Steven Grasse

Steven Grasse (born September 19, 1964) is an American advertising executive, author, distillery owner and the founder of Quaker City Mercantile. Throughout his career, Grasse has cultivated an avant-garde image, and he was called the "punk rock prince of small-batch spirits" by Alex Halberstadt.[1]

Steven Grasse
Born (1964-09-19) September 19, 1964
NationalityAmerican
OccupationAdvertising Executive, Author, Distillery owner
Years active1989-present
Known for

Early life and career

Steven Grasse grew up in Souderton, Pennsylvania, as part of a Pennsylvania Dutch family.[2] As a teenager, he worked for Indian Valley Printing, his father's company, while attending Souderton Area High School. Grasse was inspired by the work of English music promoter Malcolm McLaren, and decided to study marketing and advertising at Syracuse University. He went on to intern at several advertising agencies before being hired by Saatchi & Saatchi.[3]

Career

1989–2006

Grasse founded Quaker City Mercantile (formerly Gyro Worldwide), a Philadelphia-based advertising agency, in 1989.[4] In 1999, Grasse partnered with William Grant & Sons to create Hendrick's Gin.[5] Beginning in 1999, Grasse began producing Bikini Bandits, a series of short films. A feature film based on the franchise was planned to be produced by StudioCanal but was later cancelled.[6]

2007–present

In February 2007, Grasse founded the Coalition for British Reparations, and started a petition for the British government to pay US$58 trillion in reparations for damages he alleged the British Empire had done to the world at large. He described the petition as "performance art", stating that "It's very serious, but very cheeky".[7] Grasse authored the controversial book The Evil Empire: 101 Ways That England Ruined the World which was published on April 23, 2007.[8]

In 2009, Gyro Worldwide was renamed as Quaker City Mercantile.[9] During this time, Grasse also began marketing his own brands,[10] and founded Art in the Age of Reproduction, a retail store in Philadelphia. Grasse cited Walter Benjamin's 1935 essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" with inspiring the idea behind the company.[11]

In 2016, Grasse authored Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History, explored the history of alcohol in Colonial America.[12] The illustrated book included historical recipes and trivia about the history of alcohol in the United States.[13][14] Grasse founded Tamworth Distillery, a New Hampshire based craft distillery, in 2018.[15]

Publications
  • The Good Reverend's Guide to Infused Spirits. (2019) with Sonia Kurtz, Michael Alan. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781510739758
  • Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our Drunken History. (2016). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-4197-2230-1
  • The Evil Empire: 101 Ways That England Ruined the World. (2007). Quirk Books. ISBN 1-59474-173-5

References
  1. "Steven Grasse: Punk-Rock Prince of Small-Batch Spirits". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  2. "Steven Grasse Profile - The Adman's Whiskey Lab". Men's Journal. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  3. Amorosi, A. D. "The mad man of Philly ad men". Inquirer. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  4. "Legends: The Mad Man's Next Act - Page 2 of 7". Philadelphia Magazine. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  5. "Why a gin maker invented its own history". 1843. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  6. Lacob, Jace (2012-08-04). "Art in the Age: Ex-Ad Man Steven Grasse's Wonderfully Weird Spirits". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  7. Heintz, Francesca. "A $58 trillion call for British reparations". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  8. Henderson, Michael (2007-03-03). "Britain's many gifts to the world". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  9. "Goodbye Gyro Worldwide. . .Now Quaker City Mercantile". Philly Ad Club. 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  10. Morgan, Adam; Barden, Mark (2015-01-07). A Beautiful Constraint: How To Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, and Why It's Everyone's Business. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-89945-8.
  11. Lacob, Jace (2012-08-04). "Art in the Age: Ex-Ad Man Steven Grasse's Wonderfully Weird Spirits". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  12. "Colonial Spirits by Steven Grasse". attadrink. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  13. "A Survival Guide To Colonial Cocktails (So You Don't Die Drinking Them)". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  14. Melamed, Samantha. "Martha Washington got tipsy drinking this cocktail. Now you can, too". The Inquirer. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  15. Plummer, Todd. "Is "Wilderness to Bottle" the New Farm To Table?". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
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