Last year, the nicest guy in Hollywood (sorry, Tom Hanks), actor-pro-wrestler-business-owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launched his own tequila brand called Teremana. It has quickly become a hit amongst those who like their liquor smooth, dangerous and accessibly priced; so much so, that, according to Johnson, shops are having a hard time keeping it in stock. So he joined forces with PEOPLE to surprise some tequila fans during a blind taste test of his Blanco and Reposado flavours.In a video filmed pre-quarantine, a focus group sips on The Rock's libations, raving about how “smooth,” “luxurious,” “light” and a little bit “dangerous” they are. Unbeknownst to them, Johnson had been hiding backstage the entire time, listening in. That is, until he pops out to a wave of shocked expressions, and begins bartending for the surprised fans.
“To good friends, to family, to life, to gratitude, to mana,” he toasted, raising a glass. He also explained the logic behind the name of the brand.“'Teremana’ means ‘spirit of the earth,’” he told the gobsmacked tequila fans. “'Tere’ in Spanish is ‘earth.’ And ‘Mana’ in Polynesian language—I’m half Black and half Samoan—my Samoan side, my Polynesian side, we have a word called ‘Mana,’ and ‘Mana’ means ‘spirit.’”Yup, as they all cheers-ed and clinked glasses, you could definitely feel the ‘Mana’ in the room!If the naming of the brand wasn’t personal enough, he showed the group just how meaningful and close-to-home even the design of the bottle is for him.“At the bottom, which you’ll see, it’s kind of like a little Easter egg,” he said, tilting the tequila bottle on its head. “Embossed is a word that says—it’s kind of like flipped and turned—it says TIJASI. And so TIJASI is a word that combines my three daughters' first names: Tia, Jasmine, and Simone... I want it to be a legacy.”[video_embed id='1909895']RELATED: These trendy cocktails pack a healthy punch [/video_embed]Johnson's youngest daughters, Tia and Jasmine, whom he shares with wife Lauren Hashian, are two and four years-old respectively. Eighteen-year-old Simone, whose mother is Johnson's ex-wife/manager Dany Garcia, is invested in the family legacy on multiple fronts, serving as the
Golden Globes Ambassador in 2018 and
starting WWE training earlier this year.Since most of the world went into lockdown (and surprise tastings were no longer possible), the
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star has continued doing all he can to spread the word about his beloved brand. He regularly goes live on his official Instagram with different ways to mix drinks and fun summer cocktails. Most recently, on July 21, he walked fans through how he makes his patented
Teremana Strawberry Manarita.[video_embed id='2001526']BEFORE YOU GO: Michael B. Jordan launches #ChangeHollywood initiative [/video_embed]
