Happy Hour: Mr. Wonderful's Tasty Tequila

Summary

Podcast Summary: Kennedy Saves the World Episode: Happy Hour: Mr. Wonderful's Tasty Tequila
Release Date: July 25, 2025

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Introduction: Welcoming Mr. Wonderful

In the episode titled "Happy Hour: Mr. Wonderful's Tasty Tequila," host Kennedy welcomes back CEO and Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary, affectionately known as Mr. Wonderful. The episode sets a relaxed tone with a discussion centered around tequila, personal wellness, branding, and political policies affecting business.

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Tequila Talk: Crafting Quality Spirits

Timestamp [00:35]:
Kennedy reminisces about Kevin's previous visit where he expressed disappointment over club soda choices, prompting Kevin to introduce his own tequila.

Kevin O'Leary on His Tequila Journey [00:40 – 03:34]:
Kevin introduces his tequila, Codigo 1530 Blanco, emphasizing its purity and quality. He shares his collaboration with Jason Hollander from Shark Tank, who is an expert in tequila. Kevin describes the two-year process to obtain the necessary licenses and produce a high-quality product, contrasting it with mass-produced tequilas that often contain additives and are less pure.

Notable Quote:
_"This is nectar from the nipple of Aphrodite." — Kevin O'Leary [00:57]*

Quality vs. Mass Production [02:04 – 03:15]:
Kevin explains that most tequilas on the market are inferior because the agave doesn't mature for the traditional six years and are often heavily processed with additives. In contrast, his tequila is pure, overproof (over 90% alcohol), and crafted in a way that respects traditional methods. Less than 1% of tequila is pressed on-site where it's grown, highlighting the exclusivity of his product.

Notable Quote:
_"Less than 1% of tequila is actually pressed on site where it was grown. This is in that 1%." — Kevin O'Leary [02:30]*

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Health and Wellness: Pursuing Longevity

Diet and Longevity [04:00 – 07:06]:
The conversation shifts to personal health, with both hosts discussing their commitment to diets that promote longevity. Kevin mentions wearing a glucose monitor to keep his blood sugar levels in check, linking high glucose spikes to dementia. He advocates for a diet low in sugar and praises the keto diet for its benefits in cognitive health.

Notable Quote:
_"When you keep frying your brain with sugar, it's very bad." — Kevin O'Leary [05:55]*

Kennedy echoes the sentiment, highlighting the desire to maintain mobility and cognitive health into old age, preferring an active lifestyle over merely extending lifespan.

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Branding and Authenticity: Lessons from Meghan Markle

Challenges in Branding [08:04 – 13:17]:
Kevin critiques Meghan Markle's branding strategy post-royalty, suggesting that her departure from the royal family negatively impacted her brand authenticity. He emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's brand and the pitfalls of trying to detach from a foundational identity.

Notable Quote:
_"If you're not authentic and you're not real, people smell bullshit a mile away." — Kevin O'Leary [12:39]*

The discussion underscores the necessity for authenticity in personal and business branding, drawing parallels with political figures like Donald Trump, who, despite controversy, maintain a level of perceived authenticity.

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Political Policies and Business Impact

Policy Discussions [14:00 – 19:52]:
Kevin delves into the implications of political policies on business, specifically referencing potential changes in New York City's housing regulations under political figures like Donald Trump. He expresses concern over rent controls and their impact on real estate investments, advocating for pro-business policies that foster growth and stability.

Notable Quote:
_"Look, he's just saying money for nothing. Chicks for free. Vote for me, right?" — Kevin O'Leary [17:15]*

Kennedy and Kevin discuss the exodus of businesses and affluent individuals from high-tax states like New York to more business-friendly states such as Florida, citing economic migration trends and the importance of competitive state policies in retaining capital and talent.

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Conclusion: A Toast to Authenticity and Quality

As the episode wraps up, Kennedy and Kevin raise their glasses to the significance of authenticity in both personal lifestyle choices and business endeavors. They reiterate their commitment to producing quality products and maintaining genuine connections with their audience and customers.

Final Quote:
_"Cheers, everybody." — Kevin O'Leary [19:52]*

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Overall Insights:

• Quality Over Quantity: Kevin emphasizes the importance of producing high-quality, authentic products rather than mass-producing inferior goods.
• Health as Wealth: Both hosts prioritize personal health and longevity, advocating for diets and lifestyles that support long-term wellbeing.
• Authentic Branding: Authenticity is crucial in personal and business branding, with lessons drawn from public figures like Meghan Markle and Donald Trump.
• Impact of Political Policies: Business success is significantly influenced by state and local political policies, highlighting the need for pro-business environments to sustain growth and investment.

