Betsy Fischman Flor had a dream job. She started a blog — Booze Menus — that helped New Yorkers figure out which restaurant, bar or club to drink at, based on neighborhood, price range, specialties and clientele (trendy, hipsters, power scene, tourists…).
Talk about great research!
But then her husband got transferred to Indianapolis. 🙁
Betsy Fischman Flor
Two years ago at a speakeasy there, Betsy was served a cocktail in a copper cup — with a copper straw.
It wasn’t great. She and her friends talked about how the world was changing.
Her husband — an engineer — had a very engineerish reaction: “I wonder if we could make a reusable carbon fiber straw.”
He could.
Carbon fiber is a high-performance, lightweight yet strong material. Though commonly associated with exotic cars, motorcycles, planes and bikes, it makes a great (and BPA-free) drinking straw too.
The product is called Lustir. A combination of the words “lust” and “stir,” it’s pronounced “luster” — which means “a gentle sheen or soft glow, especially that of a partly reflective surface.”
It’s got a hashtag too: #SipResponsibly.
It comes in 2 sizes: tall straws for highball glasses, short ones for lowballs. Each kit comes with 4 straws, a cleaning brush, and a carrying pouch.
Lustir straws, cleaning brush and carrying pouch.
Betsy milked her cocktail contacts. Once she confirmed a charity partner — Virgin Unite‘s ocean cleanup initiatives get 5% of all sales — she was ready to launch.
She works from her Westport home. She and her husband moved here 10 months ago, attracted by the vibe, the beach, and proximity to New York.
Betsy also loves the town’s environmental and sustainability focus. She was particularly impressed with the plastic straw ban.
Though Lustir is sold in boutiques in New York — and in a cool shop in Taiwan too — most sales are done online.
Savvy Westporters could also pick them up the other day at Temple Israel’s Hanukkah party.
Of course, Betsy says with a smile, they also make great stocking stuffers.
