This Is The Cocktail Rick Ross Is Drinking This Holiday Season — And, No, It’s Definitely Not a Mimosa

No matter your musical preference, anyone who has listened to the radio since the early 2000s knows the name Rick Ross. Dubbing himself the “Biggest Boss,” Rick Ross — who also goes by a plethora of additional names, including Teflon Don and Rozay — is constantly on the path of reinventing himself through his music, authoring books like the recently released The Perfect Day to Boss Up: A Hustler’s Guide to Building Your Empire, and more brand deals than one can count. And while the Wing Stop franchise owner is always busy thinkin’ money, one thing he makes time for is a good drink with even better people.

Thanks to a by-chance introduction to the Luc Belaire brand by the legendary DJ Clue almost a decade ago, Rick Ross has since joined forces with Brett Berish and his Sovereign Brands company to introduce the world to luxury sipping at an affordable price. Playing an integral part in its success and, as everyone can agree, becoming the most-known face of the brand, Rozay’s love for a good sip runs deeper than just Sovereign Brands’ popular Belaire varietal; he’s here for all that they have to offer.

Though he has a list of his favorite cocktails to make with the extensive line of brands (there are currently 11 varieties across the four main brands) including the Villonaire — a modern twist on the classic egg nog that uses the Villon liqueur and the Bumbu Creme Rum — his preference is to enjoy them straight. And, he encourages you to try it, too.

“I really may not even have that [cocktail]. I’m really used to going straight,” he told Kitchn. “If I’m backstage about to perform, room temperature straight Belaire is what I’ve become accustomed to love. They don’t have ice all the time or it’s not ready or it’s not this or it’s not that. Room temperature straight has really been my thing for maybe the last two years now. That’s a long way from the way I began. When I began, I was really just another dude in the club, sippin’ Champagne — buying my own — which started on South Beach when Prince owned a club on Washington Ave.”

So, how did his love for bubbly really begin, you ask? Of course, Ricky Rozay can’t don the name without having a true reason for it, right? Well, according to the star, it all started when he laid eyes on another bubbly favorite of the industry, Dom Pérignon.

“I remember seeing the first bottles before I could afford them,” he said. “The bottles with the flowers — the Dom Pérignon — and I remember asking “Yo, what’s that though?” That’s rosé. And that’s when I became attracted to it. Before I could afford it, before I had ever tasted it. But I put that on my list in the back of my mind to work my way up to it.”

While Rick himself may not fancy a good cocktail (he admits that he’s probably never had a mimosa a day in his life), he realizes that guests at his lavish Atlanta, Georgia mansion might. For that reason, he always has a good drink ready for them to sip on when they drop by. And for this holiday season, one of the main attractions will be a signature drink called “The Devil’s Bramble.”

Making the drink is simple. All you’ll need is 1.5-ounces of the McQueen and the Violet Fog gin, 1-ounce of acai syrup, 0.5-ounces of cranberry liqueur, and 1-ounce of lemon juice bitters. Shake it all in an ice-filled shaker, then pour into an ice-filled glass and garnish with a lemon twist and some fresh blackberries. And in the words of Rick Ross, you’ll be ready to “just enjoy life” because “that’s the whole key.”

Now with all of this liquor talk, you’re probably wondering if his recycling bin is packed with empty Belaire, Bumbu, McQueen, and Villon bottles each week, right? If that has crossed your mind (because it definitely crossed mine), you may be surprised to find out what he actually does with them.

“It’s almost like decoration,” he said of the brand’s packaging. “I am somewhat of a hoarder, I confess. I feel like we’re all family. For me, I love fly shoes around, I love laying watches around, and you just gotta have little trinkets around that people may not know about. That’s what a boss life is about.”

While Rick Ross is gearing up for the release of his upcoming 11th studio album Richer Than I’ve Ever Been this December, you can probably expect to see him pushing a few new items from Sovereign Brands in the next year. In an exclusive statement to Kitchn, Brett revealed that alcohol connoisseurs can expect to see two new brands under the SB umbrella to be released in the coming year — a wine and a spirit — in addition to a potential line extension on one of the existing brands. And of course, you can expect them to carry the same quality as the others.

If you’re not sure what to try first out of all of the offerings, Rick Ross hopes that you always remember that “Champagne is for the party. Rum is for the conversation.”