This episode offers a blend of entrepreneurship, personal wellness, and political insight, all delivered with Kennedy's engaging style and Kevin O'Leary's straightforward expertise.

Transcript

[Kennedy]

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. It is a wonderful day to have a cocktail. It is Happy Hour, and Mr. Wonderful is back as promised, because, Kevin, welcome back to Kennedy Saves the World.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Thank you so much.

[Kennedy]

So last time you were here for happy hour, you. Your assistant had told my producer to have club soda and lime. And then you sat down, you're like, why am I drinking club soda?

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. I don't get it. Why are we doing that? Why don't we get something worth drinking, like my tequila?

[Kennedy]

Your tequila?

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

I'm very excited to try this. I have not tried it yet. This is Codigo 1530 Blanco. Made in beautiful Jalisco, Mexico. Cheers to you.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Cheers. Now, I want to tell you something about tequila. I've learned so much over the last few years. The story of how this came to pass.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's lovely.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Isn't that beautiful? Let me join you for a second. Oh, that is nectar from the nipple of Aphrodite.

[Kennedy]

It really is.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

And thank her for her astronomical Aureolus, because this is a delight.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So here's the story of this tequila. You'll find this interesting. It stems from Shark Tank. Jason Hollander is one of the guys that has been with the show for 17 years. He vets all the deals.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Kevin O'Leary]

But lo and behold, he is a tequila expert. Oh, one of the best on earth. He knows every varietal. He knows the history of every brand. He knows exactly how it's all made and what matters and the licensing in Mexico and all of this stuff. And after the success of o' Leary Fine Wines, everybody started asking me, why don't you have a tequila? So you have a liquor?

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And I said, well, you know, I don't know any. I know a lot about wine, but I don't know anything about tequila. Jason does. And so he approached me and said, listen, why don't I do this with you? I will walk you through the world of tequilas, and you will come out of this very knowledgeable. And I did. Here's for example.

[Kennedy]

How long did that take?

[Kevin O'Leary]

Two years.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Kevin O'Leary]

It took two years. To get a license. To do what we did the way we did it is virtually impossible. Impossible. And yet we did it. And so tequila, it turns out the majority of it that you drink is actually crap, because the aguave has not been allowed to mature to six years. When they made the real tequila in ancient times, so to speak, it was six years, and it was only pressed once.

[Kennedy]

Wow.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And that tequila is pure gold.

[Kennedy]

That's like the single use barrels used for Kentucky bourbon.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Exactly. The problem is nobody wants to wait six years to grow a cactus. So what they do is after 18 months, they pull it apart, they crush it, they add all kinds of additives, including sugar, which I don't want at all. And it's not real tequila, and it tastes really harsh. This is so smooth, and yet it's overproof. This is well over 90% alcohol, really, because it's so pure. And less than 1% of tequila is actually pressed on site where it was grown. This is in that 1%. So all of this gets you a very expensive bottle. It's just over a hundred dollars. You can get the Rosa or you can get the blanco.

[Kennedy]

I like the blanco.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, so do I. It's very, very clean, and I love it because it's pure. So anyways, that's the story of it. You can go to O', Leary, KevinOleary.com, you can order it online. We have a very limited batch for our first batch because I wanted to test the market, and, boy, I'll be making more. We've done very well with it.

[Kennedy]

Well, I can see why. Because, you know, people have learned through experience and through podcasts and Instagram reels that tequila is the only alcohol that is not a depressant. And it is one of the few things that actually, if you're going to drink alcohol and you are living clean and you're very, very insistent about putting pure things in your body, then tequila is one of the few things you can drink.

[Kevin O'Leary]

It's part of my longevity mandate. I really care what I put inside of my body. So if I'm going to put anything in that's a tequila, it's going to be mine because it's pure tequila, every drop.

[Kennedy]

What about, like, Casamigos? Because I heard that when Randy Gerber and George Clooney sold it that it wasn't the same spirit after that.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, I mean, I never disparage a competitor, and I know those guys. And so they were the ones that kind of got me even interested in getting into tequila when I watched what they built. And Randy is my neighbor up on my lake, and Cindy, and so. But, you know, they are not as involved today as they were when they launched it. You've made that point. It's a big brand, but they have the challenges of big brands because they have massive production requirements, you know, are not going to wait six years to do that.

