Booze Newz Cocktail Hour

The Macallan: Turning Very Pricey Whisky into Water

The word “whisky” is derived from the Gaelic word for “water of life,” and so it’s fitting that the proceeds of the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold should go to support efforts to provide people with clean water.

The Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique: Cire Perdue sold for $460,000 at a Sotheby’s auction this week in New York, with all the proceeds benefiting charity: water, a non-profit organization that provides access to clean drinking water to people in developing nations. Macallan’s oldest whisky was bottled in a one-of-a kind Lalique crystal decanter, created using the “cire perdue” or “lost wax” method.

We hope the lucky winner of the bottle, having done his or her good deed for the day, actually sits down and enjoys the prize, although it might be a daunting proposition at thousands of dollars per glass.

After the jump: Bacardi, Absolut and Poppin'n'drinkin' with Flavor Flav.

Flavor Flav: A Name Destined to Land on a Line of Vodka

Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav is branching out from tasty rhymes to tasty treats — well, if you consider bubblegum vodka to be tasty.

"Yo, check this out," Flav told The Quietus. "I want you all to keep on the lookout — it should be on the shelves by January — I'm launching a thing called 'Le Flav Spirits'. I'm comin' out with a cherry vodka, a berry vodka, an olive vodka, a sweet tea vodka, a bubblegum vodka and grape vodka. Also, I'm comin' out with 'Le Flav Cognac' and 'Chateaux Le Flav' which'll be some bubbly. Champagne, that's right folks – Poppin'n'drinkin'!"

Oh, but there’s more. Flav will also be coming out with a brand of fried chicken. "I'm also launching FFC – ya'll heard of KFC right? – well this is FFC, Flav's Fried Chicken. The Colonel better watch his back, G! The Colonel might end up in my fryer!"

Fried chicken and sparkling wine have long been considered an ideal pairing, but we suspect FFC is more likely to be consumed as a late-night antidote to too much grape vodka. As Public Enemy once said, don’t believe the hype.

Absolut Brightens Up Bus Stops in Chicago

Speaking of vodka, Absolut is taking to the streets of Chicago with its “Drinks” campaign to transform bus stops into colorful representations of the visions of photographers Ellen Von Unwerth and Amanda De Cadenet. Featuring stars including Kate Beckinsale, Zooey Deschanel and Ali Larter, the bus stop installations play on the themes of “Lemon Drop,” “Twist,” and “Bloody” and will stay on the streets until late in December.

Advertising on public buses is a common sight in most cities, but Absolut’s latest innovation takes things a step further in successfully integrating advertising into city life. The next logical step, of course, would be a bar at the bus stop, but that may be just too much to ask.

Bacardi Looks to Mix Things Up with New Facebook App

Need an excuse to further integrate your social life with alcohol? Bacardi has an app for that.

The rum brand is launching the “MIX-TOGETHER” Facebook application that integrates all of a user’s Facebook events into a visual calendar as well as allowing participants to earn “social points” by creating events, accepting invites and visiting the app. The points can be used to work towards "Maestro de Ron Bacardi" status and a chance to win prizes like a trip to Puerto Rico. Users will also be able to upload and share pictures of their events and create music-backed videos of nights out.

The app also features a rather silly “Shake-Ups” section that offers suggestions like “Wear stripes over checks, or polka dots over stripes” or “Make your own shoes” and allows users to create events using these ideas and invite their friends. Come on, does anyone really need an app to tell them to do the YMCA dance to a random song? Isn’t that what drinking is for anyway, to spontaneously inspire amazing ideas like this?