Notorious Beam Team

Monkey Shoulder is trying to recruit younger drinkers by creating a treehouse in Shoreditch. Check out the details from their press release below and having a look at their website.

Secret hideaway: Made from reclaimed whisky barrel timbers, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House is the perfect place to unwind, relax and enjoy an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt Scotch Whisky cocktail, served direct to your table by the Monkey Shoulder chimpettes.

Carefully crafted: Just like the whisky itself, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House has been carefully crafted. Made by Cheeky Tiki, the conceptual designers behind London’s Mahiki bar, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar is made from ¹pine, larch and cedar wood and also includes timber from reconditioned oak whisky barrels. The Monkey Shoulder Tree House is a friendly space for up to 40 guests in the bar area
and surrounding pods, which are accessed by a walkway, and offers plenty of outdoor seating. At night, the Tree House will be transformed by the warm glow of orange lanterns on the inside and outside of the wooden structure.

Monkey mixology + board games: If you’re the sporting type you can indulge in a little healthy competition, Monkey Shoulder style, playing original board games, like backgammon and snakes and ladders, which are carved into reconditioned whisky barrel heads and used as table tops. Bond with your mates, or make new ones, over an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Tree House cocktail, made by Monkey Shoulder’s smooth, Scottish, mixologist and Monkey Shoulder Whisky front man, Jamie Forbes. He’s a modern cocktail genius and even if you’re not a whisky drinker before you visit the
Monkey Shoulder Tree House, you will be by the time you leave.

Contemporary whisky cocktails include Show Me The Monkey, combining Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Drambuie, apple juice and fresh mint, and the Monkey Mule, a modern twist on a classic, mixing Monkey Shoulder with fresh lime, sugar, syrup and ginger beer.

Where and when?: Celebrate the start of the whisky season with the perfect autumn rendez-vous at The Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar in Ely’s Yard, at the Truman Brewery, in East London.

They have done it , they have solved the big one. Barcardi have produced a premixed Mojito. The world is a faster if lazier, less fresh and not so tasty. Brilliant, well done Bacardi.

From Tanqueray Press Release:

"This summer marks the return of the ever popular ‘Tanqueray® Tables’ – a series of evenings offering you the opportunity to drink delicious cocktails and nibble on sumptuous canapés in a unique al-fresco venue.

Due to popular demand, the makers of Tanqueray gin has reviewed its ‘for one night only’ policy and is hosting intimate cocktail evenings at No. 4 Hamilton Place from Monday 10 to Friday 14 August, to offer more people the chance to experience an evening to remember.

With its spectacular terrace overlooking Hyde Park and dating back to the 17th Century, the normally off-limits No. 4 Hamilton Place is full of Edwardian features and lists the Duke of Wellington as a previous tenant.

Hosted by the makers of Tanqueray gin, together with toptable.co.uk, guests will sample an intensity of flavours thanks to specially designed cocktails and canapés.

A team of chefs and top mixologists have devised a menu of canapés and cocktails inspired by the depth of flavour found in Tanqueray gin. Each canapé contains an element of gin and will be served with cocktails to compliment the flavours even further.

To find out more about the venue and to reserve your table, log on to www.ueraytables.com. Tables are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment."

It's a good example of a consitent brand behavior. Previously Tanqueray's "Taste for Life" photography event at Liberty's in conjuntion with Magnum and Flickr showed that the brand is au fait with the playing in a refined, elegant world backed up by and facilitated by the internet. This colaboration with Top Table is part of the same coherent activation. It's also good to see a brand confident enough to repeat last year's platform. If it isn't broken. Don't fix it.

Bacardi 151 rum is not for the faint hearted. At almost 76% alcohol, this rum is flammable as well as potent. The bottle labels were updated in May and now include 8 warnings about the highly flammable spirit. The bottle also includes a flame arrester.

The first warning tells consumers not to use this product for flaming dishes or drinks, so what exactly should they use it for? This has caused alot of confusion amongst food and drinks bloggers as there is no sign of this product on Bacardi's US website.

