains how the platform backbone still matters — especially post-sale.38:20 – AI Inside: How ElasticPath Uses AI Internally: Prototyping, documentation, developer experience — Bryan shares how AI is speeding up their entire org.42:40 – Why B2B Commerce Is Stuck — and How It Gets Unstuck: Complex catalogs, negotiated pricing, recurring orders — ElasticPath’s sweet spot in B2B.47:10 – Will AI Replace Salespeople?: Bryan argues no — but AI will give sales teams superpowers.50:15 – The Partnerships That Will Matter Most: Why Visa, vertical ecosystems, and LLMs are shaping the future of commerce tech.54:20 – Bryan’s Go-To Cocktails + Brewing on the Side: Closing out with smoky mezcal old fashioned, and his homebrew hobby.56:00 – Final Toast + What’s Next in CommercePlease subscribe! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: Burning Down the HouseThis week’s cocktail is a bespoke, boozy wonder created by C&C Chief Mixology Officer Bill Friend in honor of our guest and one of their all time favorite bands. Bill riffed off the Manhattan spec, but this stands on it’s own, splitting the classic rye in a Manhattan with Cognac, adds amari and a little cheat of Benedictine, and some smoke on top. Honestly, it’s great. Cheers!Spec:Burning Down the House Cocktail1 oz. / 30 ml. - Cognac1 oz. / 30 ml. - Rye Whiskey1 oz. / 30 ml. - Sweet Vermouth (Cochi de Torino recommended)1 oz. / 30 ml. - Amaro (Gran Classico or Amaro Nonino work well, or get creative)¼ oz / ~7 ml. - Benedictine1 dash - Angostura bitters1 dash - Orange BittersGarnish - Cocktail or Brandied CherryAdd Cherry or Apple SmokeSteps:Add all ingredients to mixing glass or pitchers. Stir with ice until well chilled. Strain into coupe glass. Add Garnish.After the cocktail is made, smoke the cocktail using a smoke cap or cloche (Cherry or apple wood is recommended.)Thanks again to our partner Lalo Tequila! If you are looking for them, check them out here.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Please share with you network or workplace today. Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This episode Bill and I are joined by Eli Finkelshteyn to mix up some Boulevardier riffs and talk about the evolution of commerce product discovery in the Gen-AI and agentic era, Agentic Commerce, and hear Eli’s perspective on where this market is headed.Eli is founder & CEO of Constructor, a leading enterprise commerce product discovery solution. Eli founded Constructor in 2015, but interestingly, they spent 4 years building the product before bringing it to market in 2019. We of course ask about that and the steady rise they have been on ever since.We wanted to have Eli on the show to learn more about Constructor and to get his take on our recent Substack article on CommerceGPTs - which we believe will dramatically transform the product discovery solution market. We wanted to know what Eli felt we got right and what he thinks we may have missed.It's a fascinating conversation that goes deep into one of the most critical areas of commerce in the agentic era, so pour yourself something to sip along and enjoy our conversation with Eli.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Bouli-bouli! Espousing the wonders of the Boulevardier cocktail* Hey Kai, understanding Constructor* Eli’s founder story & the decision to build a from the ground up* Why personalization matters, and what Constructor got wrong early on* How Constructor leverages AI, reinforcement learning & clickstream data* Domain-Specific LLMs and the rise of CommerceGPTs* How Agent-to-Agent protocols will transform product discovery* Scaling brand-specific data and the role of merchandising controls* On build vs. buy - How retailers and brands should think about Open-source vs. hyperscalers vs. purpose-built commerce AI solutions* What Eli’s most excited about in Gen-AI & product discovery* Wrap-upPlease subscribe to Cocktails & Commerce! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: the BoulevardierThe Boulevardier cocktail is often referred to as a “Bourbon Negroni”, replacing gin with the warming depth of bourbon or spiciness of rye whiskey. While that may be the fastest and easiest way to describe the Boulevardier to someone who is not familiar with it, that is far from the real story. The Boulevardier is a unique creation, while leveraging the same magical combination of its gin-based cousin, the Negroni - equal parts sweet vermouth, Campari (or similar “bitters”), and base spirit. Some even argue that the creation of Boulevardier may pre-date that of the Negroni, as it appeared in print two years before - 1927 vs. 1929 - though the Negroni’s origins