Don’t forget the Champagne

According to new research, Champagne does “go straight to your head,” in a manner of speaking. Scientists at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom have found that the phenolic compounds found in Champagne can improve spatial memory, which is responsible for recording information about one’s environment and storing the information for future navigation. Consumers can reap these benefits by drinking one to three glasses of Champagne a week to help counteract memory loss associated with aging and delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia, the research suggests.

Buzz cuts for tickets 

Through a MillerCoors promotion, soccer fans had the chance to prove their passion for the game by getting Miller Time-related designs buzzed into their hair to win tickets to a 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup game. Consumers of legal drinking age had to rally three of their friends to join them for the haircut to be eligible to win. The first eight participants received VIP tickets, and the next 20 fans who showed up earned general admission tickets.

A perfect fit

 Because fitting 5 liters of any type of beverage into a refrigerator isn’t always easy, Leahy-IFP introduced Space Saver juices, teas and lemonades. Available in six varieties, the beverages are packaged in 5-liter bag-in-box containers that were specially designed to fit in any refrigerator while taking up minimal space, the company says. Space Saver also features a no-drip spout system similar to those found in boxed wine packaging, it adds. “Based on increased consumer acceptance of the bag-in-box format and the increased demand for non-carbonated beverages to fit into tighter shelf spaces, we set out to design a large volume package that was similar to the already popular fridge pack for canned soda and beer,” said Joe Arends, marketing manager for Leahy-IFP, in a statement. “What we ended up with is a great portable format that is environmentally friendly and simple enough for a child to use.” 

Summer under the Corona sun

Corona Extra and Corona Light are offering consumers of legal drinking age a variety of opportunities to enhance their summer experiences through the new “Live it. Share it. Win it.” campaign, it says. Through July 31, Corona fans are encouraged to capture and upload photos of themselves enjoying Corona-inspired summer activities on coronasummer.com for chances to win hundreds of prizes. Some of the submitted photos also will appear in an upcoming Corona ad, according to the brand.

Breaking the record

Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant broke the world record for the largest sangria at their Sangria Fest on June 1 in Tampa, Fla. Using more than 750 bottles of wine and 500 pounds of fruit along with plenty of brandy, triple sec and simple syrup, Ceviche cleared the 1,000 liter minimum to set the record with a 1,022-liter beverage, according to the company. Guinness World Record Adjudicator Christina Patrick (pictured with Ceviche Chief Executive Officer Joe Orsino and Chief Marketing Officer Robin Roberts) was on-hand at the event to certify the concoction as the new record-holder.

Beverages on the brain

RoFo Enterprise Corp. enables consumers to wear their beverages with RoFo Beverage Dispensing Headgear, which can hold and dispense approximately
67 ounces of a beverage in its watertight container made of lightweight, food-grade-quality linear low-density polyethylene and keep it hot, cold or carbonated, according to Randall Flann, owner of RoFo Enterprise Corp. Weighing approximately 1.5 pounds when empty and about 5.5 pounds when full, the one-size-fits-all headgear allows consumers to comfortably carry their beverages of choice on their heads while leaving their hands free, he says. These novelty beverage dispensers currently are available to global beverage buyers and suppliers in a variety of styles, including sports- and occasion-themed versions, he adds.

100 years of whisky

In honor of the Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA) 100th anniversary, SWA brought together an array of images and artifacts, including images of whisky barrels being unloaded at the Broomielaw on the River Clyde in Scotland, classic advertising campaigns, and bottles from the last 100 years, from several Scotch whisky producers and enthusiasts for its “Scotch Whisky: From Grain to Glass” exhibition at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, Scotland. The new exhibition, on display through July 31, tracks the landmark events in the last 100 years that have shaped the SWA and the Scotch whisky industry. Exhibition visitors can learn everything from how Scotch whisky is made to how it is marketed and exported, the company says. Scotch whisky exports are worth approximately $5.7 billion a year, and the industry directly employs more than 10,000 people across Scotland, many of which are in and around Glasgow, it says.

Environmental encouragement

In celebration of its new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin attraction that opened Memorial Day weekend, SeaWorld theme park in Orlando, Fla., launched new penguin-themed refillable cups designed to interact with Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in the park. Known as the Cup That Cares, these beverage containers have radio frequency identification chips that connect with Freestyle machines to calculate and share with consumers how much carbon dioxide they are saving by choosing to reuse the cup. SeaWorld also promised to donate $1 from each Cup That Cares purchase to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, a not-for-profit foundation that helps protect wildlife around the world.