Vodka has stepped out of Siberia and into the disco, reports OMMA magazine, which highlights Smirnoff (and its recently-wrapped global Nightlife Exchange Project), its Diageo sibling Ciroc, and the new Wódka vodka brand as brands getting their boogie on. (We'd add Britain's vodka vixens and Sweden's Kanon organic vodka to that list).

Besides music, art and alcohol are a natural fit. Absolut vodka has also partnered with New York artist Krink to create 15 individual custom-designed bottles using Krink's signature ink in black, white and silver.

Martell cognac also just collaborated with modern architect Jean Nouvel to create the Martell Amber Lamp, 50 of which will be produced and installed in venues such as art galleries around the globe.Continue reading...

Forget that the artist's name is "Playboy Tre," the new video for the song Ready Go takes the trend of alcohol product placement in music videos by the throat and throttles it to death (above). Warning, NSFW language.

Move over Four Loko anthem, "Ready Go" is drunk on brands.Continue reading...

Plenty of people were glad to see 2010 make its exit, but there does seem to be hope on the horizon for better times in 2011. Pernod Ricard, the maker of Absolut, Chivas Regal and Mumm Champagne, is feeling hopeful too, and what's good for the beverage giant is also good for others in the alcohol industry.

Pernod Ricard isn't out of the woods yet regarding the heavy debt burden that it took on when it bought Absolut two years ago for €5.6 billion ($7.34 billion) at the peak of the market.Continue reading...

Coors Light is offering Super Bowl fans a way to get to the game through their mobile phones — and an interactive version of its logo.

The beer brand's "Snap. Send. Score" promotion, running through Feb. 6, encourages fans to take photos of SnapTag logos with a smartphone and send them in to have a chance at winning prizes, including a deluxe trip to the game.

They can be found on Coors Light and Coors Banquet packaging as well as billboards, online and in stores. The grand prize awards one winner and three friends roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations in north Texas, tickets to the game, a stadium tour, a picture holding the Lombardi Trophy and tickets to the Coors Light Super Bowl Party at Billy Bob’s Texas.

Two first prize winners will win a trip to north Texas, tickets to Super Bowl XLV, access to the Coors Light Super Bowl Party and more. Other prizes include a football signed by the Super Bowl XLV champions; autographed, game-used items such as end zone pylons, kicking tees and footballs; actual patches of game-used turf; official NFL and Super Bowl gear; flat-screen TVs; and NFLShop.com gift cards.Continue reading...

Heineken's new TV commercial, "The Entrance," features its new global tagline — "Open your world" — and some Jackie Chan-meets-Sam Rockwell moves that inspired one YouTuber to comment, "What a guy, what a brand!" Related scenes from this campaign, which also sets up, subtly, its new bottle design, are after the jump.Continue reading...

Selling No Mine Before Its Time

British design firm Unreal has turned one of the top global stories of 2010 — the Chilean miners who spent 69 days trapped in a mine — into slightly silly Christmas presents for clients: Limited-edition bottles of "Chilean Winers" wine designed by the firm itself.

Although the subject is a little random, you have to admire the detail here. The 33 different bottles have each been named after one of the miners and the miner's story is included on the back. A vertical line on the front of the bottle is a representation of the mine shaft and how far the miners were underground. The tube packaging is designed to evoke the Fenix 2 rescue capsule and the bottles are packed in a pile of gravel.

No word on whether the wine is any good or not, but actual alcoholic beverages brands might want to take note. In the right hands, event-specific limited editions could be a gold mine.

After the jump: Getting floored, Miller Lite's holiday ride campaign and a vodkat fight.Continue reading...

Never heard of Delaware Phoenix Distillery? The New York International Spirits Competition wants to make sure that you do.

Delaware Phoenix, a tiny operation in upstate New York producing absinthe and whiskey, was named Distillery of the Year in the first year of the competition, which compared 187 different spirits from around the world.

It's the first major international spirits competition to be judged by members of the liquor trade, including buyers, bar owners and bartenders, distributors and importers.Continue reading...