Hop Take: The Winner of the World Cup Is… Anheuser-Busch InBev

Cat Wolinski - vinepair.com

Budweiser (who else?) is the global beer sponsor of the 2018 World Cup. This means spectators the world over — an audience of over 3.2 billion — will be tuning in to four Budweiser commercials throughout the month-long tournament.

This ad campaign, called “Light Up the FIFA World Cup,” is AB InBev’s biggest yet. Bigger than the Super Bowl. Bigger than anything any beer company could ever imagine. We’re talking ads aired in 50 countries.

According to Forbes, AB InBev expects these ads to help boost its annual growth. Analysts estimate that Russia, a country that bans alcohol advertisements and whose beer sales fell 5 percent in 2017, will see a 2 to 3 percent spike in beer sales thanks to World Cup viewership. What will spectators most likely be reaching for? Budweiser and the local AB InBev-owned Klinskoye. Click Here To Read More!

How Real Is the Agave Shortage?

Chantal Martineau - liquor.com

If you call yourself a tequila lover, you might be concerned about the reported agave shortage resulting from the soaring price of the spirit’s raw material. The spiky bluish-green plant whose heart is used to make tequila cost under 4 pesos (roughly $0.21) per kilo in 2016. Today, the price is about six times higher at 23 pesos per kilo ($1.26).

“Agave prices are cyclical,” says Jenna Fagnan, the president of Tequila Avión. “Tequila comes from a plant that’s unlike, say, corn or grain, which can grow back every year. It takes seven to 10 years for an agave plant to grow.” Fagnan says that the price per kilo can fluctuate wildly during its lifecycle. Click Here To Read More!

We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s Your Favorite Bargain Bottle?

Christoper Osburn -vinepair.com

For bartenders, choosing a favorite bottle of booze is like picking a favorite child: It’s not easy and someone is going to get their feelings hurt.

We asked 10 drinks professionals to tell us the one bottle they always have around. Then, to make things even more challenging, we requested they keep prices down and nominate the best bottle of bargain booze.

Their insights do not disappoint. Here are 10 bartenders on the one affordable spirit they cannot imagine life without. Click Here To Read More!

Woodford Reserve® Celebrates the Best of Kentucky with 2018 Kentucky Derby® $1,000 Mint Julep Cup

prnewswire.com - News Provided By Woodford Reserve

LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodford Reserve®, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby®, today reveals its $1,000 Mint Julep Cup available at the Kentucky Derby® benefiting the Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund. Now in its 13th year, the 2018 Cup pays tribute to Kentucky by offering a quintessential julep crafted by Woodford Reserve's newly appointed Assistant Master Distiller, Elizabeth McCall, and Master Distiller, Chris Morris. This year's cup, recipe and experience is presented under the theme: Best of Kentucky. Click Here To Read More!

Elephant Gin to Launch in the US in 2018

bevnet.com

HAMBURG, Germany — Elephant Gin is launching its signature products into the US market in Q1 of 2018 (www.elephant-gin.com). Inspired by the traditional sundowner experience after a day out in the African bush, Elephant Gin is produced for wildlife adventurers and urban explorers alike. Handcrafted in Germany with the highest quality production standards, each batch is distilled using fourteen botanicals, including rare African ingredients, to create its distinctive flavor profile.

The company also gives back to what inspired the gin in the first place. Elephant Gin contributes 15% of bottle proceeds to African elephant foundations in an effort to support the preservation of theAfrican wildlife and help ensure that future generations will be able to explore these magnificent landscapes. Click Here To Read More!

We Wouldn’t Have Limited-Edition, Cult Bourbons Without Jim Beam

Aaron Goldfarb - vinepair.com

What if I told you a new, limited-edition bourbon was hitting the market soon. Eighteen years old, 99 proof, finished in Fussigny Cognac casks. There are only about 5,000 bottles available.

What would you pay for that?

What if I told you the bottle itself was in a French crystal decanter, delicately acid-etched with the images of oak leaves, worth $75 even when empty.

Now what would you pay?

Today those bonafides might come with an MSRP of several thousand dollars, and they would clear out of liquor stores fast. But when Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece was released, in 1999 for $250, it quietly sat on shelves gathering dust for nearly a decade. Click Here To Read More!

Cardinals Adding Social Space to Busch Stadium

By Zach Spedden on December 12, 2017 in Major-League Baseball, News

Busch Stadium will offer a new social space beginning with the 2018 season, as the St. Louis Cardinals are undertaking a ballpark renovation project.

Leading up to next season, the Cardinals will be working on an overhaul that makes Busch Stadium one of the latest ballparks around Major League Baseball to add a new social space. The Cardinals have already removed several sections of seating in right field, kicking off a project that will result in new bars and gathering spaces in an area of Busch Stadium that is open to all fans. Click Here To Read More!