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Innovative spirits: Courtney, left, and Carter Reum. Photo © Jeff Clark

Courtney Reum ordered yet another vodka and soda and realized he was utterly bored with his drinking experience. The New York City investment banker had just helped complete the merger of two alcohol companies--Allied Domecq and Pernod Ricard--in 2005 and concluded during his due diligence research that the spirits space severely lacked innovation.

"The Bacardis of the world launch a new flavor of Bacardi," he says, "but they don't tend to do things that are really outside the box--both as a product in the bottle and then as a company."