[Kennedy]

People will forget about your brand.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Exactly. And so, you know, at the end of the day I. I applaud what they've done as entrepreneurs. They did a phenomenal job. But for me, I'm all about quality, longevity, purity. And I hate additives. I don't. I hate additives. I don't so much. There's so many foods I don't eat because I look at them and say, this is total. I'm not gonna put this in my body.

[Kennedy]

And there's never been a time in my lifetime where people have looked at labels so much, so critically, knowing so much. They're armed with so much more information. And part of that is from RFK Jr. You know, part of that is.

[Kevin O'Leary]

No, that was the thing about. He took a lot of criticism, but I believe in his mandate, what he's doing, because we eat, we feed our kids way too much crap, and there's a lot of obesity. That's basically his premise, and I kind of agree with him. So. So I don't know why people are upset. The vaccine thing, I get it, but I've even taken it to a new level. I'm not a diabetic, but I wear a glucose monitor. I'm monitoring my glucose between 7 and 150 all day long. I don't eat anything that spikes my glucose because it's linked to dementia. When you keep frying your brain with sugar, it's very bad.

[Kennedy]

Did you know that the keto diet was actually developed for dementia and Alzheimer's patients?

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, I'm not surprised, because the Richard Isaacson research, he proved that you can arrest dementia. You can't get back what you lost, but you can arrest it by modifying your diet away from glucose spiking. And there's so many foods. You will find out from a monitor which, for your DNA, spike you. For example, I can't drink beer. It goes to 300. That's crazy. And so. And there's a lot of, you know, things I don't eat as a result of that. But it turns out I feel better, I sleep better, I have more energy, and I'm, you know, I mean, I need those things. I want them.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And that's, you know, it's not just about living longer, because we'll all live longer because of technology and cancer treatments and immunotherapy. Exactly. But I don't want to be 90 and be curled up into a gnarled ball. I want to be 90, like, doing yoga and butt stunning.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So you want mobility and cognitive health. Those are the two things you want. Those are exactly my mandates, too. And I think about that every single day. And I say, am I going to eat that? No, I'm not. Am I going to drink that? No, I'm not. And so I. I haven't found it that hard. I don't want to eat shit anymore, period.

[Kennedy]

And is that wisdom or is it just not needing the dopamine rush of the typical things you consume when you're younger?

[Kevin O'Leary]

I think the reward is how you feel when you get up every morning and you say, wow, I feel great today. Had a great night's sleep, whatever. Everybody has a sin. I don't do drugs. I don't smoke. My sin is my wine and my tequila. But I have to do it in moderation because you have to stop drinking three hours before you go to sleep or you lose a lot of REM sleep.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it really. I mean, me, I wear, you know, a Garmin watch. And when I drink, my sleep score goes from the mid to high 70s to the 50s. And it's. There's a direct.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I'm not perfect. It's during the week when I'm working, doing stuff like this with you that I'm really cooling it the night before. Weekends, well, not so good at that.

[Kennedy]

So let me ask you this, because every. Every time I talk to you, you tell me about something else that has been added to your brand catalog. So Meghan Markle is trying to do the same thing, but she's had a lot of missteps. Is that because she's mishandling her brand, or is it because the press is just so dead set against her?

[Kevin O'Leary]

She has an overhang that's extremely difficult to escape. You know, there's a really good line in Apocalypse now, the movie, which I've never forgotten, in terms of business, there's a scene where the guy gets out of the boat to go get some fresh mangoes or something and gets attacked by a tiger. Chases him back to the boat. And the lesson is, never get off the boat. And so when they decided to leave the royal family collectively, the two of them, that was an incredibly stupid decision because her whole brand was associated with royalty and what she had risen to, from nothing to becoming effectively a royal. Which point.0001% of the population ever gets to do. And yet there's a cost. Obviously. You're part of a very complicated family with a complicated history and a responsibility to a nation. All of these things are put on your shoulders. But you rise to that occasion for the benefits they provide for you and your children in perpetuity. Somehow she didn't Figure that out.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And she. And she had probably three different times. She could have crawled back, but didn't. And then the Queen died, which took away another path, because I've always felt she was the matriarch. She could have gone there quietly and got on her knees and begged for forgiveness while the Queen was alive and maybe. Maybe would have been allowed back in. I'm not sure that path exists today. And I think she's having a very hard time engaging the world as a housewife, because that's effectively what she's become, a famous one, sure. But 50% of the market, particularly the British themselves, disdain for the disrespect that she and her husband gave to the royal platform. See, that's my. That's why marketers or brands are saying, well, you know, does she really rep my brand properly? From. From a family values point of view, you want. You want a very encompassing message, and I think that's eluding her right now.

