Vodka Plus

Both annoyingly and thankfully, David Nelson has come up with one of those ideas that we all should’ve thought of. It’s been right in front our faces the whole time. We are a fitness and health conscious nation, there’s no denying it. We’re also a nation that likes to P-A-R-T-why? ‘Cause we love it mate!

A fitness industry career man, Nelson knew this and while scratching his chin and thinking about how his hang overs had been getting worse as each year passed, an idea was born: Vodka +. A mix drink that isn’t packed with sugar, mixed with chemicals and topped or dodgy liquor.

“I was 27 and starting to really feel the affects of even a quiet night on the drink. So knowing what I know about fitness, I was always ordering vodka with soda water to try and limit the effects and would load up on electrolytes before bed. The plain vodka and water was quiet boring and I didn’t enjoy it” – David Nelson.

His solution was a drink that boasted no carbs, no sugars, purified sparkling water, added electrolytes and triple distilled premium vodka… Nelson, you diabolical.

We caught up with the Melbourne-born ideas man (who now calls the Goldy home) to find out how he thought of this before the rest of us…

Vodka Plus in a nutshell – go!

The drink of choice for the health conscious!

Fit, healthy with a dash of Vodka – did this idea spark from the result of a filthy I’m-never-drinking-again hang over?

It wasn’t just the bad hangovers that sparked the ideas, I was starting to feel really rough when even having two – three drinks at dinner which became frustrating and it was starting to effect my work – it took longer and longer into week to feel mentally energized and sharp… but I enjoy the social side of business and life and didn’t want to completely stop drinking.

Lots of Aussies are big into being physically and socially active – we like to train hard and party hard. Is that who you guys are targeting? Is that who you guys are?!

Exactly right, basically anyone in Australia who works out or has any interest in their health, yet still enjoys a social drink.

When they find out about you guys, I guarantee people around the country are thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?”… it seems like this is something that should’ve been done a long time ago. Thoughts?

Haha yes, I must have heard that 100 times already and I have had many people say they had thought of it but just hadn’t executed it.

Who would be your chosen brand ambassador out of The Rock, Shane Warne or Alessandra Ambrosio… and why?

It would be a tough call between The Rock and Alessandra Ambrosio, but I am going to have to say Alessandra because a) I’m male and b) so far the females lead our market marginally!

Where are your favourite haunts on the Goldy and why?

Cocoon Lounge and Stingray would be my choice for a night out as they have a fun but classy vibe to them and you can still chat to friends (unlike a lot of clubs). And for a dinner and a drink my partner and I are at Koi every few nights, as we love the atmosphere, location and the food is a safe bet for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

What’s on the horizon for Vodka Plus? New flavours?


We have four new flavours in production as we speak, I can’t tell you all of them, but you guys are the first to hear Acai and Apple are the main flavour of our next two. The sky is really the limit for the brand and we have already sparked a lot of interest from all over the globe.

Can we knock back a few Vodka Plus’ guilt free?

Ha ha I don’t know about guilt free, but almost! At the end of the day it still contains vodka, which if you drink enough of, will give you a hangover. We don’t recommend you drink twice as much as usual just because it has electrolytes. One of our tags is “keep it classy, drink responsibly”, inspired by Ron Burgundy off Anchorman of course. But the combination of mixing with purified sparkling water, using a premium vodka and infused electrolytes means you will be much better off than anything else.

Are Gold Coast folk lovers of Vodka?

I think so, I think most venues sell a tonne of vodka, lime & sodas over the bar which shows how body conscious the city is.

If the Gold Coast was an infused flavour, what would it be?

Long Island Ice Tea.

Gary Busey and Hillary Clinton, the Beibs and Iggy Azealia want to star in your latest ad campaign – do they get the job?

I think Gary and Hillary may struggle to be casted…