Tia Maria quenched thirsty culture seekers at this year’s Sculptures by the Sea

MEDIA RELEASE

9 November 2012

Tia Maria quenched thirsty culture seekers at this year’s Sculpture by the Sea

Tia Maria introduced its new label design to Australia with the Tia Maria Sunset Lounge, a pop-up bar at this year’s Sculpture by the Sea which returned to the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk from 18 October to 4 November. The world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, held for the 16th year, proved a huge success with an estimated half a million people attending.

The Tia Maria Sunset Lounge kicked off with the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition launch attended by media, the artists, philanthropists and the Sculpture by the Sea’s panel of judges. Over the following two weeks more than 2600 Tia Maria drinks were enjoyed by guests to the lounge each weekday evening.

A selection of four Tia Maria cocktails were offered. The Tia Maria Espresso Martini is mixed with vodka and a shot of espresso to kick start the night. Tia Black is a refreshing mix of Tia Maria and cola served over ice with a hint of fresh lime. Tia Ginger was refreshingly blended with ginger beer and fresh mint, while Dark Maria is a classic Jamaican mix of Tia Maria, rum and cola.

The opportunity to partner with Sculpture by the Sea coincided with the redesign of Tia Maria’s iconic label by brand owner Illva Saronno. The crest has been added to the front of the bottle in order to better communicate the heritage and Caribbean history of Tia Maria, which was originally made in Jamaica. The Tia Maria word mark has also been redrawn and the black and red colour palette has been maintained, though the red is now more prominent and used in ‘swathes’ with a nod to a pirate-like look.

The branding aims to broaden the appeal of Tia Maria, and tap into the popularity of cocktails, moving away from the perception that Tia Maria is a female skewed drink or something only consumed after dinner.

Mike Marr, Tia Maria brand manager said: “The Tia Maria Sunset Lounge offered a unique pop-up space as part of the world’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition, and was a great platform to reach out to over 500,000 visitors and share Tia Maria’s new look.”

Suntory, one of the world’s leading international beverage manufacturers and distributors, acquired distribution of Tia Maria in 2011.

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Contact Phoebe Jackson at Stellar* Concepts E: phoebe@stellar.net.au

P: 02 9281 8000/0410 323 396

ABOUT TIA MARIA

The legend of Tia Maria dates back to the mid-17th century, when a beautiful young Spanish aristocrat fled the turmoil colonial war brought to the island of Jamaica. Her maid saved one family treasure, a small jewelry box with black pearl earrings and an ancient manuscript with the recipe for a mysterious liqueur. The recipe was named after the courageous woman: Tia Maria. It was then rediscovered in the 1950s by Dr. Kenneth Leigh Evans, who began to produce and market it. Still made to the original Caribbean recipe by Illva Saronno and distributed in over 60 countries, Tia Maria is an exotic infusion of natural vanilla and the finest fresh coffee roasted to perfection, complemented with a touch of Jamaican rum. Rich copper and golden amber tones blend with an enticing caramel nose to make Tia Maria an ideal mixer in exotic cocktails.