A Brand to Drink To

And what's it like working with Trump? "Trump has been a tenacious business partner," says Kenny. "We sometimes have to hold him back."

This can lead to a common problem with celebrity icons -- not everyone is going to work equally as well, Kenny explains.

"There's a couple of artists we turned down" for other alcoholic beverages, Kenny says, simply because they didn't understand the distinction between a business partner and a licensing partner.

So what is the difference? "A licensing partner gets a check no matter what they do, as long as they fulfill the obligations of the contract, i.e., 10 personal appearances, eight photo shoots, etc. A business partner has equity in the brand and gets paid for using his best efforts to sell the product."

A celebrity takes a certain amount of risk with associating his or her name with a product, as well as shouldering a serious time commitment. "If [the icons] don't work, the brand isn't going to sell," Kenny points out.

Trump's image, of course, is recognized worldwide. People respond to him whether they're in Ireland, China or Italy, and Drinks America is going to capitalize on that. Trump Vodka is widely available here in the U.S., but also in Canada and the Netherlands, and sold from Panama into the Caribbean duty-free.

Growth has been strong, but it's essential to ensure the quality behind the name and the brand. "We have a massive amount of inquiries from international affiliates; we just want to make sure we can meet our own production needs domestically," says Kenny.

However, there's always more on the agenda. Considering Trump's audience, "we might also add a champagne and cognac for the Trump label within the next 18 months," Kenny notes.

One beverage at a time, though. Trump is still quite busy promoting the vodka. One of the next events he will be sponsoring: A Maxim party at the end of May. Oh, the hardships of marketing.