Tag View: Cocktail Friday

Cocktail Friday - the Impact of Patriotic Branding

It is Cocktail Friday at TSWUS, and we are headed into a long weekend celebrating the birth of the United States of America. What better post could we make, than one highlighting the "artfully" redesigned "Patriotic" packaging that seems ubiquitous on these American holidays. What impact does re-packaging have on sales during patriotic holidays? Can the re-packaging stand alone, or does it need to be combined with advertising support to maximize product sales? Do patriotic holidays impact sales more significantly than family holidays like Halloween or Christmas? Why am I compelled to buy the Red, White and Blue six-pack? 

These are all key questions to ponder when walking down the beer aisle this weekend. Just in case you are curious, we are attaching some research from Kidd.com on the Purchasing Power of Brand Patriotism. http://www.kidd.com/branding/purchasing-power-patriotism-businesses-shift-american-branding-summer/

Cinco De Mayo

Q: Is Cinco de Mayo the same thing as Mexican Independence Day?   A: No, Mexican Independence Day is on September 16, but Diez y Seis de Septiembre was too clunky to catch on with beer distributors.   Q: Why is Cinco de Mayo so popular in the United States?   A: Over 30 million Americans are of Mexican descent, and the rest will take any opportunity to celebrate a French military defeat.   To quote the satirical newspaper The Onion  
Today we mark Mexicos defeat of the French in a day long battle at Puebla. Why do a multitude of Americans celebrate a minor military victory in a neighboring nation? Honestly, because we like a good party.  We like to learn about our neighbors.  We like eating tacos. 
It doesnt really matter why at this stage of the game. 
What matters is that we DO. 
In a big way. 
Sometimes advertising is about creating a movement where there really isnt one. The Tecate Beer and pitchers of Margaritas consumed today are testament that it works.   

Cocktail Friday: SweetWater 420

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we are celebrating with some SweetWater 420s in light of this years SweetWater 420 Fest currently taking place in downtown Atlanta. The SweetWater 420 fest is an annual event thrown by the SweetWater Brewing Company in Atlanta, Georgia. The festival is always held on a weekend closet to Earth Day. The festival has taken place in Centennial Olympic Park since 2014.

The SweetWater 420 Fest originated in Oakhurst, Georgia in 2005 as a way for SweetWater to combine all of the elements it was most passionate about in one location. It brought together music, beer, and environment. Guests can drink SweetWater beer while watching headlining musical talents. Little Five Points Candler Park became the festivals new home two years later until 2013. Environmental awareness continues to be a huge part of the festival, which also includes musicians, local artists, and vendors. 

The SweetWater 420 Fest uses a variety of print, television, and social media to promote and advertise. It is important in advertising and marketing to understand your target audience and be able to locate them through different media. Locating the perfect fit for advertising is exactly what we do here at The Specialist Works US! SweetWater understands their main audience can be located through these sort of media and their use of them relates directly to their awareness and attendance.

Cocktail Friday: Celebratory Wine

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we are celebrating all together with a Going Away Celebration involving wine for our intern, Yldamarie! She will be graduating in May from Georgia State University with a degree in Journalism. After, she will be studying abroad in Ecuador practicing Nonprofit Public Relations. We are wishing her bon voyage on this new journey.

When it comes to new experiences, companies can also partake in change. Rebranding is a marketing strategy where an established company or organization changes their appearance with a new name, term, symbol, or a combination of the options. They do so with the intention of developing a new and different identity among the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders. Normally, radical changes to a brands logo, name, image, marketing strategy, and advertising themes occur.

A successful example of rebranding would be Apple. It is said that Apple has possibly one of the best rebranding stories of our era. In the early 1990s, Apple was suffering from low sales, low consumer interest, and competition was taking consumers away. These were issues until Steve Jobs took over the company in 1997. Jobs presented an image of minimalism and modernity. He did this with new innovative products and a series of advertising and marketing campaigns that focused on experiences as opposed to purchases. Through this, they were able to attract a new, diverse customer base. A little change and introspection can be healthy and exciting. Whether its the thrill of traveling to a new country or the excitement of reinventing your brand, new experiences are valuable exercises in learning and growth. 

Cocktail Friday: John Daly

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and in honor of the 2017 Masters Golf Tournament, we are celebrating with some delicious John Daly cocktails. A John Daly consists of lemonade, iced tea, and vodka. It is named after the American golfer John Daly. The drink is an alcoholic version of the Arnold Palmer, which is named after an American golfer, as well. The cocktail was originally made popular at the Whiskey Creek Golf Course in Fort Myers, Florida during the 2005 Dirty Gator Open by bartender, Ian Forret. 
The Masters Tournament is also known as The Masters or The US Masters. It is one of the four major championships in professional golf. The Masters is normally scheduled for the first full week in April and is the first of the majors to be played each year. The Masters is held each year in the same location at the Augusta National Golf Club which is a private golf club in Augusta, Georgia. 
The tournament prides itself on being, a tradition unlike any other. Beginning in 1956 the tournaments host, Augusta National, secured a series of one-year TV deals with CBS. Sponsorship is important when it comes to the tournament.  The terms of each sponsor agreement arent disclosed however, sponsorship analyst IEG has calculated the total annual global contribution to be near $18 million. Some well-known sponsors include: AT&T, UPS, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolex. 

