On the 16th of September J&B will be hosting the first ever Start A Party Awards in Jo’burg as the finale to a series of online challenges set by the brand. Promising to be everything a normal awards night is not (they’re usually pretty dull), J&B will be presenting its own take on what an awards show should be. DJs Culoe De Song and Kenzhero will be ripping it up on the night alongside some mystery guests in a transformed Turbine Hall.

To get your hands on tickets to the J&B Awards, register on www.jbawards.co.za, click the RSVP button and if you’re one of the lucky few, you’ll crack the nod to this exclusive event.

Alternatively, if you’d like to go, simply go to our Facebook page, write “Start a party” on our wall and we could be sending you double tickets to this event. As easy as that (if you do it before Sunday the 12th, that is)!

As I’m sure you’re well aware we’re big fans of wine and beer at STM. In fact anything that has alcohol in it, short of methylated spirits (partly because having to fill in the meths register at Pick ‘n Pay brings on a certain type of guilt). It was therefore with great excitement that we saw you can now get wine in a 550ml beer bottle, which is great for when you feel like smashing two thirds of a bottle of wine in your face.

Seriously though, I think it’s more for the likes of picnics or other places where you typically want some wine without the mission of a cork. The idea comes from the guys at Boer & Brit, is called Bob’s Your Uncle and sells for 20 ZAR a bottle.

While I think it looks like a really cool product I can’t help but think it would’ve been better named, Jou ma se…

While I was on their site I came across this very cool looking bottle of Cap Classique Brut.

Ek wil jou he!

Feel like a lazy Sunday cycle? Then this probably isn’t one for you. The Karoo to Coast cycle race, held on the 19th of September, is a 100km cycle from Uniondale (famous for a ghost – google it) to Knysna, and as can be seen it has a couple of serious inclines involved.

It may be tough, but it really does go through some amazing natural beauty. At the end of the race there’ll be a lot more natural beauty waiting for the finishers. It comes in a glass. Preferably chilled. By now you should know what I’m talking about – good old Mitchell’s.

Belvedere Vodka has in recent years firmly established itself internationally as the premium Vodka of choice of the world’s most progressive and original creative talents, using photography and film, art and design, fashion and music to express their views of the world. Internationally, the Belvedere campaigns have been underpinned by some of the most creative photography, events, fashion and art. Belvedere Vodka South Africa is excited therefore to introduce their very own an Artistic Luxury campaign, themed around the term ‘This is Downtown’.

Belvedere artists, who are at the forefront of encapsulating the Belvedere philosophy, have been honorably inaugurated ‘Belvedere Evangelists’ and are tasked with creating their own luxury inspired creative masterpieces, whether it be in the form of photography, fashion design, graffiti art or music. Each creation will then be showcased at a number of exclusive events around the country and be utilized to communicate this new concept of luxury to its South African followers.

The first Belvedere Evangelist Belvedere presents, is talented new photographer, Natasja Fourie. Considered South Africa’s very own Marquis De Sade of artistic fashion photography and a highly coveted South African image maker, storyteller and artist, Natasja has been selected for her amazing creative eye, and her truly honest approach in documenting groups of individuals and their private lives, whilst mixing photojournalism and fashion photography at the same time. Somewhat risqué, her work is beautiful, edgy and soulful… very Belvedere indeed.

Stylist: Margot Robinson
Hair and Make-up: Marlinette Newman
Female Models: Nandi and Marike (main girl) @ M1 Management.
Male model: Andre Leo from the band ‘Pretty Blue Guns’

The only thing missing from that list is Mitchell’s. The good news is that there will be Mitchell’s, so if you want to relax in a garden with some good food and beer on the weekend, this is the place to be.

Find out more.

I did a search for “SAB” and got a bunch of results about doing it wrong when it comes to booze. Rather drink Mitchell’s.

It’s the best micro brewed beer Festival in the country and this year it’s the Gathering of the Clans: the Microbrewer’s clan, the Home Brewer’s Clan and the Musician’s Clan. Steve Gilroy is Chieftain of the Clans and all are going to celebrate the day with excellent beer from 12 breweries! Magnificent music and unrivaled revelry.

A day out Harties way with some great beers and chilled music sounds like a fine way to spend a Saturday. Check out the website for details.

And of course, there’ll be lots of Mitchell’s to be had.

While people drink for many reasons, and in varying states of mind (or to lose their mind), this is definitely the right kind of pub.

Smirnoff, the number No.1 vodka brand in the world, announces today that SA’s hottest indie band, BLK JKS – named ‘Africa’s best new band’  by Rolling Stone magazine  – will be collaborating with the world’s biggest DJ, Tiësto, on an exclusive track which will be premiered live at Smirnoff Experience™ Mashup Street in Johannesburg on 15 May

This unique collaboration between the two musically diverse acts began just a little over a month ago. Through a process of back and forth musical swaps, headliner Tiësto and BLK JKS have been busy working away on an exclusive track, as part of the Smirnoff Experience™ Mashup Street. The track will be available to Smirnoff fans in April.

Following the success of Tiësto’s recent genre-bending collaborations with Nelly Furtado, Three 6 Mafia, Calvin Harris, Tegan & Sara as well as remixes of MUSE, Bloc Party and Editors, the outcome of his sessions with BLK JKS will surely break new musical grounds for both acts.

Tickets to Smirnoff Experience™ can only be won, not bought, so visit www.smirnoffexperience.co.za to find out how to win.  Tickets are limited to the 18-and-over market.

