Aloe Vera drinks are popping up everywhere at the moment. They have been popular for years in Asia for their general wellbeing and digestive properties. These are a range called Alo and follow the functional/mood naming  approach. (Slightly confused by their curiously named ‘exposed’ drink though).

They are said to contain a blend of real olive leaf and real aloe vera and are supposed to be available in the US but their website isn’t that helpful on the matter.  I guess you can email them if you have a desperate need to feel exposed. 

Vladivar have just launched a responsible drinking campaign which coincides with the launch of their new bottle in the UK. It takes a far more humorous route than other brands campaigns. Is it working for you?

Hailing from the former Soviet republic of Moldova is this wheat based, honey flavored vodka, packaged in the shape of a fire extinguisher complete with locking pin, trigger and nozzle. We were expecting the vodka to be flavored or infused with chili or spices to make sense of the name and bottle - but alas no - so we assume it references starting your night off with a bang. That or they are huge Prodigy fans in Moldova.

Amaze and ridiculous at the same time.

It is imported to the US by Kodiak Imports and is available in LA clubs and bars where they promoted it with Firestarter promo girls dressed like this.

I think this might be the start of a new series of posts on preposterous packaging. Be warned.

Just launched and currently looking for stockists in the US is this ace new energy drink called Redneck Punch. Yes it’s incredibly tacky but that’s pretty much the point.  For all the tongue in cheek humour the actual ingredients are pretty good. Check it out here.

Go getcha some! 

They say: Party like a redneck!

We say: Thinkin’ the guy on the can is kinda hot!!?

Our pals at Absolut have given us a pair of priority guest list tickets to give away for the Absolut Masquerade temporary space in London on Saturday 25th October. 

With the help of acclaimed British illustrator Daisy de Villeneuve and vintage clothing boutique Mint a 140 m² studio venue has been transformed into a fabulous fashion wonderland, fully stocked by Mint with glamorous vintage clothing and accessories. 

Taking the new ABSOLUT MASQUERADE gift pack as your lead, you will enter a world of make believe, while enjoying FREE ABSOLUT VODKA cocktails in plush, elegant surroundings. Whether scouring the rails and shelves of clothes for hidden treasures, or relaxing at one of the comfortable seating areas, visitors to the House of Masquerade will be encouraged to let their imaginations run wild to create their perfect party outfit.

To win the guestlist tickets email paul@beyonddrinks.com by the end of Thursday 23rd.

Coronation Street, the most successful soap in the history of British television, is making plans to launch its own beer brand under the fictional brewers name ‘Newton & Ridley”. For years residents have supped on beer in the local pub The Rovers Return and now we all soon to be able to have taste. There are also plans for a knickers line from the underwear factory ‘Underworld’ and Corrie themed restaurants.   

What fun! What else can they do? A range of Deidre Barlow belts?

Belvedere asked students at the Danish Design School to design a new Danzka Vodka bottle for the duty free market. The winner was this beautiful snowflake design. Nice work.  Anyone know the name of the winning student designer? We would like to give them props.

Having long been popular in the UK with bartenders looking for fresh, natural and convenient ways to rustle of a cocktail, Funkin are set to be massive in the states after the UK company signed a deal with Beam Global Spirits (Jim Beam, Courvoisier etc) to help increase their presence in the cocktail market.

And we just thought they were a small UK company with shiny packaging that looked nice in Selfridges foodhall. Silly us.

In these crunchie times it seems that the supermarkets in the UK are putting their responsible drinking ethics on hold. Tescos have slashed the price of a 18 bottle case of Carlsberg Export from £14.99 to just £5. Yes £5! This follows Asda’s price cut of a four pack of Skol to 90 pence earlier this week.  We haven’t been down to our local Tescos yet but reports are coming in of slight mayhem and hysteria. 

They say: Stack them high, sell them cheap!

We say: It’s crunchie madness!

Bored of bottled water? Bored of ice and water inspired bottles? Bored of blue?

