Zach Moore considers himself fortunate to have met Cristian and found Hugo's Cocktails alongside him. Everything he has learned in the food and beverage industry began in earnest in the three years he worked alongside Cristian and Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier at Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate. From there he gained a further appreciation for cocktails and hospitality while working for Andrew Carmellini's Noho Hospitality, the Major Food Group while at Dirty French, and chef Ignaico Mattos of Estela fame while running the bar program at the now-shuttered Flora Bar in the Met Breur museum. It wasn't until he stepped away from the industry and stopped drinking entirely in 2021 that he began to ponder the question that motivates him today: Why do we drink in the first place?

Zach's sobriety, ironically, led him to this place he now considers motivating: recognizing the human yearning to both connect with others over some drinks and yet also can't help but want to disconnect and change our state of mind, whether by drinking alcohol or our morning coffee. He considers the cultural implications to what it means to have started a spirits company while having personally experienced where the dangers of drinking too much can lead. He looks at Hugo's Cocktails as drinks meant to be enjoyed with others and not something simply to get drunk on.