Image from Bev Law

Two of the the world's biggest music stars, both of whom have extensive business empires, have moved into producing spirits. Ludacris has produced a cognac called Conjure and Justin Timberlake has produced a tequila called 901 named, rap aficionados note the coincidence, after his home area code.



Timberlake has produced a premium tequila that has been well received by those worthy of comment, despite their own, admitted preconceptions.



Ludacris however has not got the traditonalists onside by stating that his favourite tipple be cognac and coke, but then was he ever going to have them on his team?



Via Luxist (http://www.luxist.com)

What's next, Busta Ryhmes singing about Courvoisier?

Another brand using social networking to target consumers. Lets hope there are some pints left.

Via Contagious

From Contagious...

Malibu offers consumers a walk on the beach. More than a walk in fact - a job - thanks to this new campaign which clearly draws influence from the recent mullti-Cannes Grand Prix-winning campaign from the Queensland Tourism Board.

For those of you who are not familiar with this particular campaign, be sure to check out the link below for a full run-down courtesy of The Guardian. Briefly, however, a major PR/promotional stunt was disguised as a vacancy for 'The Best Job in the World'. As well as generating an estimated A$148m worth of publicity for northern Queensland, the campaign also won Grand Prix at Cannes for Direct, Cyber, and PR.

Now, Pernod Ricard-owned rum brand, Malibu, has teamed up with Reef Check - an international non-profit organisation dedicated to conservation of two ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. As part of the new 'Geting Your Island on' campaign, they will offer beach internships to ten lucky applicants, working in either Thailand, The Maldives or The Philippines.

As part of their (we hesitate to use the word 'employment') they will conduct Reef Check surveys, as well as participate in training sessions and have the opportunity to become certified Reef Check EcoDivers - all on behalf of Malibu. Once inducted, the interns will be expected to blog about their experiences and spread the word about Reef conservation (and in doing so, the brand) via social networking sites.

Applicants must be over 21 years of age and are required to submit a 500-word composition answering a series of questions hosted on the campaign microsite. Here it also explains, 'Inclusion of photos, images and video are not required but highly encouraged'.

For those not lucky enough to win, they can still pledge their support by buying a limited-edition bottle of Malibu featuring a suitably topical, and indeed, tropical design. For every purchase made, the brand will contribute a small percentage to the Reef Check organisation.

https://www.malibu-rum.com/reefcheck/apply.aspx
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/may/06/briton-wins-best-job-australia

According to Luxist:

"Cognac buyers are still buying the expensive bottles in China. Blloomberg reports that Chinese buyers have snapped up all the available bottles of Pernod Ricard SA's Martell L'Or cognac. As I mentioned back in April, this pricey potable sells for $3,600 per bottle. The cognac, which includes eaux-de-vie dating back to 1871, was introduced in China at the end of last year. L'Or was Martell's answer to ultra-premium products available from Hennessy and Remy Martin for similar prices. The immediate status factor of a rare and old liquor contained in a crystal bottle seems to be irresistible thus far for China's newly wealthy."

But on closer inspection the story is less clear. As JIMI comments:

"What a tall story. I heard from a liquor distributor in China that they were flown to Paris for the launch of L'Or and had to each place a few crates order if they want to retain their distributorship. Basically the stock of L'Or went onto the dealer's warehouse and is still sitting there as the market for high-end liquor in China has collapse because of the recession."

I don't know what to believe. But I suspect that JIMI might be onto something. But putting that to one side, well done Martell for building a brand in China that is capable of pulling this off.

Drinkspiration - Mixology on the go Ever draw a blank at the bar? The Drinkspiration iPhone app from Absolut Drinks will help you order or recommend a cocktail to match the moment's mood, weather, color, time, location, bar vibe and more. An interactive encyclopedia that lets you hook-in to up-to-the-minute global drink trends, and then share what you want via Twitter and Facebook.

Functions and Features

Just scroll through, select your categories, and Drinkspiration will zero-in on the perfect drink. The choice made, you can easily share it, create top lists and tip off your friends via Facebook and Twitter.

