Jägermeister’s Virtual Charity Brunch Will Offer Cold Brew Cocktail Lessons

The weekend luxury of getting boozy brunch with friends may be on pause because of COVID-19, but Jägermeister wants to show consumers they can still experiment with virtual brunches at home. More specifically, the brand plans to demonstrate how its licorice-flavored digestif mixed with cold brew coffee could be a new brunch cocktail staple to join the likes of mimosas and Bloody Marys. Jägermeister will show fans how to make cold brew martinis and more during a virtual charity brunch on April 19 at 1 p.m. ET. The brand has partnered with cocktail expert and “Brand Meister” Willy Shine and Jeremy Jacobowitz, founder of food-focused social platform Brunch Boys, to co-host the event on Instagram Live. Streamed on the Jägermeister and Brunch Boys accounts, the event will raise funds for Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR), a coalition of New York restaurant owners financially supporting industry workers impacted by the pandemic. Chris Peddy, CMO of Mast-Jägermeister U.S., said the brand landed on the idea of the virtual brunch as a way to bring consumers together for a good cause and highlight how Jägermeister Cold Brew liqueur, which launched in late 2019, could pair well with brunch fare. “Like every other brand right now we've had to pivot our thinking and our planning to adjust to the new world around us,” Peddy said. “The theme of the event is cocktails that make sense for brunch time occasions, which we know is a ritual for a lot of people on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s all about bringing people together through the lens of Jägermeister and food.” During the event, Shine will offer tutorials on how to make cocktails like a cold brew martini. The brand touts the martini as a combination of the coffee-infused liqueur, a cold brew coffee of choice, bourbon, simple syrup, cream, cinnamon and espresso beans. Traditionally viewed as a college party staple, Jägermeister has emphasized its flavor profile and innovative cocktail recipes for past few years. In 2017, the brand opted for a more sophisticated, darker identity with its “Be the Meister” campaign. [kickout id="1"] Jacobowitz will offer viewers best practices for making brunch at home and discuss his favorite dishes, such as chicken and waffles and avocado toast. The co-hosts will also interact with viewers by answering their food- and drink-related questions, and through trivia questions presented on screen. Peddy said stream will last around 40 minutes. Jägermeister plans to donate as much as $10,000 to ROAR during the event. The brand will donate money for each person that tunes in, as well as each time someone answers a trivia question correctly. The brand will also invite consumers to donate if they can through a link on its Instagram page. The brunch is part of the brand's “Meister Sessions,” a larger fundraising initiative in response to COVID-19. Every Thursday night for the next two months, Shine will take over the brand’s Instagram Live with an artist to raise funds for a charity of that artist's choice. Talent will include streetwear and sneaker designer Rich Franklin (co-hosting the stream tonight), Beastie Boys member Mix Master Mike, tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado and photographer Attiba Jefferson. Franklin has also partnered with the brand to design Jägermeister sneakers, a pair of which will be given away during Sunday's brunch. Peddy said the brand asked artists it has partnered with for past Jägermeister campaigns. During the streams, the artists will demonstrate their skill sets, discuss life in quarantine and promote their charities of choice. The brand plans to donate up to $100,000 to nine charities by the end of the series. “We looked at our network and dove back into old ‘Meister’ relationships. This is a good way for the artists to connect with their audience during quarantine,” Peddy said, adding that the donation aspect gives consumers a chance to “help communities they realize they rely on and sometimes take for granted.” Jägermeister’s in-house social and digital teams are producing the weekly events and curating the artist partners, while the brand partnered with PR agency MBooth on the virtual charity brunch.