are typically pinned to 1919, nearly a decade earlier.While we don’t know if the Negroni was his inspiration, what we do know is that the Boulevardier was invented in Paris the late 1920s by Erskine Gwynne, a wealthy American writer, magazine publisher, and bon vivant. Gwynne was part of the "International Bar Flies" - a cheeky fraternity of globetrotting American expats who had decamped from Prohibition Era America and frequented Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. Gwynne’s use of bourbon may have been a tip to his American roots, but he named it after his own Parisian literary magazine, The Boulevardier - a magazine that catered to the same well-heeled globetrotting set swirling around Paris he was drinking with at Harry's.We are often asked what’s our favorite cocktail, and it is a question we often cringe at - after all there are so many great cocktails in the universe of mixology. But truth-be-told, our go-to is often a Boulevardier. Equally fitting before dinner or after - and a great template to riff and experiment with, subbing in different amari and bitters. The Boulevardier was in fact the first cocktail we featured in Cocktails & Commerce.But at its core, the Boulevardier remains a drink for the thoughtful imbiber, a nod to a time when drinking was both an art and a lifestyle. Like the "International Bar Flies" who toasted its creation nearly a century ago, sipping a Boulevardier today is still a mark of taste - and one endorsed by these two International Bar Flies.Cocktail Spec: Boulevardier1 1/2 oz. / ~45 ml. - Bourbon or Rye whiskey3/4 oz. / ~22 ml. - Campari or other bitter3/4 oz. / ~22 ml. - Sweet Vermouth (Cochi de Torino recommended)1-3 dashes - Orange BittersGarnish - Orange twistSteps:Add all ingredients to mixing glass or pitchers. Stir with ice until well chilled. Strain into coupe glass. Add Garnish.Bill’s “Banana Bouli Riff” Spec Featured on the Podcast2 oz. / ~60 ml. - Rye whiskey1 oz / ~30 ml. - Campari1 oz / ~30 ml. - Banana peel-infused sweet vermouth2 dashes - Candy Cap Mushroom BittersPlease share! There is plenty of room for others at the party! Please share with you network or workplace today.As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe, share, like, and rate it (it helps!). And please let us know what you think, of our content. We love to hear from our listeners and look forward to your comments, suggestions, or que

This week Bill and I are joined by Scott Mager, CMO of Deloitte U.S. to mix something up - ostensibly some Margarita riffs, though Scott had his own ideas - and talk about the world of consulting and systems integration and how all that is evolving in the face of AI. Scott is now CMO of Deloitte U.S., but brings a deep background in commerce and digital experience to our conversation, having led these practices at Deloitte for many years before moving into marketing leadership in 2022.Bill and I have both known Scott for many years, and wanted to reconnect and pick his brain on how the world of consulting is changing with Generative AI, agents, and agentic systems.Please pour yourself something to sip along and enjoy this fascinating conversation with Scott. ¡Salud!Episode Chapters:* Rosalita vs. Ranch Water, plus a bit of the history of Amaro Montenegro* Hey Kai, understanding Deloitte and consulting* The evolution of consulting in the face of changing customer challenges* The impact of AI on consulting, and the evolving role of consultants in the AI era* Deloitte's investment in agents - blurring the lines between product and service* The key tactics Scott focuses on as CMO of Deloitte* Marketing strategies for services firms competing in today’s market* The future of consulting: Predictions and insights* Personal passions: Cycling and running* The next cocktail…Please subscribe! Our content is free & we want to be sure you don’t miss the party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail: The RosalitaThe Rosalita is best summed up as a thoughtful riff on the classic Tommy’s Margarita we featured in the podcast episode with Vickie Cantrell.Created in 2015 by Dylan O’Brien at Prizefighter in Emeryville, California, this variation on the Tommy takes the clean, agave-forward foundation of Julio Bermejo’s now-iconic Tommy’s Margarita and veers it gently into bittersweet terrain. By introducing Amaro Montenegro into the mix - alongside the classic trio of tequila, lime juice, and agave syrup - O’Brien layered in a soft, herbal complexity that transforms the Margarita’s sunny brightness into something more dusky and contemplative. Its name is borrowed from the Springsteen anthem by the same name, adds