Cocktail Friday: Gin and Tonics

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we are celebrating with some tasty Gin and Tonics! The cocktail was first introduced by the army of the British East India Company where malaria was a prominent issue. In the 1700s, Scottish doctor, George Cleghorn, discovered that quinine could be used to prevent and treat the disease. Quinine was served in tonic water, however the taste was bitter. In the early 19th century, British officers in India took to adding a mixture composed of water, sugar, lime, and gin to the quinine to give the drink a more pleasant taste. Thus, the Gin and Tonic was born! Today, since it is no longer used to treat and prevent malaria, it contains much less quinine and is usually sweetened.

While it may have originated as a treatment, it is now consumed for pleasure and is a notable icon in todays pop culture. Some famous instances of Gin and Tonics in media include: James Bond specifies a recipe for a Gin and Tonic while in Kingston, Jamaica in the book Dr. No., Colonel Henderson complains when his Gin and Tonic is served with ice in the movie The Year of Living Dangerously, Ian Gillan mentions the cocktail in the song "Sleeping On The Job",  Billy Joel mentions the cocktail in the song "Piano Man",  Oasis also mentions the cocktail in their song "Supersonic", Nik Kershaw begins his song I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with mention of the cocktail, the character Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris on the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother is often heard ordering a Gin and Tonic, and Gin and Tonic is one of John Constantine's drinks of choice in the Hellblazer comics. It is also the drink of choice for hero, Cat, in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series.

Through these examples, it is easy to see Gin and Tonic is well-known throughout pop culture. This sort of awareness is what advertising and marketing aims to do. With this industry, the goal is to get the product to be well-known to its directed audience. Whether it is a Gin and Tonic or any other product, skilled professionals will learn their products targeted audience and which media to use to successfully get their message out. 

Want to try a Gin and Tonic for yourself?

Grab a glass, fill it with ice cubes, add gin and tonic as desired, and top off with a lime wedge! Enjoy!

Cocktail Friday: White Russian

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we are celebrating with some White Russians! Interestingly, the White Russian did not receive its name based off its country of origin, but rather for the type of vodka used in its recipe. In the 1930s, vodka was not well known in the US so people began associating all vodka as Russian, hence the use of the term in the drink. Large vodka marketing campaigns did not reach the states until the 1950s.

The White Russian did not get its current recipe of cream, vodka, and Kahlua until the 1960s. Today the White Russian has inspired a drinking game popular among college students who try to keep up with The Dude while watching The Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is a 1998 American crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. White Russians make a prominent appearance in the film as the movies main character, The Dude, drinks a steady stream of them throughout. 

Implementing the cocktail in the film is a perfect example of product placement. Product placement is a technique commonly used by advertisers to subtly place brands and products in popular media and entertainment to promote interest. The White Russians popularity was revitalized due to its placement in the film.

Want to try and beat The Dude yourself?

Ingredients:

5 cl (5 parts) Vodka

2 cl (2 parts) Coffee liqueur

3 cl (3 parts) fresh cream

Preparation: Pour coffee liqueur and vodka into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice. Float fresh cream on top and stir slowly.

Cocktail Friday: Carnival Punch

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and while Mardi Gras might have occurred earlier this week, we are continuing the celebration with some Carnival Punch. It is no wonder the recipe for Carnival Punch earns itself a top position on many different Mardi Gras Cocktail lists. With its vibrant color and tropical taste, it falls high on our list of cocktails as well. 

The Carnival Punch cocktail markets itself in relation to Mardi Gras. This is a great example of how the advertising world works! One concept can certainly tie back to another. Celebrations and drinks can go hand-in-hand, as can companies and advertising. While its just as important to value vibrant colors and unique flavors in a drink, its equally important to use vibrant aspects in an ad as well.

Want to make this cocktail for a Mardi Gras celebration, a fun afternoon with your coworkers, or just for a party of one?

Ingredients:

1.5 ounces pineapple infused vodka

1/2 ounce PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur

1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

Ginger beer as needed

Lime twist for garnish

Preparation: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the vodka, PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, and lemon juice and shake well.  Strain over ice into a rocks glass, top with the ginger beer and garnish with the lime twist.

Cocktail Friday: Margaritas!

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we are celebrating with margaritas! National Margarita Day 2017 took place on the 22nd, but we are keeping up the holidays spirit by continuing on through the week. National Margarita Day was founded by Todd McCalla to spread his love for margaritas around the world. 

The classic margarita was invented during the 1930s or 1940s in Mexico. There are many different theories of when and how exactly the recipe was created, but no matter the case we are thankful it came to be! Frozen margaritas were later invented in the 1970s in Dallas when a bartender converted a soft serve ice cream unit into a frozen margarita machine. Whether you prefer a classic margarita on the rocks, straight up, or frozen, its the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States today. 

The day is meant for friendships and fun. Its Friday! Grab your co-workers and enjoy a nice cold margarita over delightful conversation to kick-start the weekend. 

Want to make your own to celebrate? 

Ingredients:
 3.5 cL (7 parts) tequila
2 cL (4 parts) Triple Sec
1.5 cL (3 parts) lime juice

Preparation: Rub the rim of the glass with the lime slice to make the salt stick to it. The salt should stay on the rim and never mix into the cocktail. Shake the other ingredients with ice, then carefully pour into the glass.

Cocktail Friday: Old Fashioned Cocktails

Cocktail Friday

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Its Cocktail Friday here at The Specialist Works US and we would like to acknowledge how to get Back to Basics with some Old Fashioned Cocktails. The first documented use of the word cocktail was in 1806. The first use of the name "Old Fashioned" for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail was at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen's club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky. It is said the recipe was invented by a bartender at the club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller.

