Drinks
Between
By Barbara Harfmann | Managing Editor
In high school a classic cheer goes, “we’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?” More and more celebrities also are cheering the launch of their own boozy spirit brands. These include Kendall Jenner and her 818 Tequila, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his Teremana Tequila, Matthew McConaughey and his Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon and Dan Aykroyd and his sugar-free vodka, Crystal Head Vodka.
NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback and Broadcaster Terry Bradshaw has proven that his four Super Bowl championships aren’t the only game he’s won. With distilling expertise from Green River Distillery in Owensboro, Ky., and crafted in the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country, Bradshaw’s namesake Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is performing well and now is being distributed in Canada.
The whiskey is aged in new American oak barrels for a minimum of two years before being bottled at 51.9% (103.8 proof), a nod to Bradshaw’s career passer completion percentage in the NFL. Bradshaw Bourbon uses a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. It earned a rating of 91 from Wine Enthusiast.
Sip like a celebrity star
(Video courtesy of Aviation Gin)
Celebrities also are shining a light on their brand through humorous videos advertising their alcohol brands. None are funnier than Ryan Reynolds and his Aviation American Gin, which he acquired in 2018. As he humorously makes the “Vasectomy” cocktail, the “mother of all cocktails” last Father’s Day, he puts ice in a tall glass, spilling several cubes on the counter, while telling consumers to fill a tall glass with ice “the way children fill our lives with so much joy.” Next, put in 1-ounce of cranberry juice, “sweet, just like their little smiles.” After spraying tonic water all over in the first take, Reynolds instructs fans to add one-and-a-half ounces of Aviation Gin — “the most refreshing cocktail in the world for the most refreshing job in the world ― Dad.”
Some celebrities like Sean “Diddy” Combs, founder of CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka, are using their celebrity status for the greater good — to “amplify true stories” of Black and Brown Americans through the ongoing community-centric platform, hashtag #CIROCStands. In February, in celebration of Black Excellence Month, the campaign headed to Chicago where it teamed with former Chicago Bulls player Joakim Noah and media personality Angela Yee to highlight the bold and ambitious spirit of Chi-town heroes:
- Ian Gonzalez of Last Lap Cornerstore. The Southside native and resident owns Last Lap Cornerstore, the first and only Black and LatinX-owned running store on the South Side that's quickly become a fixture in the community.
- Danielle Mullen of Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery. The mastermind behind Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery, Chicago’s largest Black-woman-owned bookstore and gallery.
- Midge Welch of Issues Barber and Beauty Salon. Welch grew up around the corner from the salon she now proudly owns in the South Loop, which serves up culture, community and cuts.
- Darris Kelly and Sabrian Sledge of Flee Club Chicago. The best friends duo own Flee Club, a sneaker and fashion boutique located in the heart of Chicago that specializes in rare shoes and apparel.
(Video courtesy of CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka)
S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water has been rooted in the celebration of true Italian virtues — community, friendship and joy. To help discover these special moments, S.Pellegrino has enlisted Academy Award nominee, best-selling author, and everyone’s favorite Italian American, Stanley Tucci, as its newest partner supporting S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water and S.Pellegrino Essenza. S.Pellegrino and Tucci’s multi-year partnership will begin with the release of an original digital and TV campaign starring Tucci himself. Shot at the source of S.Pellegrino in the scenic Italian town of San Pellegrino Terme, each picturesque vignette encapsulates those Italian virtues shared by Tucci and the brand, encouraging fans to slow down and savor life’s perfect moments, it says. “S.Pellegrino has long been a staple in my kitchen and at my dinner table, two places where so many treasured moments come to life,” Tucci said in a statement. To celebrate this relationship, S.Pellegrino and Tucci also collaborated to create a limited-edition Stan Pellegrino bottle set inspired by Tucci’s iconic look and the source of S.Pellegrino’s beloved water. Each limited-edition bottle is engraved with Tucci’s signature and includes a S.Pellegrino cutting board and a pair of stemless water glasses.
Here’s to perfect moments
At the 64th running of the Daytona 500, Busch Light announced the launch of the Busch Light Accelerate Her Program, a three-year, $10 million commitment that takes aim at the inequity of resources available to women drivers, including to provide more funding, track time, media exposure and training to every 21 and older woman driver in NASCAR. The Busch Light Accelerate Her program is the next step in a 40-year partnership between Busch Light and NASCAR that has propelled the sport forward, bringing fans closer to the action and expanding NASCAR throughout the United States. This first-of-its-kind program is focused on addressing the one number that needs the most attention in NASCAR — zero women drivers are currently competing at the sport’s highest level. As one of the only large-scale sports organizations where women and men compete directly, accelerating gender equality in NASCAR presents a major and immediate opportunity to advance diversity in sports, both today and for future generations. The inaugural sponsorship recipients of the Busch Light Accelerate Her program are Toni Breidinger, Natalie Decker, Amber Balcaen, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brittney Zamora, Stephanie Moyer and Melissa Fifield. Additionally, a portion of the $10 million commitment also will be reserved as a standing sponsorship fund for up-and-coming talent. Busch Light Race Team’s Toni Breidinger said: “I know firsthand that women drivers in NASCAR face obstacles in advancing to the highest levels of the sport. But the track doesn’t know gender, the car doesn’t know gender, so gender is irrelevant. At the end of the day, we’re all drivers on the same track racing towards the same goal.”
Driving equality in NASCAR
The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020 and 2021, retail sales of children’s food and beverage products expanded faster than average due to increased spending at food stores and growing desires for healthy products for the whole family, according to Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts.
In 2021, sales reached $70 billion, the market research firm reported in its new report, “Children's Food and Beverage Market: Trends and Opportunities.”
Noting that products marketed for children are primarily purchased by their parents/guardians, Packaged Facts projects that sales in this market will decelerate during the next five years, although the pandemic boom in 2020 and 2021 will affect the market for years to come, it states.
Packaged Facts found that consumers with children in their households are more likely to increase their use of online grocery shopping during the pandemic for convenience when trying to juggle childcare, work, and other responsibilities.
As part of its line of candy-inspired energy drinks that included the successful launch of its STARBURST candy collaboration, C4 Energy launched its second collaboration with Mars Wrigley, this time with the SKITTLES brand. Both brands are inviting fans to “sip the rainbow” with explosive energy and fruity flavor. The new iteration is designed to taste like a handful of SKITTLES candy, projecting bold, fruity flavor that delivers high-performance energy via quality tested, clinically studied ingredients. The C4 Energy mission of maximizing human performance, combined with the SKITTLES brand ethos of disrupting the predictable, brings fans a new way to free themselves from the ordinary through peak physical expression, the company says. Nutrabolt Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Rajaa Grar said: “With each sip designed to taste like a handful of SKITTLES candy, fans will be able to ignite their fire as they seek to unlock their full performance, all with zero-sugar, zero-artificial color drink for uncompromised taste.”