The launch of Tres Generaciones, Sauza's super premium tequila took place on Monday 22nd June at No5 Cavendish Square. The exquisite former Georgian townhouse with its opulent interior was the perfect setting for Maxxium to introduce the Tres Generaciones brand to the UK market.

The evening began with a Paloma VIP upon entry. A refreshing long drink perfect for the summer, the Paloma VIP showcased the wonderful fresh agave flavour and delicate floral notes in the triple distilled Tres Generaciones Plata.

As guests sipped their drinks Global Sauza Ambassador Jaime Rodriguez introduced the night and talked passionately about his deep connection with tequila and in particular Sauza. Jaime hopes to one day shift the image of tequila from the simple spirit it has been deemed and to teach audiences that it is a sophisticated blend with great versatility.

Jaime was followed by Tomas Estes, owner of Mexican restaurant and bar La Perla whose knowledge of tequila is extensive. All eyes were on Tomas as he educated journalists on the three generations of the Sauza family and the 136 year old distillery which bears their name and where Tres Generaciones is still made today.

The night now in full swing, guests were treated to an Ultimate Margarita cocktail. A classic serve, the Ultimate Margarita is a tangy citrus cocktail and the perfect way to enjoy the spicy yet smooth and slightly sweet flavours of Tres Generaciones Reposado.

The Tres Generaciones Plata, Anejo and Reposado variants were laid out on tables so that guests could sip each tequila and learn about their taste profiles from surrounding communications.

The final cocktail, The Honey Water went down very well. A delicious way to enjoy the most premium expression, Tres Generaciones Anejo, the Honey Water is a sublime, well balanced mix of flavours that complement the spirit's brown sugar sweetness and warm oaky finish.

Tres Generaciones will stand proud in high-end bars and restaurants and will be aimed at luxury retailers such as Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

As part of the launch, Maxxium has teamed up with Theme magazine to create a "mentoring initiative", a competition that seeks to find successful "mentoring partnerships" among UK bartenders. The best partnerships will be featured in Theme magazine over the coming months and the most inspirational will win an exclusive trip to the Sauza distillery in Mexico.

Thanks to Lime PR for organising this fantastic and successful event.

Visit Tres Generaciones online to find out more http://www.tresgeneraciones.com/

From Lovely Package:

“At 80 proof, ROOT is unlike anything else on the market today and is the first true American liqueur since the Pre-Prohibition Era.

It is lively, and rose gold in color, this rustic spirit has a full, rich smoky flavor, inspired by an 18th century Pennsylvania folk recipe, which eventually evolved into Birch or Root Beer. The recipe stems from Root Tea, which goes back to the 1700s, when Native Americans taught the recipe to settlers. Over generations, Root Tea grew in potency, particularly in Pennsylvania, where the ingredients grew in abundance. During the Temperance Movement, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol and ironically rechristened it Root Beer. This is our creation and interpretation of a genuine potent, Root Tea.

ROOT is a certified organic spirit made with North American herbs and pure cane sugar. All botanicals are painstakingly selected and tested for purity. Using all natural, organic ingredients, like anise, birch bark, cloves and cardamom, with hints of spearmint and citrus, the sugarcane based liquor is distilled in limited batches to ensure maximum quality.”

This is great fun. And beautifully designed. It seems like a genuinely innovative idea with a story. Nice.

From Adrants:

"So Knob Creek, due to demand for its bourbon, is running low on supply and is at risk of running dry before its next batch is ready in November. Rather than bottle the next batch before its full nine year maturity, the comapny has turned its lack of product into a promotion. A sick joke of a promotion but a promotion none the less.

We've been sent all sorts of goodies from marketers in the mail. Sadly, most are of the throw-a-way variety. This is most certainly not the case when it comes to liquor, unless you consider pouring the product down one's throat throwing it away.

So we were quite pleased to see the FedEx man drop off a package which, when opened, turned out to be a nicely designed box from Knob Creek. Ooo...more liquor, we thought. And borboun. And a really good bourbon at that!

Sadly, upon opening the box, all we got was an empty bottle of Knob Creek and a letter explaining the company's predicament. OK, so it is a fairly ingenious promotion but, dudes, the whirlwind of anticipation and resulting depression caused us to go sulk in our bedroom for at least five minutes before we could come back to work.

