’Summer House’ Stars Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke Dish on Loverboy Cocktails and All *That* Wedding Drama
Nope, you’re not imagining things. Much like the rest of the Y2K renaissance that has been upon us, the late 90s and early 2000s cocktail comeback is very much real too. Espresso martinis and hard Shirley Temples are all back in the mix, and TBH, I, for one, am not mad about it in the slightest. But of course, the early aughts adult beverages are nothing without the It Girl drink of the era: the Cosmo. Thankfully, since the pretty pink vodka libation is a part of said Y2K resurgence, those ready to harness their inner Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte don’t have to rely on an HBO Max subscription (but, I mean, it’s not like we ever did 💅🍸).
And get this: You don’t even need top-tier bartending skills or the nearest happy hour to hop on to this cocktails-of-yesteryear wave. ICYMI, Loverboy, a sexy line of canned cocktails, hard teas and spritzes started by Summer House’s Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula, has a slew of new flavors that will have you (and your poolside hangs) covered for the rest of the summer. The one we’re most excited about? You guessed it, their cosmopolitan.
We sat down with newlyweds Kyle and Amanda to chat all about their newest cocktail release, what it’s like filming and working together as a married couple, *that* wedding drama from this season, and how they handle the show’s social media noise.
Cosmo: There’s been such a comeback with all of these different cocktails. Why do you think this is happening?
Amanda: I think just with the pandemic and how hard times have been over the past two years, doing these nostalgic trends and going back to our childhood when times were simpler and easy and fun is what people are looking for. So anything to bring them back to that fun, easy, carefree mindset. That’s what people are gravitating toward a lot right now.
Kyle: You have trends—craft beer and flavored vodka—but, like, all the big guys control those things because of the way the alcohol industry works. It’s not easy for a brand like Loverboy to come up outta nowhere, unless it’s on a TV show, unless there’s a social following, unless you've got an amazing product that kind of cuts through the noise. So I think that for the first time in a long time, say the last five or six years, the industry has been ripe for disruption.
What was your main perception of cosmos? Who did you associate the drink with?
Amanda: My mom and her friends, especially when I was younger. Her friends would come over or they’d do, like, their Tupperware-selling parties. That was their thing, the cosmo. As I got older, I learned it was a Sex in the City thing. But I always associated it with my mom and like, a classy, sophisticated older woman.
Kyle: For me, it was actually 100 percent Sex in the City. Literally. Without having ever tasted it.
Speaking of shows that gave drinks a platform, look at Summer House and Loverboy. Do you two value the brand being intertwined with the show, or is that something you hope Loverboy outgrows one day?
Amanda: The show has definitely helped and benefited the brand. But the way that I’ve looked at the brand is that we want it to be able to live independently but also be a part. So with our marketing and our branding and a lot of things we do, we try not to include ourselves too much in it because one day the show won’t exist anymore and we still want the brand to succeed. And we also want to have customers that are interested in it who have no idea who we are.
Kyle: Yeah. There are brands where the founders, or like the “face” of the brand, is so attached—they’re one and the same. We wanted to create a little bit of separation, so Loverboy can live on its own.
You’ve been sharing your lives on TV for a while now. Are there things that have popped up that are unexpectedly difficult for you guys to share? Or are you now used to it all?
Kyle: I mean, I’d love to say, “Yeah, we’re used to it,” but I mean, it always kind of hurts. You know, it’s always distracting when your relationship kind of goes through the wringer. There are not many relationships that withstand the test of television. When you go to film, you have to talk about things way more than you normally would.
Amanda: It’s part of the job, you know. You want the support of everyone, but you also know that you’re doing a job and people have to help you tell a story and get your points across. We’re all in it together.
Kyle: One of the biggest challenges we had last summer was, like, there’s a lot of people out there that can relate to the challenges of planning a wedding during COVID, you know. But the number of people who can relate to running a company together and filming two TV shows starts to whittle down. We felt like we’re alone on an island.
Amanda: We set ourselves up for failure and we showed it on our face. How stressed out we were!
Kyle: Oh yeah. I was surprised I’m not bald after last summer.
When something super dramatic or slightly triggering is about to air, what are your self-care methods to avoid maximum emotional impact?
Amanda: This year, I haven’t really been watching just because, you know, once you’ve gone through it and moved past it, no one wants to relive it again....And then I just kind of stay off of social media. I put up my post or my photo. I let people comment whatever they want and send me all the DMS, and I don’t delete them—I just don’t read ’em. People can get out their grievances and tell me their advice and opinions. Then, you know, the next week’s episode airs and we move on.
Kyle: You’ll definitely see me hang onto it longer. I’ll let something kind of bubble, or I’ll bottle it up. Like, I’ll do an Instagram post where I kind of, not that anybody asks, but I explain myself, you know? We all handle it differently.
What were you most excited for audiences to see this past season?
Kyle: The wedding. I mean, we did go through some shit and you know, we ended up having the best day of our lives and we had our friends and family there. So I think we [were] excited for people to see that even if it’s just a little glimpse.
Amanda: To be able to relive that day again and watch it and just cry all over and feel all the emotions!
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. The Loverboy Cosmopolitan is available online. Stream Summer House on Peacock.
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