The week in pictures

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In BYOB, Beyoncé and Jay-Z rocked up to the Golden Globes over the weekend with their own supply of Champagne.

The power couple arrived at event, which by the way, was sponsored by Moet & Chandon, laden with bottles of Aces of Spades fizz, which Jay Z has owned the rights to since 2014.

Jay-Z acquired Armand de Brignac Champagne from Sovereign Brands in 2014 after making the company an offer it “simply couldn’t refuse”.

They shared the Champagne with stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston on the night.

This month saw the start of yet another Dry January in the UK, and as you can imagine, it’s been a big week for alc-free marketing activations.

Leading the charge is, of course, Seedlip, which has a lot more flexibility on its marketing budget thanks to the fact that Diageo took a majority stake in the brand last summer.

The campaign, which will launch on 13 January in London and Manchester, will appear across rail, underground, buses, billboards and digital.

Seedlip has also launched its first ad campaign in the US this week, raising consumer awareness of the brand stateside and demonstrating that non-alcoholic booze can be for every type of drinker.

Meanwhile, more than a few high-end London bars have revamped their mocktail menus and launched some interesting collaborations.

In the Gherkin’s sky-high Iris Bar, mixer maker Franklin & Sons is hosting a bespoke “Flavour Discovery Experience” until the end of February, with experiential activities guiding guests through no-and-low alcohol tastings and pairings.

Franklin & Sons have devised an experience for guests to choose whether to indulge in one of the many prestige gin and spirit pairings, to stick to ‘Dry January’ with Seedlip and Everleaf aperitifs, or to take a middle ground with low-alcohol pairing options.

Replicating a similar pop-up the soft drinks brand pulled off over London Cocktail Week, guests will be told to choose a flavoured tonic through a blind smell test.

They will then be led to a garnish foraging garden in the bar, with planted herbs and pots of garnishes, that will complement their choice of tonic. Guests will then visit the ‘low or no library’ to choose their low or non-alcoholic spirit or vermouth, before the Iris bar’s staff get to work helping guests assemble their personalised serve.

And in alc-free beer, new brand Lucky Saint has now launched its 0.5% Superior Unfiltered Lager on draught in over 40 sites in the UK, including Hippo Inn pub group with flagship sites The Duke of Sussex in Southbank and The Islington Town House.

And when it comes to the big brands, Danish brewer Carlsberg has once again swapped out a long-standing member of its beer portfolio for a Pilsner, this time without the alcohol.

Replacing the existing Carlsberg 0.0 brand, Carlsberg Nordic will be listed in over 170 Tesco stores across the UK starting this week, with wider roll out planned later in the year. The launch will coincide with a social and digital campaign running across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Even wine critic Matthew Jukes is getting in on the act, and has launched his new brand of low calorie cordials designed to replace wine at the dinner table at M Victoria Street.

Jukes said: “I have never found a sophisticated, non-alcoholic, adult drink that is genuinely satisfying, so I decided to make my own.”

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has found a distribution partner for his Teremana Tequila label.

Mast-Jägermeister will distribute the Tequila in initial markets including Mexico, the United States and Canada, from March 2020.

The spirit will launch with three sizes; 375ml, 750ml and 1L, with RRPs of $29.99 for the 750ml Blanco and $32.99 for the 750ml Reposado.

The Rock said Teremana Tequila “has been years in the making, hand crafted with the ultimate care from beginning to end, we take deep pride in every drop.”

“Our entire team, including co-founder Dany Garcia and industry vets and co-founders Jenna Fagnan and Ken Austin, are excited to partner with Mast-Jägermeister SE to distribute Teremana. Just like us, they are a family business and share the same set of principles which are rooted in family values, hard work, craftsmanship and the importance of the people – both the consumers and those who bring our product to life.”

On Thursday, we learned that one of the UK’s best-known restaurants for New World wines, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn in Wiltshire, is to close on 28 March after 21 years.

Founded by Roger and Sue Jones in 1998, it won its first Michelin star in 2006 and retained it until last year.

One the restaurant has closed, Roger will focus his attention on wine judging and writing.

After securing a £1.5 million investment for a winery and tasting room last year, English sparkling wine producer Black Chalk has leased four vineyards in Hampshire’s Test Valley as it ramps up its expansion plans.

The vineyard is flanked by a development of luxury treehouses, operated by Wild Escapes, which will open in summer this year. This furthers Black Chalk’s ambitions to be an event venue in the future.

In sports collabs, Beavertown and Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur have launched a beer together, which will be sold exclusively at Spurs’ stadium in north London, having been brewed in the on-site microbrewery.

called One Of Our Own, is set to be unveiled tomorrow in time for Spurs’ first home game of the year against Liverpool, who are currently top of the Premier League table.

Based on a classic British IPA, the 4.9% ABV brew has been made with only European hops, including Callista, Mandarina Bavaria and Barbe Rouge.