At least Jim Beam sends full bottles of its product! Then again, Jim Beam isn't Knob Creek so we're inclined to understand. Anyway, there's the story of Knob Creek's latest promotion."

The comments are broadly positive:

"To me this is a great technique for grabbing attention and instigating curiousity to stand apart and generate demand for your product. With this kind of promotion they are bound to turn the retail outlets dry of supply sooner than they actually anticipate thereby creating a following of curious first timers who would wait for the new supply in Novemeber. Though the challenge would be to engage and make sure the brand recall is fresh until then."

"I got a "I survived the drought of 2009" t-shirt. I'm quite pleased with it, actually."

It reminds me (a tiny bit) of Burger King's Whopper Freakout. Holding back your product is an interesting mechanic so long as you do it in the right way. For Knob Creek it is a sign that they are so committed to creating top quality bourbon that they wouldn't dream of cutting corners.

Exciting news. The Le Nez de Courvoisier idea is gaining momentum. Recently, thanks to Amy Neville-Eliot and her Global Travel Retail team, Courvoisier created a Le Nez installation in Charles de Gaulle aiport in Paris.

The installation focused on bringing the three key aromas - creme brulee, candied orange and iris flowers - in Courvoisier XO to life through scent. To add more engagement the aromas are complimented by music created especially by Lauent Assoulen who is able to create the sounds of smells. The combination of music and aroma helps to demysify the complex aura that surrounds cognac. Each aroma is traced back to a different part of the cognac production process. For instance creme brulee comes from the way the barrels are toasted and iris flowers comes from the borderies cru.

Courvoisier Global Travel Retail Marketing Manager Amy Neville-Eliot said: “The Le Nez de Courvoisier programme provides us with an opportunity to bring to life the Cognac experience, by using sight, smell, and sound to maximise the pleasure of the tasting. Securing this site in Charles de Gaulle during the month of March was a great opportunity to launch the concept to the travel retail consumer. We are now looking at ways to roll it out with other travel retail customers in Europe.”

An extract from the Moodie report says:

"Philippe Lanusse, Senior Buyer at French airport retailer Aelia, commented: “We were delighted to launch the Le Nez de Courvoisier programme to the travel retail consumer in Charles de Gaulle Airport. It is a refreshing, new concept that allowed us to engage with potential Cognac consumers on a new level. The fully interactive experience gives them the opportunity to have fun whilst learning more about Cognac.”"

The installation was also covered on Trend News.

It's great to see such an exciting idea being rolled out. Last summer we created Le Nez training kits for our sales force and in December we create a Le Nez nosing experience at a Future 500 event.

In the pipeline is a Le Nez session at Tales of the Cocktails in New Orleans and many more exciting projects.

Courvoisier recently held a mixology event in London for members of The Future 500 as a way of showcasing the mixable nature of Exclusif. I'm biased because I work on Courvoisier, but I love cognac cocktails, partly becasue the Sazerac and the Sidecar are regarded as being two of the original cocktails ever to have been created. And guess what, they are both made with cognac.

The great thing about Exclusif is that it is made specifically for bartenders to create amazing cocktails. Many people read this as meaning that Exclusif is an inferior product that should be masked by coke or ginger ale. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Because of the fact that Exclusif is made using grapes from the four top crus it has a more complex taste profile that allows it to stand up to almost any flavour you throw at it. Rather than it being easier to make, it actually takes more effort and skill to craft. This makes Exclusif great for bartenders to experiment with in a range of cocktails.

The event was brilliantly put on by Drew, Greg, Delphine and Amy at White Label and was hosted by Andy Pearson. There were 5 tables which were each hosted by a different mixologist from the Courvoisier Future 500 network who guided the guests through a range of cocktail challenges. There were 4 round of cocktails ranging from the classic sazerac to begin with, through to creating a long mixed drink and a version of a cognac martini.

It was huge fun and taught us that the bartenders are far more skillful than we give them credit for. The crowd was a brilliant selection of fascinating people who you could spend the entire night talking to and bouncing ideas around with. I'm now looking forward to the next event.

