Mountain on the rock.

Those who know me personally might be surprised by the upcoming lines they are about to read. As a matter of fact, in spite of my citizenship, I am not an active contributor of the French paradox, this scientific observation which highlighted that the French tend to suffer less often from coronary diseases thanks to their regular consumption of wine... I indeed very rarely have a drink, mostly in very special occasions. This Tuesday was as a matter of fact a special one.
Special occasions.

Earlier this week London Blogger Meet Up was meeting again, but we benefited from a great host, in the person of Diageo, the holding company behind alcoholic beverages like Smirnoff, Bailey's, Guinness, etc. It is more and more regular that brands try to associate themselves with the social networks, trying to tie in with so-called digital influencers who might write one or two positive articles on their respective blogs, posts like this one read by a series of regular readers who trusts the source of their entertaining readings... (thanks by the way for your bespoke trust).

Anyway, some brands do this kind of approach poorly, but some excel at it. And I must admit that the Diageo team and their agency, Splendid, belong to the later category... Now imagine, you are exhausted from a long day at work trying to tackle the future of the Internet business model and you reluctantly balance the odds of having a social night out or heading home to turn yourself into a couch potato browsing the web to find out who is the greatest contender for this year Champion's League. Since Oxford Street is on your way, you are kind of forced to opt for the social route. You enter the Diageo headquarters, are kindly pointed to the hospitality room, and there a bar tender asks for your name and declares: "Cedric... You are French, come from the French Alps and write blog posts with a zest of humour and irony... Well, let's crack on YOUR cocktail then!"

"A poem, a poem..."

The scene that follows is simply stunning: this professional barman starts crushing some ice blocks, sizzling a few fruits, juggling with glasses, knives and Champagne bottles with a surprising dexterity...

And a couple minutes later: voilà! A Mountain Dweller cocktail, on the rock of course, to be drunk responsibly and moreover with a matching jumper.