Dolph Lundgren on Building Hard Cut Vodka and Working with Bartenders to Get It Right
Action star Dolph Lundgren is known for strength, discipline, and larger-than-life characters, but when it came to creating Hard Cut Vodka, he took a decidedly bartender-first approach.
Instead of simply putting his name on a bottle, Lundgren partnered with respected industry voices, including legendary bartender Philip Duff, to ensure the spirit was built with cocktails and the trade in mind. We caught up with the actor, entrepreneur, and now spirits brand founder to talk about building Hard Cut, earning bartender respect, and what he’s learned from stepping behind the bar himself. In this conversation with Chilled, Lundgren shares how collaboration with the trade helped shape Hard Cut and why bartenders remain central to its future.
How does Hard Cut vodka differentiate itself in the crowded vodka market?
Good question. It’s a crowded market but only about 1% of all vodkas in America are using potatoes. We use the best russet potatoes from Idaho and combined with Rocky Mountain snowmelt water distilled at high altitude, makes for an extremely clean and naturally gluten free product. Because our vodka ferments for five days, instead of the usual two to three days, it has a very creamy and smooth taste.
It is also distilled to 90 proof (45% ABV), so it’s not only smoother than other vodkas but also packs a bigger punch—like my action movie characters.
How do you ensure Hard Cut will earn the respect it deserves from bartenders and industry professionals?
By doing articles like this one and speaking about the high quality of our product. The fact that it has a higher ABV makes it really perfect to use in cocktails, being that the higher alcohol is a flavor multiplier and doesn’t get diluted too quickly by the ice.
Tell us more about the role trade professionals play in refining the final product? Why was this important?
Emma and I tried 30-40 different vodkas from all over the world until we found one we loved, which was one of many samples from Idaho. Then we worked with their master distiller, Sang Luu, to perfect our product. I also worked with legendary bartender Philip Duff to develop my bartending skills and design some signature cocktails, like the 5:1 Martini with green olives. Philip taught me a lot about the history of cocktails in generals, and vodka in particular. I really enjoy bartending at our various events and accounts.
What appealed to you about building the brand alongside early support from bartenders?
It’s been fantastic to get bartenders’ positive reactions to our brand, its taste and quality, and the higher ABV and how that can help enhance cocktails. I’ve also really enjoyed reading bartending books, like Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail, and it was very special for me to make cocktails with him at Bar Convent Brooklyn last year. The man is a legend.
What have you learned through this process?
I have learned that creating an alcohol brand is a very complex and difficult process. However, I’ve found that the liquor industry is somewhat like the entertainment industry—it’s about entertaining people and making them feel good, and that’s what I enjoy about the movie business. That is my main takeaway as the creator of Hard Cut Vodka.
Emma and I just love seeing other people enjoy the vodka that we spent so much time creating together. Also, now that I’m both the CEO and Chairman of the company, I get to use some of the multitasking skills I learned over the years studying chemical engineering and producing and directing motion pictures.
You’ve built a career around strength and resilience. How do these qualities translate into this brand?
Well, first of all, Hard Cut Vodka—the bottle, the name and the product itself—stand for strength and resilience. Emma has said it’s like “Dolph in a bottle.” Creating and building a brand is a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m very aware that it will take strength and resilience to get this brand to where we want it to be five years from now. Like with anything in life, including the liquor business, success doesn’t happen overnight, and I’m OK with that.
What is your ultimate goal for Hard Cut?
My ultimate goal is to create a profitable business that I enjoy being a part of, along with my wife, partners and family. Something that can bring people together with a common goal, in what I find to be a really exciting industry, the liquor business. It’s also another way for me to connect with my fans, more personal than some of my movies as it is my baby from the beginning. And what better way to connect than having a drink together?
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