To find out how to win, visit:

Website:           www.smirnoffexperience.co.za

Twitter:              SmirnoffSA

Facebook:        Facebook.com/SmirnoffSA

I really don’t like eating pigs. They’re a little too smart, make great pets and are kept in appalling conditions. Having said that I do guiltily go against this rule for bacon. The kind you eat that is. You may ask what other kind there is and be as surprised as I was when I came across bacon infused vodka.

Inspired by a new take on meat and potatoes Bakon Vodka is a superior quality potato vodka with a savory bacon flavor. It’s clean, crisp, and delicious. This is the only vodka you’ll ever want to use to make a Bloody Mary, and it’s a complementary element of both sweet and savory drinks.

And then, if that wasn’t unappealing enough I’ve just seen this. Bacon beer. I’m not going to go into much too much detail as it’s hard typing with bits of vomit stuck in the keyboard, but check out the step by step how to guide if you’re interested.

Certainly NOT a Mitchell’s!

It’s been to New York, Moscow, Paris and London, and now Smirnoff, the number one spirit brand in the world, is bringing Smirnoff Experience, MashUp Street to Johannesburg on 15 May 2010. Tickets can only be won, not bought, so visit www.smirnoffexperience.co.za on Wednesday to find out how to win.

Smirnoff Experience is fast becoming the world’s top collaboration platform. The MashUp Street theme created for South Africa celebrates collaboration between South African street cultures and popular music genres to create a one-of-a-kind music experience. The popular theme also extends to collaboration between fashion, food, art and even drinks. Smirnoff Experience MashUp Street is a place where Kwaito vibes with Preppy, Afro funk hangs with Goth and Pop chills with House.

To cement the importance of collaboration, DJ Tiësto, voted the world’s number one DJ three years in a row, will be headlining the event and will collaborating with the very best of South African musical talent, all of which will be named closer to the time. Tiësto is no stranger to combining different genres of music to create unique sounds; he has collaborated with artists as varied as Nelly Furtado, Sean Kingston and Flo-Rida.

“I feel deeply inspired by this year’s theme for the Smirnoff Experience because it evokes creativity and promotes relationships between genres that would not normally meet on stage. I can guarantee that, like this year’s theme, people will experience something out of the ordinary. I am very excited to play for a South African audience at Smirnoff Experience MashUp Street,” says Tiësto.

South Africa won the honour of hosting the Smirnoff Experience in a closely contested international campaign that involved 140 countries.

“We are really proud that South Africa was chosen to host Smirnoff Experience 2010. Our unique Mash-Up Street theme is focused on creating platforms that inspire South Africans to push the boundaries to create new experiences and we believe that it was the uniqueness of this theme that placed us ahead of the other 140 countries that competed. If you asked me what the one thing is that South African’s can expect from Smirnoff Experience 2010, I would say that it is going to be clearly original,” says Adrian Petersen, marketing manager for Smirnoff South Africa.

Besides the best international and local talent, concert goers will be treated to a sensory journey that showcases MashUp Street culture in its very finest form. From the moment ticket holders enter MashUp Street, it will be clear that they are attending an international event that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Tickets are limited to the 18-and-over market.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18. Drink Responsibly

While there’s always been some antagonism between the Poms and the Frogs, the British have still been partial to buying the odd bottle of French wine. 73 596 000 odd bottles annually to be more precise. But that’s 24 000 less than the number of South African wines sold in the UK in the past year.

According to Talking Retail, the latest figures from market analysts Nielsen show sales of South African wines have overtaken French for the first time in the UK wine market in volume terms in the year to January 23.

South African wine sales grew 20% by volume to 12,270,000 cases, compared to a decline in French wine sales of 12% percent to 12,266,000 cases. South Africa is now the fourth largest selling country for wine in the UK.

On this wine note, I must say that I’m enjoying seeing summer out with the occasional bottle of Paradyskloof Rose. It’s most delicious…

Thanks Kyle

Harrod’s recently launched the Rare Louis XIII Cask which is a blend of twelve hundred eaux-de-vie aged for almost a 100 years.

For R140 000 a bottle, you’ll get this:

This cognac has a formidable bouquet of wild mushrooms and underwood notes followed by full, spicy tones and notes of gingerbread, wax, nuts and mint. Rounded and textured with an incredibly long length, Rare Cask boasts a presence and density in the mouth that knows no limit. Each Louis XIII Rare Cask is presented in a black crystal Baccarat decanter, hand-blown, hand-decorated, individually numbered and housed in an embellished metal coffret. Every detail of the presentation is a celebration of the finest craftsmanship reflecting the pedigree of this incredibly rare and distinctive cognac. From here.

A bunch of us had the pleasure of going to a wine tasting held by Under the Influence on Friday evening. If you’re looking for a fun, informative evening filled with some delicious wines, or if you simply want to order some good vino, get in touch with them.

It was with this fresh in mind, that I got sent some info on this very stylish looking “wine wand” by Philip Stein (they’re all about the use of frequency technology).

The makers will tell you that using permanently embedded natural frequencies, one of them being oxygen, this accessory accelerates the aeration of the wine to its full flavor potential in just minutes. While it sounds like a load of BS, the results seem to suggest that something is at work here. Is it any different to using a good decanter though? See what The Good Grape has to say…

Thanks Kyle

Industrial designer Marc Newson has teamed up with Dom Perignon to create the Black Box carry case. Made from a high-tech composite the case will keep your champers perfectly cool and safe. Expect this elegance to set you back a little over R2 000.

Thanks Kyle