Here are some photos to give you a feel for the event



Angella and Hayley marvelling at a Courvoisier float



Using lemon grass as a straw



Only use 5 drops of bitters (whoops!)



Strawberry and basil cocktail cleverly titled "The Faulty Basil"

For a much better write up have a look at the article in Theme Magazine here.

I was very honoured to be invited to the public unveiling of the "Tanqueray Taste for Life" photography exhibition at Liberty's in assocation with Magnum. A stunning space in Liberty's was transformed into a photography gallery showcasing the winning entries into the contest along with some classics from the Magnum portfolio.

The Taste for Life contest asked entrants to capture “rich, intense moments in life". Moments that Tanqueray would like to be a part of. It's a really interesting area from a strategic as well as photographic perspective. From a brand point of view it deliberately hasn't asked for "refreshing moments" which is what gin brands tend to do. They typically focus on the thirst quenching, refreshing territory. But as a premium gin brand, Tanqueray is playing in a more upmarket, premium space that almost feels celebratory. And from a photographer's point of view the area of rich intense moments in life" is a far richer playground than refreshment.

Tanqueray's involvement with photography also fits the TGI data that maps against drinkers of premium gin brands. Taking photographs and appreciating photography is something that fits well with a premium spirits brand.

Partipants were given the brief along with some inspirational shots from Stuart Franklin, the President of Magnum. Not only did this give the competition serious credibility, but also direction. It's interesting that Diageo always features 2 glasses in its ads... and likewise how Stuart Franklin's pictures show 2 people. The idea being that Tanqueray is a sociable drink for sharing life's rich moments.

"... a competition is being run by the makers of Tanqueray gin to give ten photographers a chance to feature in the Magnum Photos exhibition as well as winning a top prize of £5,000. Entrants in the two age categories (18-24) and (25+) will need to capture their interpretation of a 'Taste for Life' and provide their own rich, intense moments. To help guide entrants there will be five categories to enter covering adventure, relationships, cocktails & glamour, achievements and festivals & celebrations.

All entrants will be judged by a panel of experts including Stuart Franklin, President of Magnum Photos, Jeremy Langmead, Editor of Esquire magazine, Alan Sparrow, Picture Editor of Metro, Nicky Catley, Picture Editor of The Daily Telegraph and Kristof Fahey, Vice President of Marketing for Yahoo! Europe.

To inspire entrants, the makers of Tanqueray have commissioned Stuart Franklin to capture his own 'Taste for Life' images. To view these images and enter the competition visit www.ATasteForLife.co.uk. A shortlist of forty entries will be selected for the final judging process and all pictures will also be put forward for the public to vote for a People's Choice to feature in the exhibition."

Tanqueray partnered with Flickr to earn credibiliy in the photograpic arena. It's a great model for a contest and produced some fantastic images.

Here are some images from the event:











I love the Ali picture in its own right, but in a funny way I just find this shot more amusing. I love the fact that he looks like he is pouncing on the people in front of him at the event.





The winning entry: Daniel Clinch's image ‘Treading a Fresh Path'as covered in the Telegraph.

We were treated to some fabulous cocktails. My favourite was the English Garden, made with elderflower cordial and apple juice. But the Grapefruit and Passion Fruit number wasn't half bad either. Especially when accompanied by a scallop wrapped in pancetta!



I am also told that these people are famous... but I neither know who they are or have heard about them in conjunction with Tanqueray since.









I like Tanqueray's Taste for Life idea becuase...

1. It makes Tanqueray seem very premium
2. The area of photography fits with their target audience
3. Partnering with Magnum and Stuart Franlin adds gravitas and a media hook
4. Partnering with Flickr makes the engagement side work and amplifies the contest within the photographic community
5. The use of media and timescale ensured that the programme was talked about before (Off Licence News and Spitoon) and after the event on Londonist and in the Telegraph
6. It fits in really well with their ongoing sampling presence at Taste of xxxx events

Well done Tanqueray and Jo and the team at Trimedia and thanks for the incredible goodie bag.