Just as it is acceptable to enjoy an Old Fashioned Cocktail, it is also acceptable to stick to some old fashioned and consistent forms of advertising and marketing. While we are in a new age and technology is constantly evolving all around us, there are some characteristics and approaches that have traditionally had a steady success rate. A few tips are to understand how to help consumers, find an emotional connection with them, and to make sure your message is coming across consistently. Old fashioned or new, studying your audience and clarifying your message will always be in style.

If you would like to keep it Old Fashioned as well, here is the recipe and preparation!
Recipe:
4.5 cL (1.5 U.S. fl oz) Bourbon or Rye whiskey
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 sugar cube
Few dashes plain water
Preparation: Place sugar cube in old fashioned glass and saturate with bitters, add a dash of plain water. Muddle until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whiskey. Garnish with orange twist, and a cocktail cherry.

Cocktail Friday: Happy Halloween

Its finally Cocktail Friday and we are celebrating with Martinis from Smirnoff. This year Halloween falls on a Monday, talk about scary! On the bright side, its the perfect excuse to show up to work in my pajamas! I like to think about how many of the phone calls we will get on Monday will be from people who are also diverging from their typical work wear. We will be wearing the most ridiculous outfits and having serious conversations, all the while being completely unaware of each others holiday attire. However, you choose to celebrate this year, have fun and be safe. From everyone at The Specialist Works, we wish you a Happy Halloween.

Octoberfest Cocktail Firday

Its Octoberfest Weekend here at The Specialist Works, so our Cocktail Friday is an obvious choice. Ritzenhoff Beer Glasses!  Traditions run stong around this widespread German holiday, and the use of our Rizenhoffs is no exception.  These fantastical artist-designed glasses are brought out each year to help us celebrate our heritage, but with a modern twist.  Each piece is vividly decorated with a design from a different artist.  Left to right we see Thomas Marutschke, Julien Chung, Sandra Kretzmann and Mark Oliver. Now we just have to wait until closing to see how it looks holding a nice rich lager.

National Hug your Boss Day

an>It is Cocktail Friday at The Specialist Works US and it is also National Hug your Boss Day. Talk about an interesting mix.

Many studies have shown that having a good, positive leader can make all the difference in a working environment. Statistics tell us, that the majority of people leave a job more frequently due to not getting along with their employer; and that people working for a boss they enjoy tend to be happier, more productive and loyal, compared to people who work for higher pay with a boss they do not like.
Cultivating a constructive and progressive work environment is no effortless feat either. There is so much that we need to manage, organize, and maintain in order; all at once. In business especially, our work day is often times nowhere near finished when we leave the office and head home. It is a job that takes copious amounts of patience, leadership skills, motivation, and just plain heart.
So make sure to show your boss some well-earned appreciation, if not with a hug then at least with a cocktail, TSWUS style. Please remember to drink responsibly and hug your boss responsibly.

Cocktail Friday: Beer for the Boys

"Lager beer kegs... mounted in every conceivable place."  A quote from a description of the first Labor Day post-parade party.  The Central Labor Union, the Jewelers Union of Newark Two and 20,000+ friends and family helped celebrate the strength and contribution of the American worker that first Labor Day. While we arent marching in a parade this morning, we laborers will celebrate, and beer will be part of that celebration. The two tall boys in our fridge are total Americana.  Coors Light, to honor our vacationing leader, and Budweiser, the King of Beers, There is something undefinable that connects the American worker with a tall cold one at the end of a hard day. Even if the work is fairly easy, and we are shutting down at lunch for the long weekend. Have fun, be safe, Happy Labor Day.

Cocktail Friday - Sake, Snacks, Surprise

It is Cocktail Friday at the Specialist Works US and today we are sipping sake. Or shooting it, whatever your preference. We're enjoying this delicious Japanese rice wine with our box of freshly delivered Japanese snacks. Every month we receive a box from Japan Crate packed with interesting and tasty candies, and we're always pleasantly surprised by what we find. This month featured sweet animal crackers, coffee-flavored hard candy, and caramel covered pretzels. Japan Crate is just one of many startups using the power of the internet to make things easier for consumers, and profitable for venture capitalists. Subscription services like Harry's, Hello Fresh, and Graze are some of our favorites!

With out having to maintain a brick-and-mortar store, and with much of the process being automated, subscription services enjoy substantially lower overhead than traditional companies. The services integrates themselves into consumers lifestyles, resulting in consistent and habitual purchases. With many of these brands, the time saved is the most important aspect of the process, whether it's search time, cooking time or consumption time. Millennial consumers especially, in search of a better work-life balance, value the flexibility and will happily trade time spent cooking for time spent living. Definitely an idea we subscribe to!

Cocktail Friday - International Beer Day

August 5th is International Beer Day. It is also Cocktail Friday at The Specialist Works and today we are toasting with a Stella. Craft brewing in the United States has been growing at a swift pace, enjoying a 12.8% increase in sales last year. The popularity of craft beer is even more apparent when we look at market share by dollar value, where every fifth dollar spent on brew is now craft. The microbrew market in the US is indicative of the values this country at its best. Never fearful of experimentation, always innovating, and forever optimistic. Flavors stack upon each other, constantly jostling and searching for that secret ingredient to find the right balance between hop and flop. So today, try a beer you've never had before. Live a little. And maybe you'll learn a lot. Cheers!

