Miles Teller Draws Crowd at Bloomington Bar Amid College Promo Tour

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Actor Miles Teller received a rousing welcome during his visit to Upstairs Pub on Tuesday, part of his nationwide college tour promoting Long Drink, a Finnish beverage company he has invested in for six years.

The Bloomington stop featured a packed crowd of fans who gathered to catch a glimpse of the star, as music from his films “Footloose” and “Top Gun: Maverick” played in the background. Teller, who arrived from Toronto just hours earlier, engaged with fans by tossing merchandise and signing autographs during his hour-and-a-half visit.

“I signed a chick’s EpiPen in Georgia,” Teller recounted. “I signed a girl’s diabetes thing. And a lot of shoes. A lot of people gave me a single shoe to sign, which is disgusting… I don’t know, college is still college, I guess.”

Long Drink, familiar to Finnish culture since its inception in 1952 for the Olympic Games in Finland, offers a ready-to-drink cocktail made with gin and a mixer, usually grapefruit soda, with an alcohol content of 5-8.5% by volume. Teller, wearing a Long Drink baseball cap, emphasized his genuine affection for the brand, stating, “I wear this hat, I think, 90% of my life.”

Evan Burns, cofounder and CEO of Long Drink, shared his journey of launching the company after studying abroad in Finland. “It wasn’t like we set out to build a really big business,” he said. “We set out because it was fun, and we thought it’d be a fun kind of puzzle, project to work on.”

Burns, a 2010 graduate of Indiana University, faced unexpected challenges in the entrepreneurial world but underscored the importance of teamwork. “Yes, you need a good product, but you really need people that you work with, that you care about, that you believe in,” he advised.

Both Burns and Teller plan to continue their college visits, aiming for locations like Lansing, Michigan, and Ohio State. “We were excited he wanted to do IU because I went there,” Burns remarked.

Among the excited attendees was 22-year-old Bloomington resident Riley Goode, who admitted she isn’t a huge fan of Teller but loves Upstairs Pub. “I’m a big Upstairs fan,” she said. “But, you know, I like him too.”

Bloomington has recently seen several celebrities promoting alcohol brands. In October 2023, model Kendall Jenner organized a margarita tasting at the same bar, and Ian Somerhalder held an event for “Brother’s Bond Bourbon” last year.

Goode expressed her relief at the event’s atmosphere, stating, “People aren’t like, punching each other, you know. So, I’m glad about that.”

The energy at Upstairs was palpable, with students packed in to take pictures with Teller or secure merchandise. Some fans hopped on tables to get a better view, yelling out their admiration: “I see that cute face!”

During a particularly interactive moment, Teller signed a poster from “Top Gun: Maverick” held aloft by a fan. The actor revealed that he drinks the sugar-free version of Long Drink before filming shirtless scenes.

IU seniors Kate Curtis, Abby Tillar, and Jessica Minor arrived shortly before 3 p.m., eager to get a table. “We had just recently watched the ‘Top Gun’ movie before we found out he was coming, so it made it even more special,” Tillar said.

They managed to get Teller to autograph pictures, including one of him with his wife, Keleigh, and pop star Taylor Swift. Although new to Long Drink, they expressed their enjoyment and willingness to recommend it to peers. “I have an exam tomorrow and two exams on Thursday and one exam on Friday, but I will never forget this,” Tillar concluded.