Ginebra San Miguel Has Your Summer Sorted

Posted by Karlo Samson on February 24, 2016 in Entertainment, Events, Food & Drink | Leave a comment

As far as liquors go, gin is as proletariat as you can get. Its popularity is undeniable; affordable and accessible to the mass market, it is an easy tipple of choice for those all-night drinking sessions with your uncles in the garage or those she-doesn’t-love-me-anymore emo-fests with your closest mates each time a girl reaches into your chest and rips out your heart. It keeps you warm when you’re camped above the cloud line on Mount Pulag and the wind is ripping your tent to shreds. It keeps you company when you just want to enjoy a buzz while thinking deep thoughts alone in your study.

Gin, perhaps, is the most utilitarian of all alcohols, a Swiss Army Knife that you can swig straight from the bottle or mixed with other magical liquids. However, for all of this, gin does not enjoy the prestige of its peers sharing the liquor cabinet. Whisky is practically worshipped in some circles, wine moreso. Even rum, that cheap pirate drink from days of yore, now enjoys a certain mystique especially among sun worshipers and folks who like their cocktails fruity. Gin, alas, is the hardworking everyman, the working stiff who clocks in his hours and comes home to his wife and 4.5 children, struggling to make ends meet.

The good folks at Ginebra San Miguel believe that it’s time to change all that. They believe that Ginebra San Miguel needs to be emancipated from its past and reborn for a fresher market. Gin cries out, “Give me free!”

Throughout this summer, GSM revamps its whole concept of gin with a series of rebranding activities and activations, kicking off with Gindependence Day, held last February 18 at URBN QC. A portmanteau of Gin and Independence (though Gin and Dependence seems to also work, haha!) Gindependence Day presented the brand’s lineup to the media, a microcosmic taste of what to expect during the scorching summer months.

The flagship brand Ginebra San Miguel Gin will enjoy the most activities of course. While it maintains the “Ganado” theme, what’s changing is the target audience, from an older demographic to a younger one. Call it “passing the baton.”

Driving to street food festivals, food truck fiestas and other outdoor events is the Gin Nation Roving Caravan, a fully-stocked bar on wheels that promotes Ginebra San Miguel as the perfect cocktail ingredient. With five signature drinks (Manila Sunrise, Blue Fizz, Mojito Slush, Sweet Lemony Martini and the All-Nighter), the Gin Nation Roving Caravan highlights the chameleon-like versatility of gin.

Spreading the gospel of music around the country is the Ginumanfest Concert Series, on its fifth consecutive year of bringing electrifying bands and performers to events from Luzon to Mindanao. Drinks will flow, yes they will, because everyone knows that live rock and roll is best experienced with a buzz.

Of course Ginebra San Miguel would be remiss if it didn’t address the basketball issue. Barangay San Miguel is coming to a barangay near you with the Ginebra San Miguel 3 on 3 Tournament. The top 16 teams from identified areas will face-off against one another in a championship tournament for the title (and the bragging rights!).

The GSM Blue brand gets an update as well, not just the look but even the taste. It’s been reformulated to give the drinker some hints of fresh citrus, making it a bit smoother, lighter and more sophisticated. GSM Blue will be a permanent fixture in the favorite summer destinations of its millennial target market. Their adopted hashtags, #YOLO, #Adventure, #GSMBlue and #GSMBlueSummerAdventure ought to give you an indication what the brand is going for. GSM Blue is likewise continuing its Blueniversity Cup mixing competitions, which pit bartending students against each other for the right to represent the country in no-holds-barred international combat mixing.

Setting its sights on the upscale market, Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin marks the brand’s expansion into somewhat new territory. Premium wants to position itself in the Arts and Culture space, drawing from the rich history of Ginebra San Miguel to tell a more genteel story. This is where the Black Fleet comes in, a luxury party bus that flits from one partner bar to another, ferrying its passengers in style while serving Premium Gin in a variety of ways. The Gin Cart, on the other hand, will appear at events such as Art Fair Philippines 2016. Expertly crafted from wood and black metal, the Gin Cart highlights the iconic Ginebra San Miguel logo, which was created by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo. Artisanal drinks and experimental cocktails will be served from the Gin Cart.

Summers do have to end eventually and Ginebra San Miguel wants to end the season with a bang on World Gin Day, June 11 AKA “Gin11,” joining the world in celebrating the wonderful Swiss Army Knife of the liquor world. Gin11 will treat audiences to performances by Calalilly, Quest, Banda ni Kleggy, Ginebra San Miguel Calendar Girl Arci Muñoz and many more.

Sounds like Ginebra San Miguel has our summer all sorted out for us. Ain’t that awesome?