From Jay Kay of Jamiroquai to Jeff Goldblum to Becky G and a member of a South Korean boy band, the stars came out for spirits marketing in July.
Celeb sightings headlined July’s marketing moves, but for success, the partnerships needed to make sense – as shown by Beefeater’s clever recreation of Jamiroquai’s Virtual Insanity video for its non-alcoholic variant and Jeff Goldblum taking to Botivo’s yellow piano for an impromptu pop-up performance.
Away from the stars, a bar community coin tradition reappeared in the UK, while Buffalo Trace had adults dreaming of going back to summer camp.
Read on for the rest of July’s spirits marketing moves.
For previous month’s roundups, see how spirits marketing looked in May and June.
Jeff Goldblum puts on a show with Botivo
American actor and musician Jeff Goldblum joined forces with non-alcoholic apéritif Botivo for a special show before his gig at the Royal Albert Hall in June.
Goldblum played a pop-up piano performance to a crowd of more than 100 outside of the London concert hall, including a rendition of My Baby Just Cares For Me. During the show, the brand also handed out cans of its Botivo Spritz to attendees.
Imme Ermgassen, co-founder of Botivo, said: “We know Jeff’s a mega musician, so when we heard he was a fan of Botivo, we had to approach him to play on our yellow piano.”
Goldblum’s appearance is part of Botivo’s Yellow Hour Sessions series, which are live musical moments centred around the brand’s travelling yellow piano.
Camp Buffalo Trace pitches up for summer in Kentucky
Sazerac-owned Buffalo Trace unveiled an adult summer camp for Bourbon fans that will take place on 29 August and 5 September.
Camp Buffalo Trace is open to adults aged 21 and over. It combines summer camp-inspired activities, Bourbon education, and an overnight stay at the distillery in Kentucky. Among the experiences are a whiskey woodcraft workshop, bung-driving relay, blind tasting, Buffalo Trace trivia competition and a single-barrel challenge.
Ninety winners were chosen randomly through an online sweepstakes. Select guests could extend their adventure with an overnight stay in luxury camping accommodation.
X marks the spot for Neurita in Spain
Female-founded brand Neurita has teamed up with Xdrinks to launch its range of 100%-agave Tequilas in Spain.
The brand’s full range of Tequilas is now available in the country, including its Neurita Picante, Citrus, Rosa, and Blanco expressions.
Lucy Smith, founder of Neurita Tequila, said: “Spain has a vibrant cocktail culture, and an increasingly sophisticated consumer base looking for premium agave spirits. We’ve seen incredible momentum behind Picante Tequila and the Spicy Margarita trend in Europe, making this the perfect time to bring the full Neurita range to Spain with Xdrinks.”
Mallorca’s Xdrinks will manage the brand’s distribution in on- and off-trade markets. “We are excited to introduce Neurita to our network of premium hotels, cocktail bars, sub-distributors, and hospitality partners,” said Oane Rijpma, CEO of Xdrinks.
K-pop star joins Jinro
Soju brand Jinro enlisted V, of South Korean boy band BTS, as its global ambassador.
The singer, whose real name is Kim Tae- hyung, will participate in a range of marketing initiatives for the brand as part of its global expansion strategy.
Jungho Hwang, the head of overseas business at HiteJinro, the soju’s parent company, said: “V is an exceptional artist who naturally represents the brand values and sensibility that Jinro pursues.”
According to Jinro, Taehyung’s presence in the campaign will help it reflect a “youthful, trend-forward spirit” that the brand is looking to position itself as worldwide. “Through our upcoming activities with V, we aim to communicate more closely with consumers around the world and continue expanding the Jinro brand,” Hwang added.
Altos gets to work on first global campaign
Pernod Ricard-owned Altos rolled out its inaugural global campaign, designed to broaden the appeal of Tequila in cocktails.
Titled Altos Always Works, the campaign aims to bring greater confidence to consumers making cocktails at home, and puts the focus on Altos as the ideal high-quality Tequila for making Margaritas and Palomas. The campaign’s lead film, Snake Hips, follows a nervous host who uses a hip-shaking method to mix drinks. It was created by British agency Wieden + Kennedy and director Sam Hibbard.
