Photos courtesy of Diageo.

Are you in need of some showstopping cocktails to make your Labor Day BBQ Instagram-worthy? Thanks to Smirnoff and Crown Royal, we’re keeping the pool party going with some inventive tipples born out of this summer’s #DiageoGames from Diageo’s Tales of the Cocktail event. It’s not too late to be patriotic (and a bit retro) with some red, white and blue popsicles infused with Smirnoff vodka. Smirnoff partnered with the Pop Parlour in Orlando to create these tasty treats that will take you back to your childhood, with a kick.

You’ll need some popsicle sticks and plastic cups to start.

Then combine:

Red layer: 1/2 ounce Smirnoff vodka with 1/2 ounce grenadine 

White layer: 1/2 ounce Smirnoff vodka and 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/4 ounce lime juice, and 1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice 

Blue layer: 1/2 ounce Smirnoff vodka and 1/2 ounce blue raspberry syrup

Throw in the freezer and enjoy when frozen!

Or, if you’re loving the days getting shorter and craving a cozy hot chocolate, why not make a cold version and spike it with Crown Royal whiskey… and go mile high with the toppings?!

For more cocktail inspiration, head over to Smirnoff and Crown Royal to keep the summer festivities going into September!

—Contributed by the MKTG Diageo team

NEW YORK

This year’s holiday party proved once again that the New York office really knows how to “shake things up.” As guests stepped into our snowglobe-themed party space they stepped inside the wintery world of an MKTG snowglobe. Glittering gobo snowflakes fell from the ceiling while polar bears posed for selfies, loving coworkers pelted each other with fake snowballs, and the snowmen of IT mosh-pit the red-hot dance floor. In a word: face-melting.

ATLANTA

psLIVE Atlanta hosted its Ugly Sweater Party on December 18^th, utilizing our very own expansive warehouse space, and it was a huge success! Our annual traditions were intact—volunteering at the Salvation Army in the morning, a heated Bingo competition, Secret Santa gift exchanges, and our awards ceremony.  We were spoiled with a southern style BBQ dinner before the awards which gave us the energy to celebrate all night! We crowned our very deserving award recipients as well as our Ugliest Sweater victor and moved out on the dance floor.  With so many talented dancers, an impromptu dance-off went down and it epic!  Victors were crowned and moments were forever burned into our memories.  It was a great night of fun and camaraderie with friends and colleagues alike.  We can’t wait to do it again next year!

CHICAGO

The MKTG Chicago holiday party took place on December 11^th in the covered patio of Stella Barra Pizzeria. The team enjoyed countless snacks, fancy seats, the company of special guests such as Ron Burgundy and Storm Trooper, homemade ice cream, and a very exciting White Elephant gift exchange. The team finished off the night with some extreme karaoke and a second feast of leftover pizza.

View the Beautiful Memories Slidely Slideshow here.

CINCINNATI

The Cincinnati office gathered for an ugly sweater & cookie exchange day! Some folks made sweaters, others borrowed and sadly – a few even owned. Our VP of Creative has a special name for these “ugly sweaters” and refers to them as “Holiday Awareness Sweaters”. She claims to own none. A fun day was had by all and even those too lazy to bake (the men) were lucky enough to get a few leftover cookies of their own. Merry Christmas from Cincinnati!

LONDON