Bacardi's on fire!

Bacardi 151 rum is not for the faint hearted. At almost 76% alcohol, this rum is flammable as well as potent. The bottle labels were updated in May and now include 8 warnings about the highly flammable spirit. The bottle also includes a flame arrester.

The first warning tells consumers not to use this product for flaming dishes or drinks, so what exactly should they use it for? This has caused alot of confusion amongst food and drinks bloggers as there is no sign of this product on Bacardi's US website.

Image from Bev Law

Bacardi Relaunches its Flavor Range

From their Press Release:

"BACARDI® today announced the launch of new global packaging for its flavored rum brands to showcase the premium quality of its rums. The re-designed bottles and outer shippers have a bolder, more modern look to further capture the attention of adult consumers.

The redesigned bottle is more slender in shape and utilizes colorful, new label designs to more prominently display the dynamic taste of each BACARDI Flavored Rum, including: BACARDI® LIMÓN™; BACARDI® O™; BACARDI® PEACH RED; BACARDI® RAZZ™; BACARDI® BIG APPLE™; BACARDI® GRAND MELON™; and BACARDI®COCONUT™. The innovative bottle design is the perfect mix of style and sophistication.

“The new global packaging of the BACARDI Flavored Rum family of brands showcases the bold, vibrant and distinct qualities of these outstanding flavors,” said Gordon Chisholm, brand director, BACARDI Flavored Rums. “It further strengthens the Bacardi leadership position within the flavored rum category, as well as our role as a premium spirits producer. We are very excited about the evolution of the brand and its continued growth.”

For more info visit The Intoxicologist Is In

Bacardi Mojito

From Luxist:

"We could hardly be called big fans of pre-mixed drinks, so we were not overly enthusiastic when a bottle of Bacardi's new "ready to serve" Classic Mojito cocktail first arrived. Its atypical clean design and high-quality ingredients - Bacardi Superior rum, the kind they've been making since 1862, and natural mint and lime flavorings - softened us a little, however, so in the spirit of journalistic inquiry we decided to give it a try.

We love Mojitos but if you've every tried making 'em for 12 or more ravenously thirsty guests -- as we have on more than one occasion, exhausting the local supply of mint, limes and patience in the process - you'll realize the appeal of such a product if done properly, and we were pleasantly surprised by this one.

We think the late, great Kingsley Amis would approve, especially as he advocated expediency in matters of dispensing drinks to several people at once. Take heed of the following however: crushed ice is essential as is fresh mint and lime for the sake of verisimilitude. A quarter of a lime and a sprig of mint per drink should do it, a fraction of what the handmade version calls for, and there's no need to get muddled."

Groove Armada sign deal with Bacardi

From Brandrepublic

"LONDON - Groove Armada have become the latest pop act to break out of the record company mould by signing a one-year music deal with alcoholic drinks firm Bacardi-Martini.
The British dance music duo, who recently parted ways with Sony BMG's Jive Records label, will release music via the Bacardi brand and play live at Barcardi-branded events. As part of the recording contract, the first involving a band and a drinks brand, Bacardi will fund the production of a four-track EP, which will be released digitally and in hard-copy format.

The agreement also allows Bacardi to commission tracks for use in advertising and other promotional campaigns.

For Bacardi, the deal is a close fit with its two-year old B-Live project, a series of live streamed dance music events that the drinks brand has hosted in more than 25 countries across the globe. Groove Armada are due to play at a number of these over the coming year.

Andy Cato, one half of Groove Armada, said: "After Groove Armada's 10th anniversary year of huge gigs, we were looking for ways to take things to another level. Working alongside Bacardi we have the chance to take the GA travelling show to new people and places, find innovative ways of getting our music out there and keep the stories flowing for the GA Road Movie with Bacardi B-Live."

Groove Armada are no strangers to licensing their music for use in marketing -- their track 'I See You Baby' was used to promote the Renault Megane in a long-running TV campaign.

The ad was been banned from being shown when children were watching TV after complaints that some were copying the language and the ad's bum wiggling.

