Expert Mode: How Dirty Water Built a Cult Brand by Thinking Like a Bartender
This article was based on the interview with Featuring insights from Dominic Minogue, CEO and Founder of Dirty Water by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
When most people think of launching a new beverage brand, they picture sleek branding, influencer campaigns, and prime shelf space in upscale grocery chains. Dominic Minogue had a different idea. Instead of chasing the wellness aisle or flooding the market with flavored seltzers, he launched Dirty Water—the “dive bar hard seltzer”—in one of the most competitive markets in the world: New York City.
His formula? Create something bartenders love, make it sessionable, and stay obsessively close to your customers—even if it means surveying them bar by bar, one shift at a time.
In this conversation, Minogue shares how a product born out of personal frustration became a bartender’s secret weapon and a brand already redefining what hard seltzer can be.
Starting with a Problem, Not a Trend
Minogue didn’t come from the CPG world. He came from ad tech and mobile gaming. But like many of his customers, he was tired of sugary hard seltzers that tasted artificial and came in variety packs full of flavors no one wanted.
“I wanted the vodka soda version of a light beer—easy, drinkable, and not a palate killer,” he saysfor-social-media-conten….
So he built it. A clean, single-flavor seltzer designed for long sessions, post-work hangouts, and dive bar authenticity.
That simplicity became its superpower. No variety pack. No artificial aftertaste. Just one versatile product that bartenders could dress up, customize, or serve straight from the can.
A Bartender’s Best Friend (By Design and by Accident)
One of Dirty Water’s core value props was discovered the old-fashioned way: by listening. Bartenders loved the product—not just because it tasted good, but because it was modular.
“They could serve it with bitters, splash in cranberry, change the flavor profile—basically turn one skew into five,” Minogue explainsfor-social-media-conten….
That versatility made it easy to stock. No need to dedicate fridge space to five different flavored seltzers. No customer walking away because their preferred flavor was out. Just one clean base that bartenders could adapt.
It also became a post-shift favorite. Light enough to wind down after a long night, and strong enough to pair with a shot. In short: it worked.
And when something works for bartenders, it tends to work for everyone else.
Community First, Scale Second
Minogue launched Dirty Water in New York City because that’s where he lived—and because he could be boots on the ground every day. But in hindsight, he admits it may have been too ambitious a sandbox.
“There are 6,000 bars in NYC. To canvas that city properly, you need a small army,” he saysfor-social-media-conten….
Still, being in New York gave him access to something more valuable than easy distribution: cultural cachet. Dirty Water became a fixture in run clubs, artist events, service industry circles, and social tastemaker communities.
This was by design. Minogue deliberately targeted three groups:
- Service workers and bartenders
- Post-grads still embedded in social, session-heavy drinking culture
- Tastemakers in music, fashion, and art scenes who could spark a trickle-down effect
The result was a triangle of influence that fueled organic brand spread far beyond a single channel or platform.
Heritage Vibes for a New Generation
Unlike most hard seltzers, which lean into wellness, flavor variety, or nostalgia-soaked branding, Dirty Water is aiming for something more foundational.
“I wanted to build a new heritage brand—something that belongs on the same shelf as PBR, Bud Light, Coors,” Minogue saysfor-social-media-conten….
That’s where the “dive bar hard seltzer” positioning shines. It’s not a gimmick—it’s a worldview. A statement of simplicity, humility, and accessibility. No frills. No wellness jargon. Just something cold and crushable.
Even the name, Dirty Water, nods to that ethos. It’s playful, self-aware, and hyperlocal—a wink to New York, a nod to blue-collar drinkers, and an open invitation to anyone who wants to skip the preciousness of premium seltzer.
Real-Time Feedback, One Bar at a Time
Dirty Water’s growth strategy is refreshingly analog. Minogue splits his day into three parts:
- Admin – Emails, ops, production
- Outreach – Walking into new bars, pitching the product
- Surveying – Visiting current accounts at night, talking to bartenders, watching what customers say and do
“I get the best feedback from bartenders. They hear the truth—without the founder filter,” he saysfor-social-media-conten….
It’s hands-on, labor-intensive, and wildly effective. And it reveals one of the brand’s biggest differentiators: Dirty Water isn’t just sold in bars. It’s built in them.
Measuring Success in Case Sales—But Also in Vibes
Like any CPG startup, Dirty Water tracks traditional KPIs: case volume, account openings, distribution reach. But Minogue also pays attention to what he calls “soft wins.”
“When someone tells me they’ve been gluten-free for years and Dirty Water gives them that light beer feeling again—that means more to me than a sales report,” he saysfor-social-media-conten….
That emotion—that connection—is what makes the brand sticky. It’s not just what people drink. It’s what they tell their friends about.
Conclusion
Dirty Water isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It’s trying to be something real to someone specific. It’s a brand that respects the bartender, celebrates the dive bar, and shows up in person to hear what the regulars are saying.
In an era of hyper-automation, algorithmic product launches, and slick DTC branding, Dominic Minogue is proving that sometimes the most agile play is the oldest one: build something you believe in, get it in the hands of people who matter, and let the rest unfold—one conversation at a time.
And if you’re wondering what that sounds like in beverage form, just ask for a Dirty. The bartender will know what to do.t flooded with intelligence, empathy may be the most underutilized asset you’ve got.
