🧛 Hollywood vampires visit Jacksonville to promote favorite drink (& no, it isn’t blood)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two of Hollywood’s most popular vampires made a daytime visit to Jacksonville on Monday to promote their new drink.

And no, the drink isn’t blood. It’s bourbon.

Fans of the TV show “Vampire Diaries” recognize actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley as Damon and Stefan Salvatore – vampire brothers who are both good and bad. And during the show, every time something didn’t go their way, they would pour a glass of bourbon and drink off their troubles.

Off camera, the two actors have taken their love for bourbon to a new level by creating their own bourbon brand called Brother’s Bond.

“This is like 10 years in the making that we’ve wanted to do this,” Somerhalder said.

The actors say the inspiration for Brother’s Bond started on the set of Vampire Diaries, where they actually drank iced tea that was made to resemble bourbon.

“We shot the show in the south, in Georgia, and so there was a lot of bourbon drinking offset as well, but the onset was a huge catalyst,” Wesley said.

“And so, by the end of long shoot days, Paul and I look at each other and go, man, we have to go have a bourbon because you’re thinking about bourbon all day long,” Somerhalder said.

The two actors held a bourbon tasting event Monday inside the WDs Wine, Beer and Liquor in Miramar. Prior to pouring samples to invited guests, the two actors personally autographed hundreds of their bottles.

Store manager Vanessa Garcia says having the two actors promote their product definitely put the store on the map as a go-to location for specific brands of liquor.

“We were thrilled to have Ian and Paul come in here to show us their new bourbon, which is Brothers Bond. So, we’re excited. We’re a bourbon store,” Garcia said.

And as for Brother’s Bond Bourbon, the actors say this is definitely their creation — and not just their name on a bottle.

“Everything you see here. The label. The name. The liquid inside. The bottle. The cork. Everything, even the writing, this is designed by me, Ian, and our team,” Somerhalder said.

Bottles are available at WDs and all North Florida Winn-Dixie liquor stores.