Cocktail Friday - Southern Summers

It is Cocktail Friday at The Specialist Works US and today we would like to celebrate local success. Brian Hart Hoffman, chief creative officer at our media partner Hoffman Media, recently had his cocktail recipe book The Coupe featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We were very glad to see our client, Expressionery, have their custom stamp design featured with the outbound press kit.

This collection of vintage cocktails, best enjoyed in a coupe, is charmingly creative. The creations bring us back to summer afternoons spent in our garden watching the sun set over the hills of Georgia. In honor of this memory, we would like to highlight a cocktail from the book conceived by Brian himself, the Alabama Summer. See the recipe below. Cheers! #thecoupelife

3 oz. fresh watermelon juice
1.5 oz Tito's Handmade Vodka
.5 - .75 oz Campari
.5 oz fresh lime ljuice
1 - 2 oz chilled sparkling water 

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add watermelon juice, Campari, and lime juice. Shake to combine, and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling water, and garnish if desired. 

Cocktail Friday - Reintroducing, Lancers

It is Cocktail Friday at The Specialist Works US and today we are brainstorming on bouncebacks. Lancers Rosé was incredibly trendy in the 1970s, in part due to its unique shape, which allowed drinkers to plant a candle inside and incorporate the empty bottles into their homes. The wine has since fallen out of favor, but it's gotten us thinking: how can we reposition the brand to revitalize sales in the digital age?

Millennial women are the fastest growing drinkers of wine, comprising 23% of the total US market. One way to reach this audience may be to readapt the bottle into consumers’ lifestyles. Candles have been replaced my smartphones and many digital natives crave authentic interaction with brands. To keep up with a younger market and reclaim its 15 minutes of fame, brands like Lancers will need rethink the role they play in American life.  

Cocktail Friday - Good Old Fashioned Innovation

It’s Cocktail Friday at The Specialist Works and today we’re reflecting on our roots. In the new and exciting age of data, traditional and old fashioned methods matter more than ever. Whether it’s knowing your customer, or finding the sweet spot between over and underexposure, precision is key in running an effective campaign. The best cocktail is when the sharp taste of the liquor dances smoothly with the sweetness of the syrup and the light flavor of the fruit. A marketing mix is most efficient when your placements complement each other, first attaining awareness, then interest, then intent. Interacting with customers across multiple touchpoints creates a halo effect and the brand as a whole is seen in a better light. Even the best cocktail is left untouched if the drinker is kept in the dark. Cheers!

Cocktail Friday: Safety First

Here at The Specialist Works US we take our safety seriously. As the weekend approaches we are happy to unwind with a nice cocktail. We are sure to unwind safely.  So raise a glass to warm nights and cold drinks and enjoy your weekend! Don\'t forget: ADVERTISE RESPONSIBLY.

Cheers!

Non-Cocktail Friday the 13

The internet was flooded today with hockey masks as worn by Jason, the main character from the Friday the 13th movies. I bring you a much less frightening, but incredibly beautiful mask in its place. Leaving lunch, i found this amazing doodle on a neighboring table. Brown paper and crayons make any lunch better, especially a cocktail-free one.

Derby Day

Cocktail Friday. Kentucky Derby.  One would expect mint julip, so here it is:
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon Powdered sugar, 2 oz. Bourbon whiskey, 2 teaspoons Water, 4 Mint leaves
Preparation: In a highball glass gently muddle the mint, sugar and water. Fill the glass with cracked ice, add Bourbon and stir well until the glass is well frosted. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
But that's what we will serve at tomorrow's Race Day Party.  Today, we sip Tab Cola and ready our finest millinery!
Enjoy Kentucky Derby Day .

Cocktail Friday - Lone Star Beer #135

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and long PAST due for a fresh look at the Lone Star Beer bottle gap quiz. This week's installment is bottle cap #135, and frankly one of the easier caps to translate.With each installment, we try to tie in the bottle cap quiz with some real advertising insight. And here it is..... Not only do we highlight the Lone Star Beer bottle caps, we collect them.Collections, and numbered editions are a GREAT marketing concept. If there are 500 quizzes, I need to keep all of my bottle caps until I get them all.This encourages two things - 1. Retention of the brand image where it continues to receive exposure, and 2. incremental purchasing until the collection is completed!Brilliant!

Cocktail Friday - New Orleans and the Sazarac

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are in New Orleans. What better place to spend a Friday? Today we are lunching with our media partners, and sampling the finest New Orleans has to offer including the legendary Sazarac, 
Sazarac

• 1 sugar cube
• 2 1/2 ounces whiskey -- rye whisky
• 2 dashes Bitters -- Peychaud's bitters
• 1 dash Bitters -- Angostura bitters
• absinthe
• lemon peel
• Bed with comfy pillow

Cocktail Friday Tactile Interaction

 It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and today we pay homage to a very little used but beautiful item in our collection. This hand carved wooden wine stopper gets a lot of attention as an object of Art sitting on my desk at the office, but little practical use as a wine stopper. Once Cocktail Friday is in full swing, there is little reason to suppose there will be leftovers.

As an object of Art in the office it is a gorgeous example of fine hand carving. The tactile nature of the execution makes it almost impossible not to hold the wood and run your fingers across the scoring.

Because so much of what we do in our business is fleeting and flat in its execution, we crave the interaction of touching objects. If we feel that as people, we feel it as consumers also. Engaging consumers with a physical and tactile interaction with your product creates a bond…and perhaps a sale.

Cocktail Friday - Cheers Jess Barrows!