a touch of swagger and romance to the glass.Where the Tommy’s Margarita is a balance of sharp citrus and agave sweetness - the Rosalita is a cocktail that lingers a bit more on the tongue. Montenegro adds subtle orange peel, rose petal, and spice notes temper the lime’s acidity, drawing out the mellow warmth of reposado tequila. A dash of saline solution (a much better way to control the salt than a salted rim) emphasizes the flavors, giving the drink lift and clarity.The Rosalita is perfect for those who love the classic Margarita but are ready to slow things down a bit and add an aperitivo twist. It feels at home in a well-worn leather chair with records spinning in the background, or clinked across a table with good friends and family over fresh guacamole.Spec: Rosalita Cocktail2 oz. (~60 ml) - Reposado Tequila1/2 oz (~15 ml) - Amaro Montenegro3/4 oz (~22.5 ml) - Fresh lime juice3/4 oz. (~22.5 ml) - Agave syrup1 dash - 20% saline solution (optional but encouraged, see note)Garnish - Salted tim (optional)Steps:Salt the rim of a rocks glass (optional). Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice until well chilled. Strain into the glass.Notes: * A 20% saline solution is pretty easy to make, especially if you have a gram scale. Make 20% saline by dissolving 20 grams of salt (sodium chloride, preferably a quality sea-salt) in 80 grams of water (or 80 milliliters, since water's density is roughly 1 gram per milliliter). No need to heat it up, just stir until salt is fully dissolved. Should last indefinitely in a clean glass container. Please share with your network and help us grow! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Submit questions, topics, or comments via text or voice via our Google Voice number: +1 831-704-6665.Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Dirk Hörig, founder and CEO of commercetools. We warned Dirk that we would ply him with drinks and ask him some tough questions, and that’s just what we did. We talked about what is happening with Commercetools, the state of the market, MACH Alliance, and the advent of Agentic Commerce and what that means for commerce tech.Dirk co-founded Commercetools in 2006, leading CT through its growth to become one of the world's leading enterprise commerce platforms. Dirk is credited by many with popularizing the concept of headless commerce and was central to the formation of the MACH Alliance. It’s a great conversation, so please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Amaretto Sours!* Hey Kai, understanding Commercetools* Dirk’s Founder Story* A bit of “Headless History”* State of the Commerce Platform Market - dynamics and challenges* Future outlook and the competitive landscape* Dirk’s POV on Shopify and Commercetools differentiation* The rise of Agentic Commerce and what it means for commerce platforms* The evolving role of the MACH Alliance and commerce ecosystemsSEND US YOUR QUESTIONS FOR A FUTURE EPISODE!Call or Text our Google Voice number:+1 831-704-6665And leave us a question to take during a future episode!This week’s cocktail: Amaretto SourThe Amaretto Sour is one of those cocktails that walks a tightrope between kitschy nostalgia and modern classic - but which when made right, lands squarely in the pantheon of beautifully balanced drinks. Originating from the boom of Italian liqueurs in American bars during the 1970s, the Amaretto Sour quickly became synonymous with sweet, low-proof indulgence. But the original recipe - little more than amaretto and commercial sour mix - left much to be desired. It wasn’t until bartenders began reimagining it with fresh citrus and structural support that it reclaimed its rightful place as a serious sipper.The first thing to understand about the Amaretto Sour is that amaretto is not enough on its own. Yes, that nutty, almond-forward sweetness is lush and aromatic, but it lacks acid, backbone, and bite. Modern iterations - notably Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s influential 2012 upgrade - build in a dose of high-proof bourbon for heat and depth, fresh lemon juice for brightness, and egg white for a velvety texture that elevates the experience from cloying to captivating. Morgenthaler’s is no longer just just a party drink hungover from the 70’s, it's a balanced, full-bodied cocktail with layers of character.Finally, it's worth noting that the Amaretto Sour is a reminder of how modern bartending is about redemption as much as innovation. Thoughtful technique and respect for ingredients can turn a dated throwback into a nostalgic, yet fresh triumph.Amaretto Sour Cocktail Spec - Jefferey Morgenthaller variation1 1/2 oz (~ 45 ml) - Amaretto liqueur3/4 oz (~ 20 ml) - Bourbon (Cask-proof if available)1 oz (~ 30 ml) - Lemon juice, freshly squeezed1 teaspoon (~ 5 ml) - Rich simple syrup (2:1)~1/2 oz (~ 15 ml) - Egg whiteGarnish: Lemon twistGarnish: 2 brandied cherriesStepsAdd amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white to a shaker and dry-shake (no ice) for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon twist and 2 skewered brandied cherries.