[Kennedy]

Yes. Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy Saves the World right after this.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Hey, I'm Trey Gowdy, host of the Trey Gaddy Podcast. I hope you will join me every Tuesday and Thursday as we navigate life together and hopefully find ourselves a little bit better on the other side. Listen and follow [e-mail] Would that be a good analysis, do you think?

[Kennedy]

I think that's a great analysis. I mean, especially coming from someone who is. Is probably the world's foremost expert on branding and capitalization and figuring out pathways, because, you know, she obviously was ambitious and attractive and, you know, there's something about her that Harry fell deeply in love with and picked her to be the one. And, you know, she. She could have been the Disney movie.

[Kevin O'Leary]

She should have been the princess. She could have been the princess. But you have to take a lot of. When you're the princess, and you have to realize you are not number one.

[Kennedy]

I think that was the difficulty, not being number one. And also I think the work she was doing was probably kind of boring. And I think that's what happens when, you know, there's probably a hazing process you go through when you enter the royal family, where you're doing events that are not entirely sexy. And.

[Kevin O'Leary]

No, because if you're not number one, you're doing the discount event. And so, I mean, I think the problem is you're still part of the platform, and it provides you with a lot of things, and your children, it provides you with security, which they're struggling with now. It's very, very expensive. To monitor a home 24 7. I mean, you know, they've got lots of nut bars running around going after them. So I really think at the end of the day, they made a mistake and now they're starting to pay for it. And for brand, the thing about branding is, as you've pointed out multiple times, if you're not authentic and you're not real, people smell bullshit a mile away.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And so even if I've always thought this, a lot of people don't like me because I'm very blunt, but I think they respect me for being that way. And so they may not agree with me, but they know what I'm saying is my truth for sure. And I'm not lying to anybody, anything. And if I, you know, I say, look, I only represent things like this tequila. I drink this tequila. This is mine. I made it for me. And everybody knows that, certainly with my wines as well. But you'll never see a beer from me because I don't drink beer. I'm not going to bull and say, look, this is a great beer. I don't drink it.

[Kennedy]

I'm going to slap my name on it and hope for the best.

[Kevin O'Leary]

No, because I wouldn't drink it because my glucose would spike.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, that's great.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

But it also, it adds to your brand. And, you know, when we think about authenticity, you can't talk about authenticity and big personalities without thinking about Donald Trump. And I always, you know, I wonder what the future is going to look like in three years, you know, because we're going to have a different president. So the Democrats have been running against Trump, but is there a lesson in this for every person who wants to be president, how to run and how to govern, even if you don't like him, even if you don't like his politics? Is there something useful about this that Democrats aren't acknowledging or capitalizing on that will ultimately harm them?

[Kevin O'Leary]

You know, half my family has Trump derangement syndrome, and I have to listen to that all day long. Our Thanksgivings are quite brutal that way. But even they admit this guy just says what's on his mind. He doesn't give a. And there's a certain authenticity to that that even his distractors respect. He just puts it out there. And I think during the election, there was a real dichotomy between his opponent who couldn't. She was the word salad woman, remember all that stuff? And nobody knew what she really stood for anyways. And he was just saying, look, this is the way it is. This is the way I see it. If you see it this way, vote for me. Well, look what happened. And I thought the common sense aspect of him just telling the truth. And I don't really shill for politicians because I'm more concerned about policy. I don't make money with politicians, I make money with their policy. So I kind of pursue states where the governors have kind of a pro business policy like a Kentucky or a Florida or Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota. I avoid the crazy places like California, New York. I mean New York City.

[Kennedy]

I think we're screwed here if mom Donnie is elected. I agree.

[Kevin O'Leary]

By the way, I called him yesterday. I want a meeting with him because I want to figure out he's in Uganda. I found that out the hard way.

[Kennedy]

He's on his secret honeymoon.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, whatever, you know. But I think, I hope he'll take a meeting with me. His people blew me off, but I don't think it's got to his ear yet. I'm a real estate developer and so he wants low cost housing here. I need to understand the difference between his rhetoric. Is that bull or is he really going to put rent controls on new buildings?

[Kennedy]

But how do you do that?