Here comes Piranha water to save bottled water from a permanent residence in Dullsville. We haven’t seen or tasted it yet but we already love it.

Just when you thought vodka had ran out of ideas along comes a vodka made from pineapple juice and distilled in Hawaii. Pau Maui is the first vodka which has been made and bottled entirely in Hawaii. (Ocean vodka is bottled there but is actually distilled in Idaho.)

Not to politicize a small vodka producer but we like to think of it as an Obama friendly vodka.

What do you reckon?

New in France are this line of ‘Awakening Tao Boissons Gazeuses Bien Etre’ (Otherwise known as ‘healthy soft drinks’). There are four varieties available: Hydration & Motion, (blackcurrant, ginseng and acerola) Health & Energy, (kombucha, guarana and vitamins) Wellness & Serenity, (ginger, cardamom, passion flower and vitamins) and Youth & Vitality (green tea, ginkgo biloba and vitamins).

Wikipedia describes the Chinese concept of Tao as having been “used philosophically to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world.”

Not wanting to be cynical but not sure a can of soda can manage this, but hey, in these crunchie times anything is worth a go. 

Diageo has a hand in these somehow.

Madmen Cocktails

The Papermag blog have a great post on the cocktails of the characters of the ace TV show Mad Men. The Papermag guys have asked cocktail and spirits experts to reveal what the characters choice of cocktails say about them. Sweet. Click here for the post.

Fosters has introduced Yellowglen Pink sparkling rosé to the UK on-trade for the first time in a new 200ml size bottle known as a Pink Piccolo. The Pink Piccolo is a sparkling rosé blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz, produced at the Yellowglen Winery in south-eastern Australia. It will be sold in upmarket bars, restaurants, pubs and hotels with a recommended retail price of GBP4.95.

Volute Wine is packaged in a lightweight, eco friendly aluminum bottle. The company chose to use aluminum not only because it brings qualities identical to glass, but it also protects the wine from light. Aluminum is also ecologically more responsible since it’s infinitely recyclable, unbreakable and generates less transportation related pollution due to its lower weight. The Bordeaux’s are available in red, white and rose varieties.  www.volutewine.com

Luxury sneaker brand, Jhung Yuro has created a one-of-a-kind pair of limited edition sneakers for luxury cognac brand Hennessy called The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top. The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top is made from soft full grain leather with a cow suede tongue. Color blocked with cognac brown and cream.

The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top will retail for $300 and will be available exclusively at JhunYuro.com beginning Monday, December 1st 2008. The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top is a limited edition shoe with only 500 pairs being made available in the US.

[via www.highsnobiety.com]

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Star Power is made with 100% star fruit juice, one of nature’s most potent and exotic sources of polyphenolic antioxidants and vitamin C. The drink is bottled with no added sugars or preservatives, and comes packaged in a frosted bottle with a sleek modern design. A percentage of each sale of Star Power will go toward research to benefit domestic agriculture. Find out more at www.drinkstarpower.com

Asahi Ginger Draft is a new “Happoshu” (brewed with 25% less malt content to beer) which contains a spicy ginger extract. The drink will which is targeted at a younger Japanese consumer will be available from mid-October for 160 yen for a 350-milliliter can.

J Pop superstar Anna Tsuchiya will be helping to promote the beer with a track on her forthcoming album named “Ginger” which is a collaboration between Anna and rock band Monkey Majik, to be be used as the theme song to the Asahi Ginger Draft commercial from October 21.

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Plup Oy Ab Ltd is an independent Finnish company who create “Plup Water“, a spring water from the Anttila well in Lestijärvi, Finland. The company donates 10 euro cents from each Plup Bottle sold directly to the Baltic Sea Action Group to help with the cleaning of the Baltic Sea.

Each PLUP bottle holds a pint of water and is made from HDPE, a highly recyclable plastic.  PLUP encourages consumers not to return the bottle, but rather to re-fill and re-use it. Plup’s range of drinks will be expanding later this year to include different products, colors and transparencies. [Read more →]