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Please share with your network today. Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Call or text your feedback or questions to our Google Voice number: +1 831-704-6665Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Scot Wingo, founder and CEO of early-stage agentic commerce start-up, ReFiBuy and the podcast and Substack Retailgentic - where he focuses on Agentic Commerce. When we wanted to focus on the topic of Agentic Commerce, we could think of no one better than Scot to come on and talk about.Scot is a serial entrepreneur with an impressive and long background in commerce. Scot founded Channel Advisor in 2001, and later took it public in 2013. He later started Spiffy to explore digital car care services and this year he started ReFiBuy. Scot is also active in the VC community in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Besides Retailgentic, Scot co-hosts the Jason & Scot Show - a podcast with friend of Cocktails & Commerce, Jason Goldberg.We cover a lot of agentic ground on the episode, so please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy the conversation with Scot.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* “Wake me up and F*** me up,” introducing the Espresso Martini* Hey Kai, defining Agentic Commerce* The Future of Agentic Shopping: Trends and Predictions* Challenges in Payments and Transactions* Building trust in Agentic Commerce* Navigating the new landscape of Retail and AI* The role of context and authority in Product Discovery* The future of Retailer-Agent interactions* Agentic Commerce’s impact: Winners and losers* Monetization models in Agentic Commerce* Transforming the marketing tech stack* Imagining the future of Agentic Commerce* What’s up with one ‘t’ in “Scot”?For more on Agentic Commerce see our last C&C newsletter on Substack: Surf’s Up! The Next Wave of Commerce is Here - Amplified and Shaped by AI Thanks for listening to Cocktails & Commerce! Subscribe to receive all our content - including industry analysis and cocktails! This week’s cocktail: Espresso MartiniThe Espresso Martini’s origin story is as sleek and irreverent as the drink itself. In the late 1980s, Dick Bradsell - then bartending at Fred’s Club in London - was cleaning up after an espresso training in the afternoon when he was approached by a young model with sunglasses on who asked for something that would, “Wake me up, and then f*** me up.”Bradsell turned back to the espresso machine and went to work - pulling together vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar syrup together in a shaker and created what was originally called the “Vodka Espresso.” Served in a V-shaped glass with a creamy head and three coffee beans as garnish (a nod to the traditional Italian garnish symbolizing health, wealth, and happiness), the drink quickly became a London staple. It was later rechristened the “Espresso Martini” during the ’90s martini craze, cementing its place in cocktail history.Fast forward to today, and the Espresso Martini is having a moment. Many claim it is among the most over-rated of cocktails, but it’s popularity ensures it is everywhere there is a party brewing. The drink bridges two once disparate worlds—caffeine and spirits—and appeals equally to cocktail neophytes and seasoned enthusiasts.On Instagram feeds, in dive bars, and at high-concept cocktail dens, the Espresso Martini has evolved from a clubbing indulgence to a canvas for mixology: think cold brew riffs, mezcal substitutions, and even non-alcoholic versions for the sober-curious.Bradsell unfortunately left us early, but his creation didn’t just survive decades of shifting tastes—it influenced them, proving that a well-balanced drink can be both a pick-me-up and a cultural icon. For more on Bradsell and the Espresso Martini see C&C Issue No. 18Espresso Martini Cocktail Spec2 oz - vodka (or sub gin or tequila)1 oz - Kahlua or other coffee liqueur1 oz - strong, fresh, cooled espresso1 tsp - simple syrup (optional)Garnish - 3 coffee beansStepsAdd all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until well chilled. (Dry shake optional to increase foam). Serve up in a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with the coffee beans set in the foam.