SINTAX Vodka takes a shot at student debt

Four friends with student loan debt took a different approach to selling vodka when they founded SINTAX, a brand aimed at giving back to their community. Created by a banker, an attorney, and two doctors in 2024, SINTAX is the product of student loan struggles and the desire to give back to a city they’ve lived in for decades. 

SINTAX, founded by former banker Drew Anderson and attorney Pat Lockman, was created to change how vodka was typically sold while supporting people facing student loan debt.

SINTAX takes pride in being entirely Chicago based, though the company didn’t start out that way. In the beginning, SINTAX cold-called distilleries and producers around the midwest who could assist with the supply chain aspect of the company.

“The first distillery we worked with was in Olathe, Kansas,” Lockman said. “Now though, the product is made in Chicago, which was always our preference.”

The founders wanted to stay in Chicago both because of their ties to the place but also due to the market.

“Chicago is a huge proponent of supporting local, and I’m reminded of it every day.” Brown said. “I’ve been here for 16 years and that’s what keeps me here, the sense of community.”

To keep its vodka affordable for its college-aged and post-grad consumers, SINTAX opted for a simple bottle design featuring a yellow-and-white color scheme, a black cap and a minimal logo.

Mary Hanahan, a member of the SINTAX team, graduated from Loyola in 2015 with degrees in psychology and political science before returning to attend law school in 2018.

“The concept was born from a discussion around how celebrities are always expanding into liquor markets and coming up with their own brands where they’re taking 20% of the profits,” Hanahan said. “Why not just come up with a brand that’s associated with a good cause and then use it to give the proceeds back?”

Lockman said that idea led to SINTAX’s student loan assistance program, which directed a portion of the company’s sales toward helping customers pay off their debt. 

Lockman, Anderson and Hanahan had all met in college and maintained their friendship after graduation, with Anderson and Hanahan eventually dating. SINTAX was founded from their shared experiences with student loans.

To keep its vodka affordable, SINTAX opted for a simple bottle design featuring a yellow-and-white color scheme, a black cap and a minimal logo.

“They started the company with this as the goal to give back to the community,” first-year political science major Olivia Cotter said. “It’s an interesting marketing strategy. I think it’s cool to give back in a way.”

To enter, participants can follow @sintaxvodka on Instagram, like their latest post and tag two friends. Participants must be at least 21 years old and live in Illinois.

The company allocates 15% of its sales to a fund used to help customers pay their student loans. When the fund reaches a sufficient amount, SINTAX holds a drawing and selects a winner to receive up to $1,000 to be put toward a one- time student loan payment.

“Looking at the current market, the celebrity brands are just so played out,” Anderson said. “No one cares about so-and-so’s tequila or whatever’s out there.”

Unlike other brands, SINTAX doesn’t rely on celebrities or marketing to reach consumers. Instead, they cold call independent bars and liquor stores to set up tastings. From their tablings, customers spread the word and name recognition grows, according to Brown.

Matt Brown was the owner of Wine on Taylor in Little Italy, one of the first stores to stock SINTAX, and is now a brand representative for the company. He said Anderson’s consistent outreach convinced him to sign on to the business. 

As a brand representative, Brown said he helps introduce SINTAX to new customers by running tastings and traveling to potential stores in Chicago. 

As a newer company, SINTAX faced early financial challenges as the founders worked to secure the funding needed to get the business off the ground, Lockman said.

“We really had to rely on elbow grease and our own personal savings. We just don’t have the marketing span,” Lockman said.

Anderson said a major reason SINTAX is succeeding is because of the people who believed in the vision and wanted to help out.

“One of my good friends recommended someone who does design full time and she helped out with the label,” Anderson said. “It’s been an iterating process with a lot of learning and pivoting as we go along.”

SINTAX vodka can be found a short walk from the Lake Shore Campus at Hahn’s Liquor, located 1410 W. Devon Ave. Potash Market, 875 N State St., also sells the SINTAX vodka.