Altos Always Works debuted in the UK, and will head to Canada, Portugal and Central and Southern Europe.
Becky G designs Patrón bottle in support of Mexico rainwater project
American singer and actor Becky G designed a custom bottle of Patrón’s Silver Tequila.
The collaboration aims to bring attention to Patrón’s partnership with Isla Urbana, a Mexican nonprofit that has installed 200 rainwater harvesting systems for households in Jalisco.
The Rainwater Project Limited Edition Patrón Silver has two parts. The first is a limited edition bottle (US$60) designed by Becky G. The second piece is a collectable tin (US$42.99) featuring a design inspired by Becky G’s bottle, with waves of blue and green. Inside the tin is a standard bottle of Patrón Silver.
Absolut and Yinka Ilori join forces at Tomorrowland
As the official vodka of Tomorrowland, Absolut introduced an immersive art experience at the Belgian electronic music festival, created by British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori MBE.
The space invited festivalgoers to celebrate the joy of coming together through visual art and movement. It featured an immersive art room, interactive cylinders, a dance floor, a DJ booth, and an Absolut cocktail bar.
Ilori, who serves as creative director for the vodka brand’s Tomorrowland activations, said: “Everything I create begins with people. I think about how spaces can make us feel welcome, connected and part of something bigger than ourselves. That’s what made this collaboration with Absolut so exciting: our shared interest in bringing people together.”
Jamiroquai recreates Virtual Insanity video thanks to Beefeater 0.0%
Pernod Ricard-owned Beefeater gin teamed up with Jamiroquai to recreate the British band’s music video for its song Virtual Insanity, with its 0.0% expression.
The campaign marked the 30th anniversary of the music video, which first aired in 1996. It featured the band’s frontman Jay Kay once more, as he glided around a recreation of the set from the original video, but this time reaching for Beefeater 0.0%.
Francesco Ottaviano, vice-president of marketing for gins and apéritifs at Pernod Ricard, said: “Beefeater 0.0% plays an important role in our strategy to recruit new consumers into the brand and meet growing demand for more flexible drinking occasions.”
Fireball has a close shave with Pitbull
Ahead of American rapper Pitbull’s show at BST Hyde Park in London, on 10 July, Sazerac-owned Fireball turned a barbershop close to the park into ‘Fireball Bald Spot’, with a trip to Miami up for grabs.
The brand encouraged fans to go a step further than the bald cap fancy dress that many wear to Pitbull’s gigs, instead offering a free head shave, after which they could spin Fireball’s ‘Winning Wheel’ for a chance to win prizes.
The top prize was a trip to Miami, which included a five-night stay at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, VIP airport transfers, and an exclusive South Beach nightclub experience.
Fratelli Branca puts its money where its mouth is in three UK cities
Fratelli Branca’s coin tradition returned to the UK in bars in London, Manchester and Edinburgh in July.
Organised in partnership with Fernet-Branca’s new UK distributor, Mangrove Global, the tour invited the country’s bar community to create the next official Fernet-Branca Coin, allowing them to leave their mark on a tradition by participating in its creation. The tradition began in San Francisco in 2013, inspired by bartenders’ custom of having a shot of Fernet-Branca when they changed shifts. The coin is intended to be passed between hospitality workers during the ‘bartender handshake’, when they change shifts.
The three events – held at Acme Fire Cult in Dalston, London, Manchester bar Double Down, and Hey Palu in Edinburgh – were invitation-only, with guest lists managed by Mangrove. At each event, one winning concept was selected, with one design then chosen by Fratelli Branca’s global team as the official UK Fernet-Branca Coin.
Nicola Olianas, global export head of advocacy and ambassadors at Fratelli Branca, commented: “The coin is Fernet-Branca’s, but its meaning belongs to the bartender community.
“It has become a symbol of recognition, respect and belonging because of the people who have carried it and kept its tradition alive.”
Top marketing moves from June 2026
Top marketing moves from May 2026
Top marketing moves from April 2026
