Irish Gin distillery Glendalough has unveiled a refreshed bottle design for its Wild Botanical and Wild Rose Gins.

Inspired by the wild beauty of Ireland’s ancient east, the redesign is intended to evoke a sense of place that transports you to the distillery’s bountiful home in County Wicklow.

Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough employs Ireland’s only full-time forager, Geraldine Kavanagh. The wild botanicals foraged by Kavanagh are embossed on the foot and surrounding area of the bottle to reflect ingredients that bloom high and low in Wicklow. Botanicals such as sorrel, elderflower and fir create the distinct notes of Glendalough Wild Botanical Irish Gin.

“The inspiration for the flavour of our gin comes from the scents, sights and tastes of Glendalough, and it’s my job to put that essence into the bottle,” says Kavanagh.

“Since we grow the ingredients in the wild, we take a lot of care to ensure that we don’t adversely affect the areas we forage from. To see the story of Glendalough and our process come to life in the new bottle and bring our Irish gin to the world stage is really special. This new bottle is a reminder of the significance of preserving the beautiful Irish landscape.”

There are also nods to Glendalough’s ancient past, such as the Monastery Archway, Seven Churches and Deer Stone, further evoking Glendalough’s profound sense of place. Kavanagh’s care for the land is preserved on the new bottle design with an embossed woven pattern sitting at the base, representing the handwoven basket with which she forages daily.

For more information, go to glendaloughdistillery.com

Actress Busy Philipps has teamed up with the award-winning Olmeca Altos Tequila to help US fans have the ‘key’ lime ingredients to make the best Margaritas at home.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo (and continuing throughout the month of May), the Altos Tequila Emergency HotLime will deliver fresh limes (and other key margarita-making essentials) to the lucky winners’ doors.

If you’ve forgotten your juiciest Margarita ingredient, call the Altos Tequila Emergency HotLime – 888-268-1261 – to enter for a chance to win a Busy approved Altos Margarita Essentials package.

Eligible winners chosen will not only receive juicy limes via mail (thanks to Tropical Fruit Box), but the Margarita Essentials kit will also include Altos Tequila branded swag (cantaritos cups, a bucket hat, lime squeezer) and, of course, all the additional ingredients such as fresh limes and habanero mango honey to make a Busy-inspired Margarita.

“This incredibly fun partnership is one I couldn’t resist! Besides helping make sure people can have fresh limes to make delicious margaritas, I’ll also be surprising some winners and picking up the phone lines to chat,” Philipps says.

Select lucky callers will have a chance to talk about all things Margarita-related with Busy herself.

Busy suggests, “You might want to add the Altos Tequila Emergency HotLime number to your speed dial now.”

“My margarita recipe is simple,” Philipps continues. “A great tequila, like Altos, and fresh limes are a must.  Add a touch of homemade simple syrup and a half-salted rim, and you’re set.  Easy peasy unless you realize you only have old, hard limes or no limes at all.  We’ve all been there.  So, I’m here to help fix that with my friends at Altos Tequila.”

For more information about the Altos Tequila Emergency HotLime and full sweepstakes and participation rules, please visit Emergency HotLime – Olmeca Altos and YouTube. Follow us on Instagram at @altostequila and @busyphilipps.

Mexico City bar Handshake Speakeasy has been named the best bar in North America and the Best Bar in Mexico at this year’s North America’s 50 Best Bars.

Making history as the first bar in Mexico to be named No.1, Handshake Speakeasy narrowly beat out New York City’s Superbueno, who won The Best Bar in Northeast USA 2024 and the title of Disaronno Highest New Entry.

Toronto’s Civil Liberties, No.21, won the title of The Best Bar in Canada for the third year in a row. Puerto Rico’s La Factoría, at No.18, was also recognised as The Best Bar in the Caribbean for the third year.

Overall, the U.S. led the list with 26 bars, followed by Mexico with 15 bars, seven from Canada and two on the list from the Caribbean.

“What a momentous occasion for the Mexico cocktail scene! We give our biggest ¡Felicidades! to Handshake Speakeasy and head bartender Eric van Beek for the team’s incredible work in delivering excellence,” said Emma Sleight, Head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars.

“Handshake Speakeasy continues to push the boundaries of the art of cocktail creation as well as always putting service first, so we are pleased to see them crowned the first bar in Mexico City named No.1 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list.

“We also extend our congratulations to all the other incredible bars on this year’s list, which are testaments to how exciting, innovative, and dynamic the North American bar scene truly is,” Sleight continued.

New York continued its lead with the most top bars in the North America list with 12 of the 26 U.S. listees. These included Superbueno (No.2), Overstory (No.3), Martiny’s (No. 4), Double Chicken Please (No.7), Katana Kitten (No.12), Employees Only (No.15), Dante (No.20), Attaboy (No.31), The Dead Rabbit (No.33), Maison Premiere (No.41), new entry Angel’s Share (No.43), and Milady’s (No.44).

Jewel of the South (No.7) was named The Best Bar in the South USA, with Thunderbolt (No.8) named The Best Bar in themiko (No.19) from Chicago was named The Best Bar in the West USA and Ku Midwest.

