Wet by Beefeater, Zanies Comedy Club, The Second City Comedy Club, Samba Room, Jon G. Shedd Aquarium and Leona's Italian Restaurant recently sponsored "Flirting with Disaster", a fundraising event for the American Red Cross, in Chicago. Guests mingled at the complimentary cocktail bar while sipping the signature drink of the evening, "The First Aid Kit,” a blend of Wet by Beefeater, triple sec, orange juice and a splash of grenadine.

Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas, recently starred in Something's Brewin' in Shiner, an independent documentary filmed by Austin, Texas-based Beef and Pie Productions. The film, premiering in Shiner last month, captures the secret introduction of the brewery's latest beer, Shiner Light, to the town long before it was available to the rest of Texas.

Portland Brewing Co. has announced it's hosting a Pug Crawl next month. The pub’s event, which gives pugs a chance to get dressed up in costumes, participate in a pug kissing booth and a pug fashion show, is a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society. This year’s benefit is expected to raise more than $10,000.

SoBe’s Team Lizard has picked up professional triathlete and fitness expert Eric Harr to help promote its beverages. Part of Harr’s role with “Team Lizard” is to help educate SoBe fans about health and wellness. Harr also will write a weekly column for SoBe’s Web site.

First there was cherry flavor added to colas, then vanilla, lemon and lime came along. Now soft drink companies, namely The Coca-Cola Co., are trying something new: Grapefruit. According to The Palm Beach Post, the beverage behemoth has introduced what’s being called a “fat-burning diet drink” in Japan. Although it’s not a cola, Body Style Water is a carbonated blend of grapefruit juice and caffeine.

The launch of the product is not surprising since grapefruit has been synonymous with weight loss for years, however the location for the introduction and the non-beverage product line being marketed with the drink is intriguing.

The report on the new drink suggests the product will hit Japanese shelves first because it wouldn’t be approved by the FDA, which requires evidence to prove that a product lives up to its claims.

In addition, Coca-Cola is trying an innovative marketing tie-in by introducing a lotion with grapefruit and caffeine with the soft drink, both under the brand Aroma Works.

From the beverage standpoint, I don’t think it’s so far-fetched. If you consider all of the beverages on retail shelves in this country that are designed to shave off pounds, I would say it’s only a matter of time before Coca-Cola reformulates the message and pitches the soft drink locally.

And with the typical array of copycat beverages that follow the footsteps of the world’s soft drink leader, it’s possible grapefruit will be the new flavor in the soft drink aisle.