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and today we are reflecting on a month of having Jess from our UK partner the Specialist Works in our offices. Jess went home earlier this week, and we already miss her. Much like the image of bottle caps in a tray that we chose to pair with this posting, having someone from outside in the office for an extended time feels very different. Like a cider cap in a tray of beer caps often times is it very different, and foreign.

Working across cultures has its own unique challenges. With the help of our capable “translator” Jess Barrows, we know we will be fine. We are fortunate to have had such an enthusiastic and supportive liaison, and we can’t wait to move forward with greater understanding and facilitated communications with her help. Cheers Jess!

Cocktail Friday Champagne Saucers

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and today we broke out these adorable Champagne saucers. They are tiny at only 3 inches high, but very old-school in their look and feel. Why are be breaking out the Champagne saucers you ask? Because we have had a very productive week, and it is time to celebrate. Cheers to all of you! 

Cocktail Friday Expressionery and Holiday Sangria

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are putting in a few more hours before indulging ourselves but we wanted to share a new recipe. On a recent client visit to New Braunfels, TX to see our PR client Expressionery, we reviewed their interview with Coastal Living Magazine for Steele of the Week. Expressionery stated in the edit copy that their favorite holiday drink was Holiday Sangria.

Since we have never had it, we decided that the oversight needed to be addressed. Here is the recipe.

1 Granny Smith apple
1 Braeburn apple
1 heaping Cup Fresh cranberries
1 large Sprig rosemary
1 Bottle Pinot Noir
1 Can club soda

Soak the apples and cranberries overnight in brandy. Throw it all in one big cocktail pitcher, pour and drink.

We will be using Bordeaux instead of Pinot Noir because it is what we do.

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer Bottle Cap 157

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. As part of our continuing series on Lone Star Bottle Caps, we are offering up # 157. It is a red cap, which we all by now know designates it as a regular not a light beer.

Color coded product labels and conversation starters. We like it. Cheers Texas!

Cocktail Friday Hot Toddy

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. To combat the incoming cold weather, and keep your throat and palate happy, we thought we would share our favorite Hot Toddy recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons honey
3 fingers of bourbon
Juice from half a lemon
1 cinnamon stick

This one is served in a cork lined copper bottomed glass to keep the heat in.

Often we find that we don't have a cinnamon stick, a fresh lemon or honey. And we don't bother to heat the bourbon. It still makes us feel warm on a cold day. Cheers!

Cocktail Friday Skull Ice Cubes in Bourbon

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and it is also the Friday before Halloween, one of our favorite holidays. In honor of the upcoming festivities, we froze some Skull and Crossbones ice-cubes to celebrate.

Can you see how nicely the eye-sockets set off the amber tones of the Bourbon? Sublime.

Wishing you and yours a very happy and safe Halloween!

Cocktail Friday International Bottle Caps

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are feeling international after so much coverage of the Canadian Elections this past week.

We are also very excited to announce our speaking engagement at McGill University in Montreal this coming February. More details to follow closer to the event date.

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Bottle Cap #213

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are closing shop early today to go our annual Pig Picken'. But we wanted to leave you with a brain teaser from Lone Start Beer before we left. Here is # 213.

Cocktail Friday What Does the Star Shape Mean

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and today we are talking abut the meaning of shapes. How is that a cocktail topic? Well - we love our Lone Star Beer bottle caps which feature a single star so we thought we would investigate what the shape means (outside of Texas).

Visual cues are important in advertising, and making sure you get it right is important. "Drawing stars shows you are optimistic and ambitious" according to doodlemeanings. Not a deeply scientific review, but it is Cocktail Friday here at Elarbee Media.

In Texas "Today most people associate the Lone Star with a feisty spirit of independence" according to Phyllis McKenzie.

So our summation is this: If you are drinking a Lone Star Beer outside of Texas you are optimistic and ambitious, and have adopted the Texan's feisty spirit of independence.

None of this is bad from a brand perspective. Good job Lone Star!

For more on what shapes "mean" check out the link below:
http://doodlemeanings.com/…/doodle-meanings-what-do-the-doo…

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Bottle Cap #181

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are posting Lone Star Beer's bottle cap brain teaser #181. Why? Because we drink a lot of Lone Star, and we have a lot of bottle caps to go through.

Seriously though, we love the Lone Star bottle caps because they create engagement. Pictures get posted and tagged by the faithful, and are even sold as Art on Etsy.

When pictures of the inside of your beer brand's bottle caps are considered "Art", you have built a successful grassroots campaign. Cheers Lone Star!

‪#‎Lonestarbeer‬

Cocktail Friday the White Bat

It is cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are rounding out this week's bat theme with a White Bat Cocktail. To make a White Bat, you will need the following ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Bacardi white Rum
1/2 oz Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 1/2 oz milk
3 oz Coca-Cola

Instructions:
1) Build all ingredients in a glass over ice
2) Stir and serve

Cheers!

Cocktail Friday Birmingham Travel

It is Cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media. Travelling for business this week, we were fortunate to spend the evening in Birmingham. Alabama where we were served our craft cocktails in these adorable vintage glasses.

The cocktails were frankly “not good”; but, trying new things and keeping an open mind is always important. While business travel is rarely a glamorous adventure, it is always an opportunity to learn. We had a great time this week in neighboring Alabama. Cheers Birmngham!

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Bottle Cap #124

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. We are back with more Lone Star Beer bottle cap quiz images. This is #124 if you need to go to LoneStarBeer.com to get the translation.

Once again, a brilliant campaign to build engagement.

