The Beer Pong Table That Started a Brand Partnership

One of the best opportunities I've ever had started because I designed a beer pong table.

Back in 2020, my friends and I rented a split-level house right on the Glimmer Glass in Manasquan, New Jersey for the summer. The owner would periodically stop by to check on the place. We were great tenants, but if you owned a shore house full of twenty-somethings for the summer, you'd probably make a few "just checking in" visits too…

Going into that summer, I had built a custom shot wheel and designed a brand-new beer pong table for the house. At the time, I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I just wanted to make something cool for my friends and me.

A few weekends into the summer, the owner stopped by with a friend who we later learned was his business partner. They had been working on building Big Rack Spirits for several years, and we started talking about the business.

One thing led to another, and his partner asked about the beer pong table sitting in the backyard.

When I mentioned that I had designed it, the conversation shifted from backyard games to branding, packaging, and the future of their company.

For the next few hours, while the party continued downstairs, I sat on the second floor talking design, product ideas, and where they wanted to take the brand.

By the end of the night, they had seen some of my other work and asked if I'd design the packaging for two new ready-to-drink cocktails: Picnic Punch and East Coast Cooler.

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

The best part? They're actually good.

Unlike a lot of canned cocktails that taste overly sweet or artificial, these are made with the same spirits found in their bottled lineup. They're naturally sweetened, well-balanced, and exactly what you want to pull out of a cooler after a day at the beach. Crack one open cold, and you're good to go.

Like a lot of businesses, Big Rack Spirits hit some bumps during COVID.

Since then, they've continued to grow, expanded into additional states, and even partnered with NASCAR. It's been fun watching the brand evolve while having the chance to contribute to pieces of that journey.

And we're not done yet. Let's just say there are a few exciting things in the works.

The funny lesson from all of this?

Rent the Jersey Shore house. You never know who you're going to meet.

More importantly, keep creating things before anyone asks you to.

I didn't build that beer pong table hoping it would land me a client. I built it because I wanted to make something I thought was cool.

That project led to one conversation.

That conversation led to one opportunity.

And that opportunity turned into a creative relationship that's still going strong years later.

You never know which project will be the one that changes everything.