bringing drinks to life

I was due to post a blog today about a wonderful brand that is working to support the bar industry by running an exchange programme designed to help bartenders from different countries share ideas and experience other cultures. Unfortunately I woke up and read about a different brand owner who has done the opposite and has actually sued a bar! So my apologies to St Germain, my words about your fantastic exchange programme are going to have to wait a few days while I get this off my chest!

The back-story goes something like this… A tiki bar opens in New York and decides to draw inspiration from a classic tiki drink, the ‘Painkiller’ and in fact decides to name itself after this exotic libation. In its first year of doing business, this bar gains a fantastic reputation and business is going well for the team there. Unfortunately though, the Painkiller cocktail is one of the very few that has been trademarked by a brand, in this case Pusser’s rum, and the brand decides to sue the bar claiming irreparable harm to its brand, unfair competition and unfair business practices.