Vimto creates Centenary Cocktail

Monday, 03 November 2008

To mark its 100th birthday, Vimto Soft Drinks recently invited some of the UK's top mixologists to go head to head in a competition to create a bespoke Vimto Centenary Cocktail.

The event, which took place at The Living Room in Manchester to coincide with the city's illustrious Food and Drink Festival 2008, saw Mancunian mixologist, Bart Murphy, take the title with his cocktail, "So-Berry-Vim-Van-Tastic", crowned as the new cocktail must-have for the Autumn/Winter season.

Judging the competition were John Nichols, the grandson of the founder of Vimto and current chairman of parent company, Nichols PLC, Michelle Eagleton from Channel M and Dave Khan, manager of The Living Room - making for a fiercely contested competition.

A host of guests, including Vimto fan and BBC Radio 2 DJ Stuart Maconie, attended the competition and were given the opportunity to sample the winning cocktail and its non-alcoholic version named "The Shlurple Sensation".

Both drinks are now available on the cocktail menu at The Living Room for a limited period.

Champion mixologist, Bart, said "I had a great time experimenting with Vimto. It is so fruity and makes a perfect cocktail ingredient.

It was a real hit and I'm sure it will be a popular addition to the menu at The Living Room."

John Nichols added: "Vimto's centenary year has been packed full of celebrations and this event was another tribute to the drink my grandfather created all those years ago here in Manchester.

"He would be delighted to see that Vimto has developed into such a popular brand and can not only be enjoyed in all the varieties we produce, but can also be made into fabulous cocktails."

Recently, Vimto was termed a ‘Lovemark' by the worldwide chief executive of marketing and advertising giant, Saatchi and Saatchi, that is, a brand that reaches the heart and mind of consumers, creating an intimate, emotional connection that goes beyond the product.

As the flagship brand of Vimto Soft Drinks, Vimto has become an established international favourite, available in 65 countries worldwide and now, for the first time, is worth over £35m in the UK alone.

Created in 1908 as a tonic marketed to provide ‘vim and vigour', the brand has developed a strong consumer following based on its unique taste and secret recipe and driven by its marketing innovation through the years.

Emma Hunt, Senior Brand Manager of Vimto Soft Drinks, added: "This event marked Vimto's 100 years of success.

"Still based on the original secret recipe, Vimto tastes as good as ever - whether enjoyed as a traditional juice or mixed up with something more exotic.

"With the increased excitement generated by Vimto's birthday celebrations - and the flexibility of the product as an alternative to mulled wine this Christmas or as an ingredient in festive cocktails - we would advise retailers to stock up with all Vimto varieties in anticipation of the festive season."

The winning recipes were:
So-Berry-Vim-Van-Tastic
Ingredients:
2 raspberries
1 blackberry
3 lemon squeezes
1/2 oz gomme

Muddle together the above and add:
25ml of Vimto
1 oz of Beefeater Gin
1oz of vanilla schnapps

Shake and strain over crushed ice in a wine goblet
Stir through 5 smacked mint leaves
Top with lemonade and garnish with a blackberry, raspberry and mint sprig

The Shlurple Sensation
Chilled half pint glass
50 ml of fresh water melon juice
25 ml of fresh grape juice
25 ml of orange juice
Shaken and strained then topped with lemonade and top with a 25ml vimto "float"
Garnish with a watermelon wedge

Source: Vimto Soft Drinks