Cocktail Friday Kosta Boda and Small Enhancements

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are so happy to share one of our favorite decanters with you. This Kosta Boda decanter is a great example of Whimsy. The form, while completely functional, is also a piece of art in itself. The bolt as the closure make the entire piece so much different than a full glass execution. Adding the industrial feel to the closure alone changes the style entirely.

Small enhancements make a big difference. In advertising, small changes to an ad can make a big difference too. Before you make overhauling changes, stop and test to see if you have gone far enough before you go too far.

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Bottle Cap #327

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and since we have a large cache of Lone Star Bottle Cap, we are lazily going through these for Friday posts. This week's bottle cap is number 327 if you need to look it up onLonsestar.com, but it is pretty easy so we think you will get it.

Once again, we are showing a RED bottle cap which means....Regular Beer.

Lonestar Beer Blue Bottle Cap Number 393

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are back with more Lone Star Beer bottle caps. This featured quiz is from a BLUE cap. If you are following the conversation from last week, that means it is from a light beer. Red=Regular. Blue=Light. Color coding to simplify the buying process is good marketing!

This is #393 if you get stumped and need to go to Lonestarbeer.com to get the answer.

Cocktail Friday Lonestar Beer Bottle Cap #131

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are back with more Lone Star Beer bottle caps. This featured quiz is from a red cap. For the uninitiated, it comes from a regular Lone Star not a Lone Star Light which is blue. Color coding within the brand makes it easy for consumers to identify product easily. It makes shelf selection more efficient in store as well. Lone Star Beer, like many other brands chooses to keep the look of the brand label consistent as much as possible. Outside of the color identifier, and a small edit to the label to swap the word Beer for Light, they maintain the integrity of presentation.

 

This is #131 if you get stumped and need to go to Lonestarbeer.com to get the answer.

Cocktail Friday - Be American. Drink American!

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are excited about the upcoming holiday weekend. In honor of Memorial Day, we thought we would share a truly American Drink recipe.

Open Bottle

Pour Bourbon in Glass

 "Be American. Drink American!"

Cocktail Friday Toothpick Swan

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and today we selected a toothpick swan from out vintage cocktail collection to show you. Part of the art of a throwing a good cocktail party is supplying your guests with a nosh to go with their drink. These vintage birds were used to hold cubed cheese, olives, cherries, and anything else you could stick on a toothpick. 

We think this beauty would look great with some blue cheese stuffed olives to go into our Saturday morning (medicinal) Bloody Mary's. 

Cocktail Friday - Lone Star Beer #324

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are back with more Lone Star Beer bottle caps. This is #324 if you get stumped and need to go to Lonestarbeer.com to find the answer.

Once again, we want to highlight how much we enjoy the engagement element of this campaign. We encourage you to engage with US by sending us the answer if you can figure it out.

Cocktail Friday - Derby Weekend Mint Juleps

Elarbee Media would like to help everyone get ready for their Derby Parties with a quick recap on the Mint Julep.Mint JulepBourbon whiskey - at least 3 fingers of GOOD Bourbon 
1 teaspoon powdered sugar or 1 finger of simple syrup
2 teaspoons Water
Mint leaves

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer 41

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. here is our latest installment of the Lone Star Bottle Cap campaign. If you haven't been following the theme, Lone Star Beer puts brain teasers under their bottle caps. It drives conversations, and interaction with their website if you can't figure them out yourself. We think this is a brilliant marketing ploy, and we LOVE it.
This is number 41 if you need to look it up on LoneStarBeer.com.
If you have the answer, please post it back to us.

Cocktail Friday Lonestar Beer 99

They are back for Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media! Lone Star Beer Bottle Caps!  In what we still believe is a brilliant marketing play, despite the lack of free beer we have received for saying so, Lone Star developed visual games on the inside of their bottle caps.These messages get harder to decode as the evening wears on, but provide tons of fun and keep the brand "top of mind".

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer Bottle Caps

You know it is time to travel to see your Texas based clients when your supply of bottle caps runs out. That is right folks - It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we have one last Lone Star Beer brain teaser to share.Still no free beer delivered, but we still dare to dream.

Cocktail Friday the Return of Copper

It's Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media! Today is all about vintage copper glasses. Hot or cold service? These copper sleeves are lined with cork, so you can serve a hot beverage like a "Toddy" or a cold one that won't sweat onto your wood furniture. So fun and functional. 

Copper is a hot trend in current brands as well, Check out the top on the bottle of Tito's, and the copper stripe in our "legit" moonshine. Just goes to show you that everything old is new again! Watch for Avocado Green and Harvest Gold coming your way soon!

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer Brain Teaser

Have you been "hankerin" for another Lone Star Beer installment on the Cocktail Friday post at Elarbee Media?We are happy to deliver! Still waiting on our free case of beer for driving traffic and awareness, but we will let it slide despite the fact that we are very thirsty.Friends, clients and colleagues in Texas, send us your bottle caps, or we are coming to visit.

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Light Rocks Your Brain

It's Cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media! And this Friday it is time for Lone Star Beer to take over again with one of their brain teasers. Keep in mind, you are supposed to be drinking beer while reading these, so they are not designed to be TOO complicated.Still, if you can't figure them out, go to lonestarbeer.com to get the answer based on the number code printed on the bottle cap.What does this have to do with Elarbee Media? Not much really, except that we think this is a brilliant engagement campaign, and we spend a lot of time in Texas drinking Lone Star.

