With the chance to promote New Zealand's prizewinning 42 Below vodka at a beach bar on the Shonan coast last Saturday, Tom Huskinson was there at 5 p.m. to find a long line for beer but no one queuing for the long sensuous mixers he calls cocktails.
"I shook up a few specialties -- using fresh fruit juices and herbs, and of course 42 Below -- then found myself chasing after potential customers scared off by this strange foreigner with a bad haircut. Eventually a girl bought one, came back for six, and then eight. Within no time I'd emptied all four bottles brought along."
Such small-scale promotions are typical to date. As Tom explains: "With the company concentrating effort and investment in the States, 42 Below's U.S. president recently signed with the fifth-largest distributor in North America." Japan, he is sure, will be the next major target.