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.REMINDER: SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS! Call or Text our Google Voice number: +1 831-704-6665Be well, drink well, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Maju Kuruvilla - founder and CEO of commerce AI start-up, Spangle AI. Spangle is one of a number of early stage companies that have emerged over the past year leveraging advances in Generative-AI - large language models and transformers - to impact the commerce experience and lead down a new agentic commerce path transforming both the human experience and laying the foundation for agent experience. We talk to Maju about the ways in which Generative AI unlocks personalization potential, about Spangle’s ‘ProductGPT’ and where all this is headed.Prior to Spangle, Maju has had an impressive career spanning a range of commerce domains, most recently as CEO of Bolt - the eCommerce payments company. Prior to that, and for many years, Maju was VP & GM at Amazon where he led much of the technology build out and operations in Amazon’s fulfillment and supply chain network - including leading early, key investments Amazon made in AI to ensure accuracy, quality and performance of the fulfillment network. Now with Spangle, Maju has turned his focus to commerce experience.With that, please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy our conversation with Maju!Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Introducing our GingerGPT NA cocktail!* Hey Kai, Understanding Spangle and the problem it solves* The founding story of Spangle* Why personalization has largely failed in the past & what’s different now* The role of AI in eCommerce* What is Spangle’s ProductGPT? How was it built & trained?* The future of Agentic Commerce* Asking for a friend… Could AI disrupt Amazon?* The future of commerce tech stacks* Bridging legacy systems with AI innovation* Envisioning the future of consumer experiencePlease subscribe to our Substack! Its free, we don’t share email addresses with anyone, and we want to be sure you don’t miss any of our content! Cheers!This week’s cocktail is a Mocktail - GingerGPTThis week’s non-alcoholic cocktail is a C&C original. As we describe at the top of the pod, we took some NA “bourbon” and mixed it in equal parts with some ginger-forward NA “botanicals” (think liqueur or bitters) from a maker called Tennysøn, added some simple syrup and boom! Add a bit of plain sparkling mineral water and you have something very refreshing if the bite of the ginger and spice of the NA bourbon is too much for the palette.Tennysøn is something we would also suggest could be used in an alcoholic cocktail as well to bring some kick. We encourage you to check it out.GingerGPT NA Cocktail Spec1 oz - Free Spirits NA Bourbon1 oz - Tennysøn Black Ginger NA “Liquid Botanicals”½ oz - Simple syrup (1:1)Garnish - Orange twistOptional - Sparkling Mineral Water to tasteStepsAdd all ingredients to a cocktail mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 30 seconds. Serve up or in a rocks glass over a large ice cube/rock (or regular ice if not available). Express oils from the twist and garnish. Optional: add sparkling mineral water to taste.Shout out to one of the best NA Bottle Shops! And they ship!If you are in Seattle, check out NA Bottle Shop Cheeky & Dry in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood and tell them Cocktails & Commerce sent ya! Kristin is great about offering tastings and works hard to carry stuff you will not find easily as mass-market retailers. They also ship to most locations in the U.S.!Help us grow! Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, be safe, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Bobby Morrison, Chief Revenue Officer at Shopify We invited Bobby on the show to respond to our recent article on Shopify, and talk about a number of things we shared there. Bobby goes deep, sharing insights into their momentum to the enterprise commerce platform market and their ambitions moving forward - in both product & GTM. If you partner with, work with, or compete against Shopify you are going to get a lot out of this conversation.Bobby has been Chief Revenue Officer at Shopify since August of 2022 - leading the Commercial team at a company that needs no introduction. Prior to that Bobby held a number of senior roles in technology and software including CRO at Intuit, VP over SMB and corporate markets at Microsoft, and a long stint at Verizon where he rose to President and leadership over digital operations.We cover a lot of ground here with Bobby, so settle in, pour yourself something to sip along with us, and enjoy the conversation.