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer Just Sayin

Cocktail Friday Lone Star Beer is Brilliant

It is cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and today I want to highlight a piece of sheer marketing brilliance!On a recent trip to New Braunfels, TX to meet with Expressionery.com, I was lucky enough to squeeze in some social time. For me, in Texas, that means drinking my old standby LONE STAR BEER (light these days). Here is the brilliant part: When you take the cap off the beer, on the inside there is a brain teaser.When you are in a group, you start focusing on the bottle cap, and talking about the beer and their marketing team - and who comes up with these? and on and on. Then, when you realize you can't figure one out, they have a numbered code you can use to look it up - where? Online! So they end up getting you to interact with the brand online and in social media. Brilliant.

Cocktail Friday We are Pouring in the New Space

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media and we are celebrating! We are so happy to be finally settled in our new space!

Elarbee Media
6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Suite 400 
Atlanta, GA 30328

Stop by and we will pour you a drink!

Cocktail Friday Lonely Tito's

It's Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. This will be our last Cocktail Friday from our original offices. Things are getting very sparse here, and there is not much left to photograph except nail holes in the walls. 

It is always important to plan your business move carefully, which is of course why the Tito's remains as the last item in the freezer! 

Cheers!

Cocktail Friday Balloon Cocktail Server

It's cocktail hour on Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media! After a week of business travel to one of our favorite destinations, Texas, it is well past time to mix up a batch of something. This awesome "balloon" cocktail server holds about 4 large cocktails, that can be poured in style out of this golden beauty. Our sincere thanks for the hospitality earlier this week, we will raise our first glass to Texas!

Cocktail Friday The Smoking Gun

It’s Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. Today we have a full day photo shoot for our client Black Creek Precision. Here is a fitting cocktail recipe for today “The Smoking Gun”. We’ll save this for later to be safe.

The Smoking Gun
Two notoriously assertive ingredients—scotch and Fernet Branca—balance each other out in this flavorful after-dinner sipper. “It’s a drink you can hunker down with,” says Mark Allen. “I love how it has such a warming effect, even though it’s served ice-cold.”

2 oz. Islay or other peaty scotch (Allen uses Laphroaig 10-year)
3/4 tsp. Fernet Branca
1/2 tsp. brown sugar cordial (see below)
2 dashes Fee Bros. whiskey barrel-aged bitters
Cracked ice
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
Glass: small scotch or cocktail glass
Garnish: mint leaf

Stir all ingredients and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish.
Mark Allen, Red Feather Lounge, Boise, Idaho

Happy Halloween - Cocktail Friday

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. We are excited to share a Halloween inspired cocktail with you that also allows us to celebrate our new relationship with Tat3dUSA, manufacturer of tactical training equipment - including zombie heads. The Zombie 1 oz Unsweetened Pineapple Juice, Juice of 1 Lime Juice of 1 Orange 1 tsp powdered sugar ½ oz. Apricot Brandy 2 ½ oz. Light Rum 1 oz Jamaican Rum Passion Fruit Syrup ½ oz of 151-proof Rum That is one sweet and loaded cocktail, but we are celebrating. Watch for more as we launch their new US website and ad materials in the coming weeks.

Cocktail Friday Oktoberfest

It’s Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media. We are sad to have to put away our Oktoberfest steins and our dirndls for another year. To our German clients colleagues and friends, we want to leave you with one final Prost! before we close it out.

Cocktail Friday Mr. Boston's

Cocktail Friday Is Bigger Better?

It’s Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media! This week’s vintage cocktail item is a set of rooster embossed cocktail glasses. They would only hold about 4 ounces of anything, but are quite stylish.When I see the size of older items, cocktail items or even vintage clothes, I wonder whether or not our concept of “bigger is better” has backfired. Is selling large volumes at a discount necessarily better than selling quality at a premium price? Have we gone too far down the road of volume discounting to double back and change?Either way, these rooster glasses will come in handy this afternoon -- even if I have to fill them frequently.

Cocktail Friday the Art of Packaging

It is cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media. Today’s vintage barware from our office are these cork insulated copper glasses. They keep your drink cool, and keep the glass from sweating. Sweet! Because they are beautiful copper, I paired them with a bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which just happened to be handy. In thinking about Tito’s (which I normally only do longingly) I had to ask myself as an advertising professional, “how much value do you add to the product by slapping the moniker “handmade” on the label?”

Cocktail Friday Vodka Packaging Pouch

It’s ‪#‎CocktailFriday‬ at Elarbee Media!When I see something brilliant, I say, “wow that is brilliant – why didn’t I think of that!” I confess I had this thought on a recent trip to a liquor store in Florida. Behold! The most brilliant innovation in history: vodka packaged to conveniently fit almost anywhere -- slim, portable, easily disposed of once used.A wise business move is to create a product that addresses the needs of the consumer. I’ve never heard of this brand, ...See More

Cocktail Friday Size and Scale

It's Cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media. This kitschy ice bucket looks like an over-sized beer stein. It would probably hold about a gallon of beer if you wanted to drink from it! Likely, the beer would get too warm before I could finish. Being over-sized, it begs the question "is bigger always better in business?" Does buying media with scale translate to success, or are refined buys with more precise targeting the way to go? The only way to know is to test.

Cocktail Hour Family Focus Group

Here is what came out of the mix this week: "Mother is always right." Although it is an old adage, I recently had the great experience of finding it to be true.At cocktail hour I heard "Kelly Danielle, you look tired. You need to find a babysitter to let you take a few hours off so you can get yourself together." (That is the iron fist; Mom hasn't bought the kid glove yet- she is a New Yorker). It got me thinking about a creative campaign I've been working on for a caregiver client that has babysitters with background checks at the ready. If I look tired, so do all the other working mothers out there. I wrote out a new ad concept around Mom getting a few hours off to "Be Me. Not Mom. Just Me." This concept has been proposed for testing starting in the fall.

