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The Return of Going Out in the Age of Optimization

From wearable data to wellness culture, consumers have spent years optimizing nearly everything. The next cultural shift is already underway: a renewed appreciation for hospitality, connection and experiences worth remembering.

After nearly 30 years in the spirits business, I’ve watched attitudes toward drinking evolve alongside broader shifts in consumer culture. The latest debate isn’t about alcohol at all. When Steven Bartlett, host of the Diary of a CEO podcast, shared that three glasses of wine affected his sleep, workouts and productivity for days afterward, the conversation quickly moved beyond drinking itself. It became a debate about optimization and whether we’ve started measuring life so closely we’ve forgotten how to enjoy it. 

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Steven wasn’t describing a traditional hangover. He was describing the ripple effect that followed. His sleep suffered. His eating changed. He skipped two gym sessions. He even felt it affected his podcast. His wearable tracked it all, and he shared the results openly. The public’s reaction to this revelation was fascinating.

Some people questioned whether our obsession with optimization had finally gone too far. Others pointed out that someone invested in measuring every part of life might not be the most impartial judge of a single evening. But what stood out to me was how many people admitted they missed something simple: enjoying a drink, staying a little longer and being fully present without immediately wondering what the next morning’s data would say.

Because this conversation was never really about alcohol. It was about how we want to live. For much of the past decade, consumer culture rewarded relentless optimization. We counted steps, tracked sleep, monitored glucose, measured recovery and searched for any marginal gains everywhere from our diets to our calendars. Those tools created healthier habits for some people, but they also reframed leisure through the lens of performance, turning every indulgence into a trade-off against tomorrow’s........

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