Shaken, Not Stirred -Heublein’s Cocktails

Vintage Ad of the Week – November 21, 2024

Saturday Evening Post – December 12, 1959

In the spirit of the nearing the Winter holidays, I am going to switch gears to festive ads. There are so many fantastic ones to choose from. A person could spend two years highlighting them all.

My, oh my! How cool is this ad? It hits the pulse of the times right on the head, and shouts, “Goodbye 1959, Hello 1960!” From the timeless cocktail glasses, to the exquisitely dressed people mixing it up in the background. The gentleman who is the “bartender” looks like he could have tried out for the part of James Bond, he’s so suave.

This ad reminds me of my grandparents’ household bar. They had a basement bar complete with alternating colored shag rug squares adorning the front. Six chrome legged bar stools, with thick marbled padded seat cushions. The kind you see in old movies. It fashioned a sturdy, yet fashionable Formica table top. It was fully stocked with bottles upon bottles of things with strange, foreign sounding names. My little 10-year old self had no clue what they could possible all be used for. That bar was a fixture of atomic cool. A built in masterpiece of mid-century Americana that spoke volumes.

My grandparents were not raging drunks, but they were part of that generation. The generation of this ad. People drank at parties. Hosts made sure they were well stocked with choices to keep their guests happy. Was my grandparents’ house the party house? Were they unique? I don’t think so. Their best friends had nearly the exact same bar in their basement. Drinking was pretty standard in the 50s and 60s. It was just part of the culture.

Here’s another Heublein advertisement from 1963 featuring Robert Goulet:

I was absolutely amazed when I looked into the Heublein company. This was the first I heard of them, yet they were HUGE. So huge they were included in the Nifty 50. What are the Nifty 50 you ask? They were a group of 50 large-cap stocks the New York Stock Exchange deemed most stable. They helped drive the American economy to the bull market of the 70’s. They were considered very safe investments. ¹

How can a company that sells pre-made mixed cocktails be so enormously profitable? So profitable that when RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company acquired Heublein in 1982, they paid a whopping 1.2 billion dollars for the company and its holdings.². That’s 3.9 billion in today’s dollars. Billion!. My head has a hard time wrapping itself around the enormity of this company. They were such a formidable force because they were diverse. They had their fat fingers in multiple markets. They owned brands such as:

• A-1 Steak Sauce (1906)
• Grey Poupon (1936)
• Smirnoff Vodka (1938)
• Hamm’s Brewery (1965 sold again in 1973)
• Kentucky Fried Chicken (1971)
• Hart’s Bakeries (1972)

They held distribution rights for:

• Irish Mist Liqueur
• Harvey’s Bristol Cream
• Don Q Rum
• Jose Cuervo
• Black & White
• Bell’s Whiskey
• Lancer’s Wines
• Guinness Stout
• Bass Ale
• Perrier Mineral Water
• Rose’s Lime Juice

It is staggering. No wonder they were part of the 50 most desirable stocks of the 60s and 70s.

Back to our ad above. It is pure class. That suit, the tie, the dress the woman on the left is wearing. You can almost feel the silkiness of his tie and her sash. Let’s not forget to notice the stylish updo she is sporting. The flourish of his hand, as if he is part bartender, part magician. I’m not sure how they suspended the bottle to show it during mid pour, but it’s pretty darn cool and decidedly on-point.

Last, but not least, check out the wrapping paper on the gift. Can I get a roll? It’s out of this world!

I long for the times of this ad. Not so much for the alcohol and what’s in the bottle, but what the ad is selling. Time. No need to spend time mixing drinks, when you can buy Heublein pre-made cocktails. You can have more time to spend with your friends and guests. For all the conveniences we have in 2024, it seems we have less and less time to entertain and just be with one another. Life moves too fast.

I urge you to unplug, by throwing or attending a party this season. Whatever your season is make the most of it. Take time to be with your friends, neighbors and loved ones. It doesn’t have to be a big gathering. It doesn’t have to break the bank. But take time to sit around drinking your drink of choice (no alcohol necessary) and reconnect with our friends, family and neighbors.

Here’s to the holidays! Let’s truly enjoy every minute we can.

1. “What Was the Nifty 50?” Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/niftyfifty.asp.
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2. “Just Pour over Ice – Who Knew? – Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project.” Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project – Stories about the People, Traditions, Innovations, and Events That Make up Connecticut’s Rich History., 5 Dec. 2020, connecticuthistory.org/just-pour-over-ice-who-knew/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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