The week in pictures

It’s been a big week for celebrity drinks partnerships.

First off the mark this week was Ryan Reynolds, who stands to make a tidy sum out of drinks giant Diageo’s acquisition of Davos Brands, which includes the actor’s gin label, Aviation.

Diageo is set to buy New York-based spirits company Davos Brands, which owns Aviation Gin and Balncones whiskey, this year.

Reynolds invested in Aviation and became its brand ambassador in 2018. As part of his work with Davos Brands, he has agreed to an earn-out deal with Diageo which will see the actor remain the public face of the brand for the next 10 years. It involves an initial payment of $335 million, but the spirits group could spend up to $275 million more depending on Aviation’s sales over the next 10 years.

In other celeb news, Scottish brewer Brewdog has partnered with comedian Ricky Gervais on a limited-edition beer, with all profits going to dog rescue charities.

Inspired by a dialogue on Twitter, Street Dog is a limited-edition, re-branded version of the brewer’s popular Punk IPA.

The cans will feature dog adoption ads specially selected by charities All Dogs Matter and Dogs on the Streets. 100% of the profits generated from the sale of the Street Dog beer will be split evenly between the two charities.

It follows a video posted last month by The Office star in which he urged companies to donate to charity rather than shell out for celebrity endorsement.

Meanwhile, ex-The Saturdays member Frankie Bridge has been named the brand ambassador of low ABV ‘spirit’ label Atopia.

The brand, which is bottled at 0.05% ABV and retails for around £25 in UK supermarkets, was created by spirits group William Grant & Sons last summer.

Bridge, who is Atopia’s first brand ambassador, will promote the botanical spirit alternative through social media promotions on her Instagram, Twitter and TikTok accounts, which have collectively garnered two million followers.

It is hoped that the singer and mental health advocate will show William Grant & Sons, which also owns Hendrick’s gin and Russian Standard Vodka, to be company that offers drinks promoting wellness alongside its alcohol brands.

And in upcoming celebrity drinks brands, Norwegian house DJ Kygo and professional golfer Rickie Fowler have joined the board of canned pre-mixed producer The Long Drink Company.

Kygo, who’s real name is Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, and Fowler were introduced to The Long Drink by actor Miles Teller, who became a co-owner of The Long Drink Company in August last year.

A “Long drink” (in Finnish ‘lonkero’) refers to a mixed drink made from gin and a mixer, more often than not grapefruit soda. The Long Drink Company’s core product is The Finnish Long Drink, a 5.5% ABV beverage described as a “refreshing, citrus soda with a premium liquor kick”.

As travel restrictions eased last month, DB’s Editor-in-Chief Patrick Schmitt MW went on his first press trip since February, travelling to Spain’s Jumilla region close to Alicanté.

There were a lot of masks involved, of course.

Ryan Reynolds isn’t the only one receiving backing from Diageo this week.

Distill Ventures, the venture capital business funded by Diageo, has invested in Rheinland Distillers GmbH, a company founded in 2014 by long-term friends Raphael Vollmar and Gerald Koenen.

The pair claim they launched their brand with just €4,000 to their name, after deciding they wanted to “disrupt the gin category” with their Siegfried Rheinland Dry Gin. Four years later, Vollmar and Koenen brought a non-alcoholic alternative to market, called Siegfried Wonderleaf. Wonderfleaf is Germany’s first non-alcoholic spirit alternative, and is also is made with the same botanicals as the company’s full-strength gin.

In upcycling, Discarded, an aperitif brand owned by spirits group William Grant & Sons, has created face masks from waste milk to support bar staff who are returning to work to new hygiene and safety measures.

The company is working with Mi Terro, a biotech firm that extracts the casein protein molecules from the bacteria found in “bad” milk and uses Dynamic Flow Shear Spinning to create sustainable fibres. The company has used this fibres to make rewearable face-masks for bartenders.

William Grant & Sons will distribute the complimentary masks to selected bars around London including Happiness Forgets and Ever After, Artisean, and Grind, as well as further afield around the UK.

In social distancing (or lack thereof), a restaurant in San Francisco has been ordered to take down its igloo-like domes designed for socially distanced dining by the city’s health officials.

A Department of Public Health official ordered Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Hashiri to take the domes down due to their inability to provide sufficient ventilation for the diners inside them.

San Francisco’s Department of Public Health regulations stipulate that outdoor dining structures need to be open at the sides to allow for adequate airflow.

Australian beer brand Victoria Bitter has partnered with Australian perfumers to create a very blokey beer perfume.

Called “Thirst”, it is made with perfume oil along with the hops used to brew the beer. The fragrance is targeted at men in the run up to Fathers’ Day in Australia, and designed to celebrate the “knock-off” hours after a hard day at work, according to the brand.

In true men’s toiletries fashion, the perfume is said to have “bitter citrus and icy aromas”, along with floral, spicy, and sweet scents from the hops.

Brand ambassador Harley Breen said Thirst is “a scent that every man can get around. It will make you wanna sniff your mate after a full day on the tools.”