ALISON ZOOK
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Spencer, Ind.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN BLOOMINGTON?
18 years
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BLOOMINGTON?
Bloomington has some of the finest people that you will ever meet. We have a kind of community here that is very unique — it has the feel of a city but the heart of a small town.
FAVORITE THING TO DRINK?
I love the bubbly! Champagne, cava, prosecco... bubbly cocktails are divine. French 75s are my favorite.
GO-TO DRINK AT CARDINAL?
Right now it's a tie between the Laughing Buddha and Rosemary's Baby.
DO YOU HAVE ANY HIDDEN TALENTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I'm like MacGyver when it comes to crafts. Give me some fuzzy pipe cleaners and a few rubber bands and I can make you beautiful wedding decorations.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
My first job was working in the concession stands at IU's Assembly Hall when I was 14. All the free hot dogs I could eat! It was lot of fun and was my introduction to the service industry.
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO AT CARDINAL?
Well, I often refer to myself as our Cat Herder. Running events means coordinating lots of people, dates, and details. It's a lot like herding cats sometimes... but I love cats! I have five at home so I'm really good at it. I practice all the time.
I help set up and manage all of our in-house events as well as everything we do offsite with sampling, bartending, and partnering with bars and restaurants that carry Cardinal Spirits. I have a great events team and they help me spread the word about Cardinal all over the state.
We are a small company though, so I help out wherever I'm needed. You'll often find me bussing tables, refilling water glasses, hosting, washing dishes, helping in production, merchandising displays, helping with marketing and sales, and weeding the flowerbeds.
Never a dull day!
YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO SERVE TO A CROWD?
I love making punch with Cardinal Spirits American Gin. It blends so well with most fruit juices and you can add interesting syrups to make it super special.
FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL?
Peanut Butter Puffins
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DRINK WITH ANYONE…
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She's a personal hero of mine and I'd love to buy her a drink and thank her for all that she's done for women's rights.
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE DRINKING MORE OF?
Local. Local anything and everything.
TELL US A FUNNY STORY ABOUT YOUR PETS.
I mentioned before that I have a lot of cats, right? Well, a few years ago I came home from work and they are all in my kitchen, perched in different places, but all staring intently at the food bowl. Right away I know something is not right. I look down and there was a shrew (they look like a mouse crossed with a mole) sitting next to the dish eating their food. They all turn and look at me then turn back to the shrew. Not a single cat is moving to get it.
Finally, because no one else is taking care of it, I get a tupperware bowl and set it over the shrew who just looks up at me and continues to eat the cat food. I take the shrew outside and it saunters off, unharmed and unfazed.
I went back inside and promptly fired all of my cats from being cats. To this day I like to remind them of it.
MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT THE FUTURE.
I predict that one day soon in a place undiscovered by modern humans scientists will find a healthy population of unicorns. The BBC will make a documentary about them and it will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
