Diageo Luxury Brands Star at the Bar on Oscar® Night

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Repeat performer, award-winning Sterling Vineyards, will once again provide the fine wines poured at the Oscars telecast and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Ball. This year, Sterling is joined at the bar by a selection of world class spirits from the Diageo Luxury Brands portfolio – in a customized experience created exclusively for the Oscars. The specialty spirits celebrating the Oscars include Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky, CIROC Ultra-Premium Vodka, and Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur.  The 86^th Oscars will be held Sunday, March 2, 2014, and telecast live on ABC.

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"The Oscars is a celebration of the world's finest and most creative cinematic talent and we are thrilled to toast their accomplishments with the very best that our luxury wines and spirits portfolio has to offer," said Peter McDonough, Chief Marketing Officer for Diageo. 

As they pass from the Red Carpet and enter the Dolby Theater, a selection of four Sterling Vineyards wines and a handcrafted Johnnie Walker cocktail will welcome guests of the Oscars.  Following the Awards telecast, party-goers at the Governors Ball will be dazzled by The Glamour Shot, a chic concoction featuring new Baileys Vanilla Cinnamon mixed with Goldschlager^® Cinnamon Schnapps and served in a glass rimmed with edible flakes of real gold. It's the perfect celebratory shot to match the winners' golden statuettes. In a nod to Old Hollywood, guests can savor a Blood and Sand, a classic whisky-based cocktail originally created for the premiere of the1922 Valentino movie of the same name, or sip the supremely modern CIROC Coco Light Martini.  The calorie conscious and stylish CIROC cocktail has less than 130 calories.

Scotch enthusiasts attending the Governors Ball will be delighted to discover the Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky Bar, stocked with a range of deluxe whiskies, and featuring rare blends including Johnnie Walker Platinum Label and Johnnie Walker Blue Label, poured over hand carved ice, and presented by a Master of Whisky.

To pair with Chef Wolfgang Puck's spectacular and varied menu of more than 50 selections of imaginative hors d'oeuvres, small plate entrees and desserts, the winemakers at Sterling Vineyards have pulled the limited production 2010 Reserve Chardonnay and 2008 Reserve Cabernet from the wine cellars.   Sterling Vineyards wines are produced by Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E), a part of Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O); the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanans and Bushmills Whiskies, Smirnoff, CIROC and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.  For our global resource that promote responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

SOURCE Diageo