Skyy Spirits’ 1800 Reposado tequila was featured on a January episode of the Discovery Home Channel’s “Inner Chef.” The show’s host, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, is known for creating unique cuisine, and his show is about helping homeowners discover their own “inner chef.” In this episode, “Biker Barbeque,” he helped biker Tom make a dish of Grilled Oysters with Grilled Cocktail Sauce made with 1800 Reposado.

Budweiser has signed on as the exclusive malt beverage and alcohol promotional partner of the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It also will partner with SI supermodel Molly Sims for exclusive point-of-sale and promotional materials. As sponsor, Anheuser-Busch hosted the SI Super Swimsuit Party in Detroit on Feb. 4, and the official issue release party in New York City on Feb. 14. Budweiser will support the launch with in-store promotional materials such as a stand-up display, table tents, banners and a limited-edition poster featuring Sims.

The partnership is part of Anheuser-Busch’s strategy of “big event” advertising. Anheuser-Busch is the exclusive alcohol advertiser on 2006 broadcasts of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the Academy Awards.

Diageo last month featured the “Commercial Bowl,” an online competition that allowed consumers to show their love of Red Stripe beer by producing and submitting their own idea of what a Super Bowl-worthy Red Stripe ad would look like. Participants were required to set their amateur spots to the music of recording artist Ernie Smith’s “Life is Worth Living,” and could submit their commercials online. The grand prize winner won $5,000.

Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, recently installed its first 120-barrel fermenter, and to celebrate, the brewery is auctioning off naming rights to the tank on eBay. The brewery has a tradition of naming its fermentation tanks after saints who have connections with beer through the ages, including St. Adrian, St. Brigid, St. Columbanus, St. Dorothy, St. Edmond, St. Florian, St. Gall, St. Hildegard, St. Idesbald, St. Jacobus, St. Lawrence, St. Matthew and St. Nicholas. This is the third time Saint Arnold has given customers the opportunity to name a part of the brewery.

Jim Beam has renewed its relationship with Robby Gordon Motorsports as a primary sponsor of the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by team owner and veteran driver Robby Gordon for races during the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. In addition to sponsoring the No. 7 Chevrolet, Jim Beam sponsored Gordon and Team Dakar USA, the first and only American team to compete in the Dakar Rally. The company will use its sponsorship to promote the Jim Beam Racing drink smart initiative. In 2005, Gordon donated $100,000 from a fund provided by Jim Beam to colleges and universities to fund alcohol education programs such as Alcohol 101 Plus from The Century Council.

Pepsi-Cola Co. followed nearly two decades of Super Bowl advertising with this year’s Diet Pepsi spots featuring P. Diddy and Jackie Chan. Two commercials for the brand, along with a third for Sierra Mist, aired in the first and second quarters of Super Bowl XL. “The Super Bowl offers the perfect platform for a new Diet Pepsi campaign,” said Cie Nicholson, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Pepsi-Cola North America. “This brand is an important fixture in our portfolio and we will continue to look for opportunities to put it center stage.”

Miller Brewing Co. will celebrate World Cup 2006 with Pasión 10 a Hispanic-targeted on-premise promotion that includes a national sweepstakes, 24-ounce collectible cans featuring five of soccer’s No. 10 players. It also features point of sale materials and merchandise items such as a No. 10 soccer jacket, towels and bandanas, and a soccer ball beer cooler. On-premise point-of-sale materials will include themed banners, metal player takers, stand-up displays and table tents.