Cocktail Hour Family Focus Group - An Introduction

Cocktail hour in my family home has always been a loosely qualified focus group. With an international salesman, an artist, the proverbial doctor and lawyer, blue collar worker, earth-mother, a gaggle of children and an advertising hack gathered around with the wine flowing, the truth is spoken rather quickly.We have ages in mix from 5 to 75 (a broad spectrum) and very different opinions from each age range. I often bring up work challenges and talk through them; their reactions and thoughts shock even me.

Cocktail Friday Frequency Counts

Sometimes small glasses are great – especially when refilled frequently! That's right, it is Cocktail Friday here again at Elarbee Media. These mini cocktail glasses provide the perfect parallel for test budgets. When testing new media, go for small, but frequent test investments.Media tests that are “refilled frequently” can ultimately lead to a new core media strategy. Set limits, keep them “mini,” but keep testing. You will be surprised at how potent the results can be.

Cocktail Friday Sterling Corkscrew

It's Cocktail Friday here at Elarbee Media. This simple sterling handled corkscrew is a very functional item, and well used despite the fact that it does not have all of the bells and whistles of some of its modern cousins. Bells and whistles are nice, but at the end of the day, you just need to pull the cork out of the bottle. What is the business parallel to getting the “cork out of the bottle?" Go back to basics. Buy what works. Reject the rest.

Cocktail Friday Putting an Idea on Ice

Putting plans “on ice” can often be frustrating for all involved; however,sometimes it is the best business decision to defer projects that you are not ready to tackle. Putting something on ice means preserving it to keep it viable for down the road. At Elarbee Media, we don’t love putting our projects on ice, although if it is what is right for the client, we do it with a smile. We do however LOVE to put other things on ice, like a chilled summer cocktail. As it gets hotter here in the South, we will be looking to fill this classic aluminum ice bucket more frequently. #CocktailFriday

Cocktail Friday Gilding the Lily

The gilded transfer on this cocktail shaker was someone’s idea of adding “pizazz” to a functional item. Sometimes I wonder if adding more is just “gilding the lily?” In advertising, there is a lot of “lily gilding.” Don’t get seduced by the bells and whistles when what matters is ROI. But don’t walk away from something because of it either. The shaker is still fully functional even with the decorative additions, and many media – if you peel back the “gilding” of their sales collateral – are strong performers when well negotiated. #CocktailFriday

Cocktail Friday Seasonal Swings

It's ‪#‎CocktailFriday‬! Seasonal swings can make it feel like your whole business is “on the rocks." Sometimes taking a deep breath, along with a sip of your favorite cocktail can help give you the perspective you need to move forward without fear.To avoid feeling as though you're "on the rocks," it is imperative to look at how business was this time last year. Then, compare results based on the time of year and note swings that typically occur so that you can anticipate these swings rather than react when they happen. Happy Friday!

Cocktail Friday Shake Things Up

At Elarbee Media, we like to shake things up. Like a well-crafted cocktail, a successful marketing plan requires a precisely measured amount of components.Not all clients have the same needs, goals or budgets, so we tailor our “recipe for success” to suit each clients’ individual needs. To create a media plan that works, we combine equal parts research, planning and knowledge to produce a perfectly proportioned and unparalleled “recipe” for our clients. ‪#‎CocktailFriday‬

Cocktail Friday Do You Swizzle?

Do you swizzle?Out of the many collections we house here at Elarbee Media, there is one that shows an exceptional amount of whimsy: our swizzle stick collection.Because swizzle sticks are for stirring, if they were designed simply for function, they would be very boring. This week’s office cocktail item(s) are our glass vegetables, the perfect swizzle sticks for the final stir of a Bloody Mary or Bloody Caesar prior to presentation.

Cocktail Friday ROI Recipe

It's ‪#‎CocktailFriday‬!We don’t love measuring our alcohol pours at Elarbee Media, but we do love measuring media results - especially ROI (Return on Investment)!According to Wisegeek- “using a jigger is only one of many different ways to measure alcohol, and it tends to go in and out of fashion as times change. Some people think that bartenders who meticulously measure out each shot are being stingy, while others see such precision as a mark of respect for the art of cocktail blending. Another school of thought teaches that careful measurements belong only novices, on the assumption that more experienced mixologists should be able to get the right ratio without even trying.”

Cocktail Friday Highball Glasses

It’s ‪#‎CocktailFriday‬! At Elarbee Media, we aim to keep your expectations high and your CPMs low. Check out these 1960s highball glasses from our office barwear collection.Highball is the name for a family of mixed drinks that are composed of an alcoholic base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer. Well-known examples of highballs include Bourbon and Water, Cuba Libre, Scotch and Soda, Seven and Seven, the Moscow Mule, and gin and tonic.Get your creative juices flowing this on this gorgeous Friday afternoon with a classic cocktail! What is your favorite drink served in a highball glass?

Cocktail Friday Ice Crusher

 It's ‪‎Cocktail Friday‬ at Elarbee Media! Each week we will be featuring a unique vintage cocktail item from our collection at the office. Check out our vintage ice crusher from the 1950s! Here in the south, we love a good mint julep served over crushed ice. What is your favorite cocktail served over crushed ice?