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The Grog Club

Hi, hello, hey there. Pull up a chair. Grab yourself a stiff drink (or a hot coffee/tea), and let's get into it.

If you're new here, consider reading a bit more about me first.

Before you read the rest of this, I'd encourage you to read a bit about the concept of "Unlocking the Commons" - it's a philosophy I'm adopting for this project:

The most economically powerful thing you can do is to buy something for your own enjoyment that also improves the world. This has always been the value proposition of journalism and art. It’s a nonexclusive good that’s best enjoyed nonexclusively. - Tim Carmody, Nieman Lab

At its core, membership allows my work to be public-facing and freely accessible. Almost all of the writing and other content you'll get for free and without any paywalls (sometimes you do need to sign up for the FREE version). I don't run ads here, though you may see some sponsored posts every now and then.

But there still are some "tangible" benefits to being a member.

What you get when you join

I'm assuming since you're reading this, you're not entirely opposed to the prospect of being a Grog Club member. I can already tell you're a pretty cool person. You can join as a FREE or PAID (yearly or monthly - both have the same membership benefits, one just gets you a few $$ discount). If you do decide to join, here's what you'll get:

Free Members

  • A weekly newsletter that you'll (probably) enjoy.
  • Comment and ask questions on posts and gear reviews.
  • A collection of City Guides that help you navigate a new city.
  • Everything from FREE.
  • One FREE travel poster (more info below).
  • Support independent publishing.
  • Help "unlock the commons" for other readers.
  • Members-only monthly "Postcard" series + archives.
  • Discounts on books, prints, and merch when they become available.
  • I promise I won't try to sell you an NFT.

This is just a starting place. One of the biggest things I want to encourage out of Grog Club members is collaboration and engagement. This is your membership, what would you like to see from it? More of a certain type of content? Maybe a Discord Server? Maybe some "happy hour" style Zoom sessions to talk shop?

Ok, so you made it this far now...what do you think? It'll be fun. It'll probably be weird. But I hope you're in for it.

Join the Grog Club

More Details

Comment and ask questions

If you've ever strolled through the comment section of Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, etc., you've probably seen it can be a weird place. But it can also be a helpful and really great place too. So to comment or ask questions on any posts, to myself or other Grog Club members, you'll need to be signed up for the FREE membership at the minimum.

Postcard Series

This is a monthly newsletter for paid Grog Club members. Think of it as a little behind-the-scenes action: wherever I am, whatever I'm thinking. The writing is a little more...raw. Read a sample from my first postcard.

Interviews

This is probably my biggest area of expansion for 2023. I have been incredibly fortunate to talk to some really incredible chefs/distillers/makers over the last two years, and I want to do more of that. Much more!

Videos

The world loves videos. I am very, very new to the world of filmmaking and/or vlogging. But I'd like to dabble much more in this medium over the next year. I'd encourage you to go check out what I've made on Youtube to date. That said, I'm not I'm 100% satisfied with these and know the quality can be greatly improved.

Posters!

A while back, I got really fascinated by these old mid-century amaro posters/advertisements from Italy. So I thought it would be fun to try and recreate some modern versions of these for other types of liquors/drinks and the places I've traveled. I worked with an artist to design them. If you sign up for a paid Grog Club membership, let me know which one you like, and I'll send you a free one.

Questions You Might Ask

  1. Is it easy to cancel? Yes, you can cancel you FREE or PAID memberships at any time by accessing your account. Plus, I try not to look at unsubscribe data so you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. If you have any issues, you can email me at membership@thedailygrog.com and I'll get back to you ASAP.
  2. Who handles payments? This platform runs (securely) on Ghost, a non-profit trying to make opportunities in the world for independent publishers. The Ghost platform integrates with the payment processor Stripe. I don’t see your payment information and never will. Big fancy companies have that all tucked away in high-security digital vaults on their servers.
  3. I'm not convinced you just won't take my money, where can I check out more of your work? First thing would be to subscribe to the FREE newsletter - everything happens there first. Then I'd poke around the website a bit and peruse some of the work. Then check some of my social media channels. If you like what you see and want more of it, consider joining the Grog Club.
  4. I don't have much money but would like to support in some way. The fact that you want to already means the world to me -  thank you for that. If you aren't comfortable with the cost of the monthly or yearly Grog Club tiers, you can buy me a cup of coffee by using this virtual "tip jar" to give a one-time contribution. Outside of that, sign up for the FREE newsletter and say hi.
  5. Just...why? Woof, that is a loaded question, and one which I continuously ask myself during the depths of night. I'll let you know when I have an answer.
  6. Can I ask more questions?  Sure thing, email me at membership@thedailygrog.com and we'll sort it out.