San Francisco’s True Laurel (No.30), another new entry, won the Kettle One Sustainable Bar Award, with a new entry from Chicago Meadowlark (No.32) taking home the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award.

Handshake Speakeasy is joined by Mexico City’s Rayo (No.5), Licorería Limantour (No.9), new entry Tlecān (No.10), Café del Nadie (No.17), Baltra Bar (No.26), Kaito del Valle (No.28), Hanky Panky (No.42) and Brujas (No.45).

Simpl Things in Toronto joins the stellar lineup as Campari One To Watch, and Grand Cayman’s Library by the Sea (No.35) earns the London Essence Best New Opening Award

To view the full list, go to theworlds50best.com

American Gin brand Aviation wants fans to marvel at its ‘ginematic’ universe with six new limited-edition Aviation American Gin bottles inspired by Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine”.

“I discovered Aviation American Gin while shooting the first Deadpool movie,” said Ryan Reynolds, Aviation American Gin’s Co-Owner.

“Back then, Aviation wasn’t big enough to tie-in to a big summer movie, and Deadpool was lucky to get any sponsors at all. A few hundred weeks and drinks later, here we are! They grow up so quickly, don’t they?”

Encased in sleek black glass and accented with red custom strip stamps and metallic details, the limited edition bottles have been designed by Maximum Effort and Sandstrom Partners.

Offering a nod to the iconic character, each bottle variant showcases one of six distinctive Deadpool icons, while the exterior of each gin case simulates the look of Deadpool’s signature suit fabric.

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“Our collaboration with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to create this series of bottles is a first-of-its-kind promotion for Aviation American Gin with one of the most iconic characters in pop culture history,” said Ricky Collett, Global & US Brand Director for Aviation American Gin at Diageo.

“The custom bottle embodies the irreverent spirit of both brands and showcases our commitment to pushing cultural boundaries and redefining the gin drinking experience,” Collett continued.

Each limited-edition bottle is filled with the same perfectly crisp, smooth Aviation American Gin fans know and love. Distilled in its unique American style and crafted with a blend of botanicals delivering an approachable and balanced flavour profile, Aviation American Gin is a versatile spirit, perfect for any cocktail occasion.

“The ‘Deadpool’ film franchise has been a cultural phenomenon since its inception,” said Holly Frank, Walt Disney Studios’ VP, Partnership Management and Operations, Marvel. “We’re so excited to be collaborating with Aviation American Gin to give fans a chance to engage with the world of Deadpool in a whole new way leading up to the eagerly anticipated theatrical release of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.”

The limited-edition bottles will be available while supplies last from early summer at retailers nationwide, online, as well as the Aviation Distillery, and in select countries (US/UK/CAN/AUS).

For more information, go to aviationgin.com and follow @AviationGin on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

Mexican Tequila brand Espolòn is celebrating 25 years since the introduction of its signature Tequila Blanco with the launch of a limited-edition celebration bottle.

A first for the brand, the limited-edition bottle was created by renowned Mexican street artist and illustrator, Edgar “Saner” Flores.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of this celebration and honoured that my art is now a part of the brand’s history,” explained Flores. “The essence of Espolòn’s journey inspires the label: the distinctive tequila-making process, iconic brand symbols, and the celebrations and traditions of Mexico.”

Depicting an irreverent tribute to Cirilo, the brand’s icon Ramon the Rooster, as well as the steps in Espolòn’s thoughtful tequila-making process. The artwork also pays homage to José Guadalupe Posada, whose iconic illustrations inspire every Espolòn bottle available today.

Additionally, Espolòn has collaborated with The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) to spur the next generation of creatives by supporting the first-ever Modern Maverick Artist Grant – an award created in partnership with NALAC as an extension of the organization’s 2024 NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) program.

The grant, in the amount of $10,000, will be presented by NALAC to one emerging Latinx/é artist who continues to champion unapologetic originality so they can continue to pursue their artistic endeavours.

As part of the festivities, Espolòn will also be hosting private events in Los Angeles on April 25th and New York City on May 2nd to celebrate those who have inspired and supported Espolòn throughout the years.

Hosted in partnership with iconic creative partners Adrian Per (@omgadrian) and Nicolas Heller (@newyorknico), each event combines the best of the city’s Latino art, culture, music, and of course, delicious cocktails for a night of underground celebrations leading up to Cinco de Mayo.

Espolòn Tequila is the realization of the late Founder & Maestro Tequilero Cirilo Oropeza who put his dream into motion with the construction of an innovative distillery in Los Altos de Jalisco, Casa San Nicolas (NOM: 1440).

From custom-designed stainless-steel autoclaves to serenading its yeast with classical music, Espolòn’s production process combines art with science. It merges traditional and modern techniques, creating a tequila known for its exceptional quality and versatility.

“Espolòn Tequila began with a vision to turn the tequila industry on its head to create something new and different,” explained Andrea Sengara, Vice President of Marketing at Campari America.

“As we commemorate this anniversary, we continue to champion unapologetic originality and spur on creative mavericks in all that we do, always striving to keep Cirilo’s vision alive. The past 25 years have seen this brand grow into a truly global player, and we’re excited to bring this moment to life with engaging events and limited-edition launches for Cinco de Mayo and beyond.”

For more information, go to espolontequila.com