[Kevin O'Leary]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

You have to offset that somewhere. Because if you're not raising rent then. I was talking to one property owner in New York and he's like, my taxes are going to go up, you know, and yeah, yeah, homeowners were always the ones who were like, oh no, we're the smart ones. We're not paying someone else's mortgage. We have our own mortgage. And you know, it's like, and of course you're paying co op fees and everything else if you live in New York. So it's not a bargain proposition. But he's worried that all of those offsets are going to go to people with a mortgage.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, I make the assumption, I'm always an optimist, that he's not an idiot, that he's done something successful successfully by getting to where he is right now in this election cycle cycle. I need to explain to him how it works. Because if there's no market return for putting up 50, 60, $100 million for a building, there'll be no 50, 60, $100 million. Nobody's going to do that to themselves. He won't get his housing. So I'm pretty good at explaining that to people. It's not that hard. And I think he's pretty smart, so I want to hear what he has to say. Now, he may blow me Off. But I don't think blowing guys like me off is a good idea because I know a lot of guys that do a lot of. Raise a lot of money. And I would go back to the market and say, look, I met with him and here's what he said. And I think he's being honest and it's a path to a return because we all love New York. I love this city for capital.

[Kennedy]

Amen.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I mean, I want to put money to work here, but if this guy does what he's. The rhetoric, which I think could be just. He's basically saying money for nothing. Chicks for free. Vote for me, right?

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So which I would do too if I was trying to be elected here. And then once I get in, I say, oh, no free chicks, no free money. Sorry, you know, but I'll.

[Kennedy]

No free buses.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

No city run grocery stores.

[Kevin O'Leary]

You know, I just met this guy, Kevin o' Leary, and he wants a whole bunch of returns on the money he's putting into the city. Of course I do. So does everybody else.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So I think I'm interested. I'm intrigued. I'm in New York a lot like you are, obviously. And I'll see him next time when he gets here.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And I'm wondering because I've talked to a lot of people who are like, if he's elected, I'm not staying here because I'm not going to watch my taxes go up. I know so many people who recently, just in the last couple years, have moved to New Jersey. They've moved to Hoboken and Jersey City and Weehawken because they can take the ferry across the river and not pay New York City tax. They save so much money. So if taxes are going up, and those are middle class and upper middle class people, but what about like actual rich people? Have you talked to people who will indeed leave the city if he's elected?

[Kevin O'Leary]

Oh, I have. They're all my neighbors in Florida already. They did that a long time ago.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So they're six months a day. The people in my building are all from Boston, New York, New Jersey. And they, they left six, seven, eight years ago.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And so it's, it's all of us are six months in a day. That's the great thing about the states. The founding fathers had the competition of states so that people would say, well, the policy there is good or it's bad. So there's been a massive erosion of capital coming out of New York state itself. New Jersey, Massachusetts. You have to be competitive. You can't be stupid. I mean, you know, when you bring policy that makes people that are retired, you take their lifestyle down. They work so hard their whole lives, and all of a sudden you want to give a super tax on somebody who's like 75 years old. Of course they're going to go to where it's warm. They're not stupid. They're going to say, thank you very much. I'm going to visit my kids, you know, for six months less a day.

[Kennedy]

I can get a good bagel in Palm Beach.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, you certainly can, because the whole of New York's down there, too. I mean, there are no Floridians left. We don't want any more people moving to Florida. The traffic's horrific.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, that's funny. Yeah, because when you live in a place that's not zoned for a massive influx, it's a little tougher to get around.

[Kevin O'Leary]

You're right.

[Kennedy]

You know, it's like, I'm sure Florida has had worse problems than trying to figure out what to do with all these millionaires moving into the city.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, you look at the number of licenses coming out of New Jersey alone or Massachusetts. New York, it's thousands every week.

[Kennedy]

Wow.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So people are making the move and they're doing it quietly.

[Kennedy]

Yep. Well, on that, I will toast you again, Mr. Wonderful.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Thank you. You got it.

[Kennedy]

Thank you for your time and for.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Your tequila and thankless for your. Thank you for your shameless promotion of my tequila.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Cheers, everybody.

[Kennedy]

I can drink it. I'll. I'll do it. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Kevin o'.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Leary.

[Kennedy]

I'm Kennedy Listen ad free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcasts and Amazon Prime. Members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Listen to the all new Bret Baier podcast featuring common ground in depth talks with lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle along with all your Bret Baier favorites like his all star panel and much more. Available [e-mail] or wherever you get your podcasts.