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Mocktail chat and the rise of NA Spirits and modifiers* Hey Kai, understanding Shopify* Shopify's focus on enterprise market* Shopify's expansion into new verticals* Shopify in B2B* Shopify’s commitment to partners: Opportunities and strategies* The evolution of ShopPay and Merchant Services* Purity of purpose in Product Development* Navigating tariffs and market disruptions* The Future of Digital Commerce and AI’s impact* Personal insights and closing thoughtsThanks for reading Cocktails & Commerce! Please subscribe! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week… a Mocktail - NA Boulevardier & NegroniRight before we recorded this episode we made a last minute pivot from a boozy Mezcal cocktail to a mocktail, “making good decisions” early in the afternoon and in the middle of busy work and family schedules. As we’ve shared before, our attitude on mocktails has evolved significantly over the last few years as we too cut down on our alcohol consumption. It’s great to be able to enjoy something without downside, or to ensure everyone feels welcome when you have friends or family over. Its been wonderful to see such an explosion of the NA category, making “drinking NA” more accessible and available. Making mocktails in the past often meant planning ahead and essentially cooking - making syrups and infusions to then mix with. Today, many NA products are now on the market and can sit alongside and within the mixology toolkit (aka, the bar) - providing a palette of great products to mix with when ever the desire or need arrises.At the top of the pod, we mention a few great NA products we enjoy, which are becoming more readily available. As they are alcohol-free many are showing up outside of liquor stores and many are available online. Here are some links if you are interested in finding any of the ones we mention:* Free Spirits NA “Bourbon” - A non-alcoholic spirit alternative inspired by classic bourbons.* Lucano Amaro Zero - Lucano’s classic Amaro, but with the alcohol removed.* Babylon Spritz - A great NA orange bitter from Dubai, with hibiscus and tamarind.* Dr. Zero-Zero NA “Amarno” - a smoky NA Amaro from Trieste, Italy.We encourage you to check out these and others in the fast growing NA category! Cheers!Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, be safe, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Raj De Datta, Founder and CEO of Bloomreach to mix up a Kir Royale cocktail and talk about Raj’s perspective on the market, his many lessons from founding and leading Bloomreach, and AI’s impact on the future of commerce experiences, digital marketing, and how merchants and marketers work going forward.Many of you will know Raj, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomreach, a significant player in commerce search, personalization, and marketing automation markets. What you may not know is that Raj is a multiple-time entrepreneur, investor, and very into tennis - including serving on the Council for Player Development at the US Tennis Association.I have known and of course worked with Raj for many years, and always enjoy our conversations about the market and where things are headed. We cover a lot of ground, so please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy the conversation.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Cocktail chat - the Kir Royale & Wimbledon* Hey Kai, understanding Bloomreach* Raj’s Bloomreach Founder’s Story* Navigating challenges: Pivots and strategic shifts* AI’s impact on consumer experiences* The evolution of digital marketing: From workflow to data* The impact of AI Search and aggregators on Digital Commerce* The future skills needed for marketers and merchants* The growing importance of business agility* Lessons in category creation & evolving Bloomreach + The Exponea acquisition story* Thoughts on the future of the Commerce Tech market* Tennis as a metaphor for entrepreneurshipPlease subscribe! We want to be sure you make it to the next party! Cheers!This week’s cocktail - the Kir RoyaleThe Kir Royale is a variation on the Kir, a once popular French drink combining dry white Burgundian wine with crème de cassis that dates back to the 19th century and was further popularized after World War II. Crème de Cassis is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from macerated blackcurrants, traditionally from the Burgundy region of France. It originated in the mid-19th century, evolving from a medieval French medicinal elixir, and rose to