Top marketing moves from May 2026
From clothing collabs to celeb-fronted campaigns and Matthew McConaughey’s mother, here are the top marketing moves from May.
May in spirits marketing saw Sophie Turner reprise her role as the face of St-Germain’s summer push, while Zoe Saldaña got acquainted with Grey Goose’s latest flavour.
Meanwhile, in celebration of Mother’s Day in the US, Pantalones put the spotlight on its co-founder’s mother: Kay ‘MaMac’ McConaughey.
Away from celebrity appearances, there were also new bottle designs and a number of campaigns as brands geared up for a big summer.
Keep scrolling for the best spirits marketing moves last month, and to see how brands spotlighted their products in spring, find our roundups from March and April here.
Three Cents coins Intense push
Bartender-founded Three Cents launched a campaign titled ‘Intense to the Last Sip’.
The campaign reinforces the brand’s tagline of ‘never still’, and its commitment to being “the most intensely carbonated” premium mixer. It launched with a film directed by Sweden’s Carl Sundemo focused on Three Cent’s range of soda and tonics and their intense carbonation, which are designed to never lose their effervescence. Set in a Mediterranean town, locals treat flying bottle caps as ordinary, owing to Three Cent’s level of carbonation.
The campaign rolled out via outdoor placements, bespoke installations, a TV ad, digital amplification, cinema presence, and below-the-line activations.
McConaughey’s mother takes centre stage in Pantalones ad
Pantalones Tequila pulled in the mother of its co-founder Matthew McConaughey, Kay ‘MaMac’ McConaughey, to front its latest campaign.
Launched to celebrate Mother’s Day in the US (10 May) by the Interstellar actor and his wife and co-founder, Camila Alves McConaughey, the campaign describes MaMac as the “most interesting mom in the world”. She is seen in two clips, sharing stories about her husband and her love for Tequila, while delivering one-liners.
The spots are part of the brand’s ‘Official Tequila of…’ campaign, which playfully positions Pantalones as the ‘official Tequila’ of various activities and situations.
The Glenlivet and Nicholas Daley’s capsule collection is the right fit
Chivas Brothers-owned The Glenlivet launched a four-piece capsule collection with Jamaican-Scottish menswear designer Nicholas Daley.
The collection follows the brand’s partnership with Daley to style the campaign for The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Jamaica Edition, which kicked off the Scotch maker’s travel-inspired Beyond Speyside series last autumn.
The clothing line features a soft linen shirt (US$695); lounge shorts with a pop of The Glenlivet tartan (US$465); a handcrocheted bottle carrier (US$695) made from jute yarn in The Glenlivet colour palette; and a silk bandana (US$85) that showcases the bespoke thistle and hibiscus surrounded by Daley’s take on The Glenlivet tartan pattern.
El Supremo expands Benelux footprint
Paraguayan rum brand El Supremo expanded its European presence after joining forces with Ads Group to launch in Belgium and Luxembourg.
The distributor’s general manager, Patrick Watteau, described El Supremo as “a brand with a strong story, a distinctive production method, and a premium profile that we believe will resonate with customers and partners across Belgium and Luxembourg”.
Aged in Paraguayan Incienso Marrón wood and French oak casks, El Supremo’s rum range includes five, eight, 12, and 18-year-old expressions. Talking about expanding into the two markets, the brand’s CEO, Filippo Maria Olivi di Briana, said: “We believe the profile is well suited to a market that is increasingly appreciating more elegant, less sweet rum styles.”
The glass is greener for Rhum Clément
Martinique brand Clément has adopted a proprietary glass bottle for its aged rum range.
Glassmaker Saverglass and design studio Linéa developed the new silhouette, which now has ‘Clément’ and ‘1887’ engraved directly into the glass itself. The new bottle is on average 23% lighter than the former design, cutting emissions from both glass manufacturing and transportation.
Direct glass screen printing has also been removed, improving recyclability, and all labels now use FSC-certified paper. Rhum Clément has also refreshed its designs, with its signature green colour anchoring the collection. Nick Gillett, managing director of Mangrove Global, which distributes the brand in the UK, said: “It’s a modernisation done with great care and respect for everything that makes Clément Clément. And we’re thrilled to be bringing it to customers in the UK.”
Actor Zoe Saldaña savours flavoured Grey Goose flavour
Bacardi-owned Grey Goose unveiled a series of creative shorts with Avatar actor Zoe Saldaña and French pastry chef Dominique Ansel for its new Berry Rouge flavoured vodka.
In one short, Saldaña is seen ‘savouring the moment’ on a sunlit rooftop with the expression’s hero serve, the Rouge Royale. “Being part of the brand’s first new flavour in over a decade feels incredibly special, and I love how it fits into those everyday moments,” Saldaña said.
In another short, she takes on the role of pâtisserie curator, connecting with Ansel for his Berry Rouge Pâtisserie experience, which includes exclusive Berry Rouge confections, including a pavlova, an ice cream sandwich and a Berry Rouge-infused twist on his signature cronut.
Mekong Dangerous plots global expansion with two outposts
Spiced coffee spirit Mekong Dangerous has launched in Belgium and Hong Kong, with Japan to follow later this year.
Hong Kong is seen as both a major market and a convenient launchpad into Mainland China for the brand, while the launch in Belgium follows its arrival in Germany and the Baltics this year. The coffee spirit is available behind bars and on the shelves of liquor stores in the markets.
