Sidney Frank, 86; Earned a Fortune Marketing Liquor

Sidney Frank, 86, who dropped out of Brown University because he couldn’t afford it and later gave the school its largest gift after earning a fortune marketing a German liqueur and Grey Goose vodka, died Tuesday in San Diego.

Frank’s initial success in the liquor industry came through Jagermeister, a licorice-flavored liqueur. His audacious sales techniques included sending models to bars to persuade college-age students to buy the drink -- often by offering free shots administered with a spray gun.

Jagermeister sales increased from 600 cases a month in 1974, when Frank started selling it, to more than 2 million cases last year.

He began promoting Grey Goose as a premium brand in 1997, giving it away at charity events and planting bottles in limousines used for the Academy Awards. It became the best-selling vodka brand in the country.

In 2004, Frank sold Grey Goose to Bacardi for an estimated $2.3 billion.

Born in Montville, Conn., where his parents raised chickens and grew vegetables, Frank grew up to become an enthusiastic philanthropist. He gave Brown $100 million for scholarships and $20 million for a building.

His secretary once received a $23.8-million bonus.