CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka is moving aggressively into the savory cocktail occasion with the simultaneous launch of a trademarked signature serve, a self-serve interactive dispensing machine, and a cross-category co-branding play — a rare multi-channel activation that touches on-premise, off-premise, and DTC in a single campaign cycle.
The centerpiece is the Messy Martini, a brine-forward riff on the dirty martini that combines CÎROC vodka with pickle and banana pepper brine. The serve is trademarked, signaling the brand's intent to own the savory martini segment as a durable platform rather than a seasonal promotion. Anchoring the consumer-facing experience is the Martini Machini, a self-serve cocktail-mixing installation that lets guests dial in their preferred brine ratio and garnish selection — essentially a configurable on-premise dispense unit designed to convert trial into brand equity.
The On-Premise Push
The activation hits the Lower East Side of New York City on November 6, running 4–10 p.m. at 48 Ludlow Street, in a co-branded pop-up called "Tenders & 'Tinis" with fast-casual chain Dave's Hot Chicken. The hi-lo pairing — ultra-premium grape-based vodka alongside spicy chicken tenders — is a deliberate positioning move targeting younger spirits drinkers who index on food-forward experiences. RSVP guests receive a Messy Martini from the Martini Machini and a Dave's Hot Chicken menu item, lowering the barrier to trial. The event also features co-branded merchandise, extending the brand's reach beyond the liquid.
For CÎROC, on-premise activation remains a critical demand-creation tool in the three-tier system. Pop-up events that drive depletions at the point of experience can pull through wholesale inventory and support distributor sell-in conversations heading into the holiday selling season — one of the highest-volume quarters for ultra-premium spirits.
Retail and DTC Channel Strategy
Beyond the pop-up, CÎROC is simultaneously activating two additional routes to market. Starting November 1, consumers in select cities who order a 750ml bottle of CÎROC through Uber Eats can receive a Filthy Foods cocktail mix kit delivered to their door — a DTC adjacency play that leverages third-party delivery infrastructure without requiring the brand to build its own last-mile logistics. Filthy Foods, founded in 2009 and distributed through Total Wine, Publix, Albertsons, and Meijer, brings an established retail footprint and on-premise credibility to the partnership.
Nationally, CÎROC is rolling out Filthy-branded neckers on CÎROC 750ml bottles at retail, giving the collaboration a planogram presence that translates the on-premise Messy Martini narrative into an off-premise purchase prompt. Necker programs of this kind are a proven shelf-level mechanic for driving attachment sales and reinforcing a serve suggestion at the point of decision. The retail component broadens the campaign's reach well beyond the New York City pop-up market.
"The Messy Martini takes the familiar dirty martini and loosens it up to create a cocktail that's brighter, brinier and layered with flavor," said Nick Tran, President & CMO of CÎROC. "With the Martini Machini and Filthy, we're bringing that experience to drinkers wherever they are."
The savory cocktail trend has been gaining shelf space and menu real estate over the past two years, with pickle-flavored spirits and briny serves showing up across both craft and mainstream spirits categories. CÎROC's decision to trademark the Messy Martini and build dedicated campaign infrastructure — including its own serve website at messymartini.com — suggests the brand views the savory occasion as a long-term route-to-market opportunity rather than a one-cycle trend play. For wholesale partners and on-premise operators, the necker program and Uber Eats integration provide demand signals that could support reorder velocity heading into Q1 2027.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