Bacardi's marketing strategy is particularly focused on attracting young consumers through its involvement in music. For example, it has a heavy presence at UK music festivals, hosting a B-Live Arena at the V Festival and T in The Park.

Groove Armada's deal with Bacardi is the latest in a growing trend in which bands are eschewing traditional ways of releasing music.

Most famously last October, Radiohead let punters pay as little or as much as they wanted for the release of studio album 'In Rainbows'. Just days before the Radiohead news broke, The Charlatans announced that they were to give away their forthcoming album 'You Cross My Path' as a free download in a deal with Xfm; and, in July, Prince sparked a major row with retailer HMV when he gave away his latest album 'Planet Earth' with The Mail on Sunday."

Bacardi's New Emphasis on Mixing

Everyone knows Bacardi as a spirit that goes with Coke but noone really thinks of it in any other capacity. This is what the brand is hoping to address through its latest £15 million "Versatility" campaign. The brilliant TV ad (see below) broke last month and makes up part of a growing trend amongst food and drinks brands to position the product as an integral part of a wider function. For example think of the Lurpak's fantastic recent 'Good Food Deserves Respect' work (also below). This doesn't simply shout about how good the butter is, but instead makes you consider it as an inherent part of a wider experience, in this case delicious and wholesome cooking. Bacardi is moving towards this too, and has come up with a range of new serves, including three new "perfect" serves: with ginger, cranberry and soda and lime. This is definitely something to think about in terms of alcohol usage occasions.

Bacardi Bespoke Bar Service

From Springwise:

Bacardi Bespoke is a service from Bacardi in the UK that brings bars to customers' homes or offices. The bars come complete with glasses, ice, equipment, expert cocktail mixologists, a portable bar and a DJ.

Naturally, the bartenders make everything with Bacardi, having created new versions of classic cocktails to incorporate Bacardi rum. Cocktail lists are personalised to a host's taste and a party's theme or vibe. In essence small-scale sponsored and branded events, Bespoke home parties are subsidised by Bacardi, so prices aren't as high as would be expected from a professional service (contact Bacardi Bespoke for details).

Spiked with a splash of tryvertising, Bacardi Bespoke is great example of what trendwatching.com has defined as the insperience trend: consumers' desire to bring top-level experiences into their domestic domain. Product seeding combined with something consumers want -- no reason why this wouldn't work equally well for other brands and other industries. Be inspired, and get the party started!

Contact: info@bacardibespoke.com "

Here's the content from the Bacardi site:



"Bacardi Bespoke is a prestige service for the House party generation. All those involved, from the Mixology team to the DJs and production designers, are leaders in their fields. And most importantly weve got you, our party hosts.

Bacardi Bespoke delivers a quality experience. Theres no embarrassing pazzaz or marketing spiel. We bring our cocktail party hospitality team - the best in the business, they handled backstage at Live8 and Glastonbury this year - to your space with all the gear they need... a bar, equipment, glasses, ice. Then there are the bespoke party soundtracks lovingly dedicated to cd by our world leading DJ's. Every element we employ throughout the service is the best, from the premium Bacardi Rums to our specially-commissioned bars and even the (arguably phallic) plastic muddlers.

The Bacardi Bespoke site here celebrates the House party, its history and its many forms. Within you'll find features anonymously contributed by some of the UK's finest style and music journalists, photography by Austin Harragin, artwork and graphics from the legendary artist known as Mode2, immaculate embroidery from Laura Lees and exclusive House party mix CDs by some of the Worlds most legendary contemporary DJs such as Cosmo, Rob Mello and Qool DJ Marv. We built it all, the way it should be, with love, passion and understanding, just like our rum cocktails themselves. Its a service you'll enjoy through your selected membership.

And your membership doesnt just count for a one-off cocktail party, we want to do more things together. We're already working on ways to evolve Bespoke. Your feedback and involvement is actively encouraged. Correspond through the useful 'contact us' button at the top of the screen to let us know your thoughts and experiences of the Bacardi Bespoke experience.

Enjoy yourselves here. And certainly at the parties.

“It was wicked to be served cocktails while hanging out with friends in a relaxed atmosphere”
Felix Buxton, Basement Jaxx"