A coffee virtuoso 

From the comfort of home, consumers can craft Starbucks brewed coffee, expresso and caffé lattes with the touch of a button. Starbucks Coffee Co. recently launched the new generation of its Verismo System by Starbucks: the Verismo V Brewer. The new, single-cup brewing system offers a sleek design, enhanced features and an expanded coffee and expresso pod variety, including limited-edition pods such as Christmas Blend, which is available in brewed and espresso dark Verisomo pods. The new system also offers a Verismo Milk Frother that can be used with hot or cold milk for a Starbucks experience at home, it adds.

Color outside the lines 

In honor of historical elections, W Hotels Worldwide debuted its “All the President’s Cocktails,” a coloring book that celebrated the drinking habits of the United States’ former Commanders in Chief with 12 pages of presidents and their favorite cocktails. From George Washington’s Whiskey Old Fashioned to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Gin Martini and Honest Abe’s Cucumber Stiletto Mocktail, each page included an illustration to color along with
a cocktail recipe. Illustrated by Lindsay Mound, the book was exclusively available to guests who stayed in the EWOW Suite, the hotel’s version of the Presidential Suite, at any of the 24 W Hotels throughout the United States from Oct. 28 to Election Day, Nov. 8.

Get in the holiday spirit

Bibo Barmaid is a smart self-serve cocktail machine that allows consumers to create blended mixed drinks at home with the touch of a button. Created by Debra Walker, Bibo Barmaid’s three-part system includes the countertop appliance, proprietary Bibo Alcohol pouches and Bibo Cocktail mixer pouches, which are available in flavors like Cucumber Melon, Tangerine Paloma, Margarita and Appletini, the company says. “Necessity is the mother of invention and that’s what happened with the Bibo Barmaid,” Walker said. “I’ve hosted and attended many parties where the drinks were either too weak or too strong, and too many open alcohol bottles and mixers made it a mess, resulting in wasted leftovers. During a girlfriend get-together, I realized there had to be a better way to make cocktails. New technologies can make life easier and up the fun-factor. That’s what Bibo is all about.”

Uniting imagery

Starbucks introduced a limited-edition green cup, exclusively available at its U.S. stores, featuring a single line that creates a mosaic of more than 100 people on the outside of the cup. “The green cup and the design represent the connections Starbucks has as a community with its partners (employees) and customers. During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values and the need to be good to each other,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. Launched on Nov. 1, the cups were available as long as supplies remained available. The artwork was created by Shogo Ota, it says.

A unique trip

The Lights Out, a music and light project, and Aeronaut Brewing Co. have collaborated to create T.R.I.P., a sci-fi album and an adventure beer. The album explores the idea that our observable universe is one of many where everything possible exists somewhere, the company says. The beer is an Imperial Session IPA — a paradox in a can — representing the full range of possibilities, brought together in a drinkable offering by the brewers at Aeronaut, it adds. This fall, drinkers who purchased cans of T.R.I.P. beer found instructions on the label for obtaining a copy of the T.R.I.P. album by taking an action on social media. “The beer fuels your trip through the multiverse, and the album is the soundtrack to that journey,” The Lights Out guitarist Adam Ritchie said in a statement.

Xperience the arts

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 5, consumers were invited to participate in Perrier’s ARTXTRA initiative supporting emerging artists by voting in the first-ever Perrier Artist of the Year contest. Consumers visited perrier.tumbler.com/artxtra to see all three artists featured alongside their proposed packaging designs and voted for their favorite. The winning artist’s designs will be brought to life with a nationwide limited-edition product release in 2017, the company says. Perrier also will present the Artist of the Year with a full-scale installation at Miami Art Week 2017, it adds.

Funding the future of craft beer

Five Oregon State University Fermentation Science students received a combined total of $70,000 from the Jack Joyce Scholarship last month. The fund was created by Columbia Distributing and Rogue Ales as a tribute to Rogue Founder Jack Joyce after his passing in 2014 and has given away $185,000 since its inception, the company says. “We’re honoring the legacy of my dad while helping to build the next generation of world-class craft beer,” Rogue President Brett Joyce said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to be involved in some small way with the financial contribution to the students’ educational goals.”

On-the-go gifting

Along with a slew of updates to the Dunkin’ Mobile App, Dunkin’ Donuts announced that it has enabled gifting and payment within Messages in iOS 10. Consumers now can access the app for iMessage to deliver mobile Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards to friends, family and colleagues as quickly and simply as sending an emoji, the company says. They have the option to purchase Dunkin’ Donuts mGifts in Messages using Apple Pay, making it even easier to share a Dunkin’ gift in a private and secure way, it says. Once received, the mGifts can be moved into the Dunkin’ Mobile App and registered for use. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts launched branded stickers available in Messages in iOS 10.