When the legendary team behind PATRÓN tequila—John Paul DeJoria, Ed Brown, Lee Applbaum, Dave Wilson and Brad Vassar—launched Weber Ranch in June 2024, they brought us in on a challenge that went way beyond typical brand marketing.

‍

Our initial work focused on creating the digital foundation for Weber Ranch's launch, developing their website and membership program that would support their ambitious market entry. This groundwork proved essential as Weber Ranch crushed their early goals, launching in over 40 states within 10 months and earning "Best Vodka of 2024" recognition. (You can see the full details of our launch work in our Weber Ranch Vodka case study.)

‍

But the team saw something bigger coming. Building on the success of our initial digital platform, they recognized that consumer expectations were shifting in a major way.

At Cyphr, we believe the most successful digital experiences don't just add technology—they reimagine how brands connect with their audiences. For Weber Ranch, this meant building an AI-first platform that could deliver the personalization and expertise of a world-class bartender to every home mixologist.

‍

Rather than creating another chatbot, we focused on humanizing the AI experience. Our approach centered on three core principles:

‍

Respect for Craft: Celebrate professional mixology while making expertise accessible

‍

Authentic Engagement: Create genuine value rather than gimmicky interactions

‍

Contextual Intelligence: Meet users where they are, both digitally and physically

Working closely with Weber Ranch's team, we created Tex—an AI companion that feels authentically human while delivering sophisticated personalization capabilities. Our vision was ambitious: create an AI that could capture the expertise and intuition of a master mixologist, then make that knowledge accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Not through rigid scripts or decision trees, but through natural conversation that adapts to each person's unique situation.

‍

What makes Tex different from every other brand chatbot is that we built it to think, not just respond. Instead of matching keywords to canned responses, Tex understands context, learns preferences, and actually helps people achieve their goals. Whether someone's texting from a grocery store aisle or entertaining unexpected guests at home, Tex meets them exactly where they are with exactly what they need. The result is an AI that doesn't feel like AI—it feels like having a friend who happens to know everything about cocktails and is always available to help.

‍

At its core, Tex delivers dynamic recipe generation, creating thousands of unique cocktail combinations in real-time based on user preferences, available ingredients, skill level, and even mood. The platform provides intelligent step-by-step guidance, explains professional terminology in accessible language, and offers smart ingredient substitutions. We designed these interactions to build confidence progressively, transforming intimidating recipes into achievable home projects while maintaining Weber Ranch's premium brand voice through sophisticated prompt engineering.

‍

Understanding that cocktail creation happens in real-world contexts, we built Tex as a truly omnichannel experience. Users can chat with Tex on the Weber Ranch website, SMS for on-the-go inspiration and photos just "snap your fridge" for ingredient-based recommendations. We seamlessly connected inspiration to action, building pathways from cocktail discovery to purchase intent—whether that's online ordering, store location, or local bar recommendations.

Using OpenAI's Custom GPT platform, we developed a sophisticated dual-agent system:

‍

• Conversational AI: Delivers natural, brand-aligned interactions with infinite variation
  ‍
• Logic AI: Handles structured decision-making, intent parsing, and backend operations through function calling

‍

This approach meant that over 70% of the platform's functionality runs through ChatGPT—not just for conversation, but for core application logic. It's a fundamentally different approach that transforms AI from a feature into the foundation.

‍

Think of it this way: most bots are like having a helpful but limited assistant. Tex is more like having a knowledgeable friend who actually understands what you're trying to accomplish and can take action to help you get there.

Tex represents more than an AI mixologist—it's a proof of concept for how premium brands can meaningfully integrate artificial intelligence to deepen customer relationships. By focusing on human-centered design and authentic value creation, we've shown that AI can enhance rather than diminish the personal touch that consumers expect.

‍

The project builds on Cyphr's broader expertise in creating engaging digital experiences across sports, entertainment, and consumer brands. From our work with LIV Golf's fan engagement platform to Nike's pioneering virtual product, or Spotify’s fan engagment strategy we understand how to bridge technology innovation with authentic brand experiences.

‍

For Weber Ranch, Tex isn't just a marketing tool—it's a strategic platform that will evolve with the brand, creating new opportunities for customer engagement, data intelligence, and market differentiation as they continue scaling their premium spirits portfolio.

Ever wish you had a bartender in your back pocket? Meet Tex.

‍

For US users: Text #SaddleUp to 1-940-400-1902 to ask Tex for cocktail recipes, expert advice, and more.

‍

For everyone else: Visit the Weber Ranch website to experience Tex and discover your next perfect cocktail.

‍

Whether you're planning a dinner party, looking for the perfect drink to match your mood, or just curious about craft cocktails, Tex is ready to help you create something extraordinary.