It is made with absinthe, robusta coffee, and spices sourced from the Mekong region in Southeast Asia. It is recommended as a shot, to be sipped over ice or in one of the brand’s signature cocktails. Mekong Dangerous is bottled at 35% ABV.
Motel Mezcal hits the road to expand APAC footprint
For the next stage of its Mezcalito Mirage takeover series, Motel Mezcal visited Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Auckland in New Zealand to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region.
The initiative aims to transform cocktail bars into hedonistic mezcal hideaways, drawing inspiration from the decadence of 1980s Miami and the neon-tropical glamour of 1970s New York nightclubs. After its debut tour in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Shanghai earlier this year, the series headed to Kuala Lumpur, led by guest bartender Edwin López from Singapore bar Burnt Ends, and Auckland, hosted by lead bartender of Kemuri HiFi, Jason Clark.
Henry Gordon, co-founder of Motel Mezcal, said: “Mezcalito Mirage is about putting our mezcal in the hands of bartenders we genuinely admire and letting them interpret it.”
Del Suelo mezcal sets up shop in M&S
Kirker Greer Spirits-owned mezcal brand Del Suelo secured its first national listing in the UK after partnering with Marks & Spencer (M&S).
The brand, which launched in October 2025, is now available in 231 of the retailer’s UK stores. The listing covers Del Suelo’s debut entry-level expression, Espadín, which retails for £45 (US$61).
Giota Polyzoudi, senior spirits buyer at M&S, said: “Del Suelo is a brand with genuine credentials, combining provenance, quality and a compelling story that resonates strongly at shelf and builds consumer trust.” Crafted in San Luis del Río, Oaxaca, Del Suelo Espadín Mezcal is bottled at 45% ABV.
Cygnet nets partnership with LTA
Welsh brand Cygnet was named the official gin partner of Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) as part of a three-year partnership.
The partnership will run throughout the British grass-court season, including at the HSBC Championships, which is held at London’s Queen’s Club this month. Chris Pollard, managing director of commercial and operations at LTA, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Cygnet, a British brand fast-establishing itself as one of the world’s premier gin distillers, to deliver an even better fan experience, with our summer ‘signature serve’ set to bring premium refreshment for spectators.”
Matteo Fantacchiotti, partner, CEO and chairman of Cygnet, added: “This is one of the most significant moments for Cygnet since we launched.”
Sophie Turner shines for St-Germain
Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner has reprised her role as the face of Bacardi-owned St-Germain’s summer campaign.
Titled Delight in Life, the campaign is set in the French Riviera, and centres around simple moments of delight and the St-Germain Spritz – which is a play on its Italian counterpart, the Hugo Spritz. The campaign features a short film where Turner is seen enjoying a beach day with friends. When the weather takes an unexpected turn, she finds a way to chase the clouds away before enjoying a St-Germain Spritz as the sunshine returns.
The campaign debuts as Spritz serves continue to grow in popularity around the world.
Absolut unites with Tomorrowland for festival-themed bottles
Pernod Ricard-owned Absolut Vodka has released this year’s set of limited edition bottles with Belgian electronic music festival Tomorrowland.
The 700ml bottles are designed around Tomorrowland 2026’s Consciencia theme, which is described as a “fantasy world that unites people through a shared story of emotion, connection and unity”. The bottles are now available for €22.99 (US$27) in various European markets, with Thailand to follow in October.
Absolut is the official vodka of Tomorrowland, which will take place over two weekends in July, in Boom in Belgium.
El Rayo campaign paints a picture of Tequila as an artform
London-based Tequila brand El Rayo collaborated with artist Alice Isaac on an out-of-home campaign in May.
The campaign saw El Rayo exhibit Isaac’s work on the London Underground and in the city’s creative neighbourhoods, with a series of still collages and two animations that showcase the colourful world of El Rayo through her eyes.
“El Rayo has always believed that Tequila is an art form,” said El Rayo CEO Tom Bishop. “What Alice does with collage feels kindred to what we do with Tequila: she takes existing materials and transforms them into something entirely new with some creative imagination.”
Peddlers prepares for ‘Salted Plum summer’
Shanghai-based Peddlers Gin launched a summer campaign in China, highlighting serves made with its Salted Plum expression.
Titled Salted Plum Summer, the campaign invites venues across the country to serve Salted Plum Spritzes and Peddlers Plum Highballs to help beat the heat. Peddlers’ Salted Plum Gin is bottled at 25% ABV and is said to offer a lighter alternative to traditional spirits. Created for simple, refreshing serves such as a Highball with soda or citrus, Salted Plum is described as perfect for the city’s summer climate.
“We’re seeing people drink differently in Shanghai,” said Rio Liu, chief commercial officer. “Less about strong cocktails, more refreshing, easy, and repeatable.” In addition, Peddlers will host a series of bar takeovers and retail roll-outs across China, alongside launching a 200ml bottle of Salted Plum.
Ocean Spray dives into Cosmopolitan Day campaign
Cranberry Juice maker Ocean Spray celebrated National Cosmopolitan Day (held on 7 May) with a trade-focused campaign in the UK.
Hoping to “breathe new life” into the cocktail, the company created two Cosmopolitan serves as part of the campaign, alongside alcohol-free versions. The recipes included the Cosmo Hold Up and Cosmo Berry Bush, with both developed by mixologist Ed To. The final recipes were tasted and chosen by a focus group, including Table Manners podcast host Lennie Ware (pictured), experts from Ocean Spray, and industry insiders.
Zoe Trimble, marketing director at Ocean Spray, said: “Ed’s vision for these new serves with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice showcase just how versatile the Cosmo can be.”
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