The Challenge
Death & Co. faced a significant digital bottleneck: their library of 2,000+ expert recipes was locked in static, unsearchable databases. Customers struggled to find recipes matching their specific preferences or available home ingredients, and the staff had limited capacity to provide one-on-one guidance at scale. This created a “digital access gap” between the brand’s physical expertise and its 50,000+ retail customers.
Solution Implemented
Valere delivered a sophisticated AI bartender chatbot built on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework. The solution features intelligent ingredient-based searching, personalized recommendations using machine learning, and a conversational interface that mimics the guidance of an expert bartender. Deployed directly on the Death & Co. website, the platform serves as a scalable marketing funnel that captures customer data while providing authentic brand engagement.
About the Company
Mission
Death & Co. is a pioneer of the modern craft cocktail renaissance, redefining the industry since its founding in Manhattan’s East Village in 2006. The company’s mission is rooted in innovation and excellence, expanding from a single intimate bar to a national brand and a parent company, Gin & Luck, which oversees multiple locations, boutique hotels, and e-learning platforms. They are celebrated for their world-class expertise, evidenced by multiple “World’s 50 Best Bars” listings and James Beard Awards for their influential publications.
Key Leadership
Death & Co. was founded by David Kaplan (Co-Founder & CEO of parent company Gin & Luck) and Ravi DeRossi (Co-Founder & Partner), who opened their cocktail bar to capture Prohibition-era rebellion, naming it after the era’s view of drinkers as “keeping company with death.” Kaplan, then 24, used a modest inheritance to partner with DeRossi, launching amid the craft cocktail renaissance and quickly earning acclaim as America’s best cocktail bar. The leadership expanded to include Alex Day (COO & Partner, handling operations and education) and Devon Tarby (Partner, focused on programming), driving growth to multiple U.S. locations under Gin & Luck. They aim to aggressively expand its craft cocktail empire in 2025-2026 through ready-to-drink cocktails, e-commerce, paywalled education, events.
The Challenge: Developing an AI-Powered Bartender Intelligence Platform to solve static database inaccessibility
When Death & Co. approached Valere, their most valuable intellectual property, nearly two decades of mixology innovation, was trapped in a format that could not meet the growing demand for personalized home bartending guidance.
Technical Constraints
The Static Repository Ceiling
The collection of 2,000+ recipes was stored in unsearchable formats, offering no ability for users to filter by taste profile or skill level. There was zero intelligence regarding ingredient substitutions, meaning if a user was missing one specific component, the recipe became unusable.
AI Customization Barriers
Existing digital tools lacked the “human essence” of a bartender. Death & Co. needed a solution that didn’t just list ingredients but understood the “why”
Market/Business Impact
The lack of a digital engagement channel meant missing daily opportunities to interact with a global audience of enthusiasts. This “Discovery Challenge” limited the brand’s ability to capture customer data, develop a marketing funnel, or drive upsell opportunities for their e-learning and e-commerce offerings.
Why Death & Co. Partnered with Valere for AI Native Solution Development
David Kaplan selected Valere because the team demonstrated a commitment to capturing the brand’s specific “soul” rather than just delivering a generic chatbot.
Technical Depth in Conversational AI: Valere implemented a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework that ensured the AI stayed grounded in Death & Co.’s specific recipe database while maintaining conversational flexibility.
Strategic Product Development: Valere acted as an extension of the team, participating in deep-dive discovery workshops to document the complex taxonomy of cocktail creation and ingredient intelligence.
Commitment to Iterative Excellence: Valere refused to cut corners, undergoing multiple refinement cycles to ensure the AI’s personality matched the writing style of Death & Co.’s acclaimed books.
"The team's commitment to getting it right was exceptional... Valere put in the extra effort to ensure we were taken care of throughout our partnership and final delivery, including post-delivery questions and support."
The Solution: Engineering the “Cocktail Rolodex” with RAG Architecture to scale expert bartending guidance
Valere built a scalable, 24/7 AI bartender that transforms static recipes into an interactive, conversational experience aligned with professional mixology standards.
Infrastructure & Architecture
Valere architected a robust technical stack to support complex natural language queries and high-concurrency usage:
- AI Framework: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to prioritize the 2,000+ recipe database.
- Backend: Python-based server-side processing for complex AI integration and ingredient logic.
- Frontend: A responsive React-based text interface optimized for clarity and ease of use.
- Guardrails: Built-in constraints to keep conversations cocktail-focused and redirect off-topic discussions.
Specialized Workflow: Ingredient Intelligence
A key differentiator of the solution is its ability to think like a professional:
- Substitution Logic: The AI suggests appropriate alternatives when users lack specific ingredients based on the fundamentals of the Cocktail Codex.
- Intelligent Fallback: If a specific recipe isn’t in the database, the AI can generate new recipes based on six fundamental cocktail archetypes, clearly labeling them for the user.
Phased Implementation
The project moved from concept to deployment in an intensive 5-week sprint:
- Discovery: Analyzing the 2,000+ recipe collection and documenting bartender personas.
- Data Structuring: Organizing the library into a RAG-accessible format with defined flavor taxonomies.
- Build & Refine: Developing the conversational interface and iterating on AI prompts to match the brand voice.
- Validation: Testing response accuracy and deploying a production-ready staging build.
The Results
The Cocktail Rolodex has successfully transformed Death & Co.’s digital presence, providing a foundation for the company to become a world leader in digital cocktail education.
Key Outcomes
Technical Performance:
- 90% Response Accuracy: The chatbot delivers correct, relevant responses from source materials 90% of the time.
- Search Efficiency: Cut user search time from several minutes to seconds.
- 24/7 Reliability: Provides expert guidance across all time zones with no wait times.
Business Growth & Engagement:
- Lead Generation: Integrated email and phone capture system for marketing funnel development.
- Staff Efficiency: Reduced workload by automating one-on-one cocktail guidance.
- Brand Scaling: Successfully extended physical bar expertise to 50,000+ retail customers worldwide.
The Client’s Perspective
"Valere built our AI bartender chatbot, 'Cocktail Rolodex,' which now provides conversational, expert-level cocktail guidance while capturing valuable customer data for our marketing funnel. This positions us as an innovation leader in cocktail culture and creates a foundation for future e-commerce and educational integrations. Their technical team explained complex AI concepts in ways we could actually understand, which was critical since we're not tech people."
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