prominence thanks largely to the Kir and Kir Royale. You can use many sweet liqueurs in a Kir, and Brian used Crème Yvette in his. This is a violet liqueur originally produced in the late 19th century in the U.S., made with parma violets, berries, citrus peel, honey, and vanilla. After disappearing from the market for decades, it was revived in 2009. Slightly drier in flavor than Cassis it is perfect for classic cocktails like the Aviation or to make a Kir Yvette.The Kir Royale sets itself apart by specifically calling for Champagne, while another variation, the Kir Imperial, calls for sparkling wine and raspberry liqueur rather than cassis.Aside from being delicious, the best thing about the Kir Royale might be how easy it is to make. Great for brunches and large gatherings (Mother’s Day people!). The scant half ounce of crème de cassis permeates the Champagne, resulting in a gorgeous cocktail with a hint of berry sweetness. Be sure to pour the liqueur into the glass first, followed by the Champagne, which ensures the ingredients will mix naturally. A bit more or less cassis can fine tune the cocktail to one’s individual taste, turning any glass of bubbly into something a bit more special.Cheers!Cocktail spec: Kir RoyaleScant 1/2 ounce - Crème de Cassis or Crème Yvette (see note)To top - Dry Champagne (or other dry sparkling wine or Prosecco)Garnish: Lemon twistThe process:Pour the creme de cassis into a Champagne flute. Top with the Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist, and voilà!Notes:* “Scant” here means just a bit less than a ½ ounce, but make them to your taste.* Use of Crème Yvette will add a violet note and lead to a slightly drier Kir. Also wonderful in an Aviation.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the cocktail party! Please share with your network or workplace today. Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, be safe, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com

This week Bill and I are joined by Travis Hess, CEO of BigCommerce to mix up a C&C original cocktail with us and talk about BigCommerce - his vision, where BigCommerce fits, contrasting BigCommerce & Shopify, and where the commerce platform and technology market is headed.Travis took the reins at BigCommerce this past September, rising from President to lead the company’s transformation. Travis has an extensive background in commerce, but much of it on the services side including leadership roles at LiveArea, BVA and The Stable, and then Accenture - and was a part of numerous successful exits.It's a lively, fun, and a terrific conversation, so please pour yourself something to sip along with us and enjoy the conversation.Cheers!Episode Chapters:* Cocktail talk: The Gran Comercio Caliente* Hey Kai, understanding BigCommerce* Taking the reins at BigCommerce* Navigating Market Challenges & The Evolving Landscape of E-commerce* The Future of Commerce: Agility, AI, and Composability, and Orchestration* Understanding the Competitive Landscape - Contrasting BigCommerce & Shopify* Building a Strong Team and CultureMore about LALO Tequila LALO is a wonderful, additive-free, artisanal tequila from third-generation tequila makers in Jalisco, Mexico using a time-honored approach. Just cooked and steam rolled agave, then fermented and into the bottle. It’s wonderful, clean and delicious - and we love mixing with it! Find it here.Please subscribe! We want to be sure you make it to the next party and get all of our commerce industry content! Cheers!This week’s cocktail - the Gran Comercio CalienteThis week's cocktail is a C&C original. A riff on a Negroni spec, this is a well balanced cocktail with just a hint of spice. Careful with those spicy bitters!Cheers!Cocktail: Gran Comercia Caliente1 oz - Blanco tequila (LALO Tequila Blanco recommended).75 oz - Campari.5 oz - Palo Cortado Sherry (substitute Amontillado sherry or Cream Sherry).5 oz - Ancho Reyes Chile liqueur2 drops - Tres Amigos cocktail bitters by Infused Bitters or Bitterman’s Hellfire cocktail bittersThe process:Add ingredients to a cocktail mixing glass, add ice, and stir until well chilled (~30 seconds). Strain into a rocks glass or coupe. No garnish.Please share! There is plenty of room for others at the party! Thank you!As always, it’s great to have you here! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, rate (it helps!), and let us know your thoughts. We love to hear from our listeners.Be well, be safe, and here is to good business! Cheers! - Brian & BillCocktails & Commerce™ is a wholly owned subsidiary of StrategyēM, LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocktailsand.substack.com