Vodka brand builds ice-cold refuge from London heat

Suntory vodka soda brand Minus 196 has opened The Chiller Room, a temperature-controlled pop-up bar on Clapham Common built to give Londoners an escape from the summer heat.

Working with a specialist vehicle supplier, the team converted a demountable glass-box trailer into a transparent Chiller Bar, wrapped in ice graphics and fruit imagery, joining a run of immersive drinks pop-up experiences landing across London.

Timed to coincide with a London heatwave, the bar let visitors sample Minus 196 in Peach, Lemon and Grapefruit flavours, made using ‘Freeze Crush Technology’, which freezes whole fruit at -196°C before crushing and infusing it with shochu, vodka and soda.

It joins a run of summer pop-up activation launches driving trial among 18 to 34-year-olds.

Aoife McGuigan, Head of Category Expansion, said: “As Minus 196 builds its presence in the UK, our priority is to grow awareness and trial in a way that makes the brand instantly distinctive.”

The activation united ZEAL Creative and Joe Public on creative development.

Rob White, Co-Founder and Joint CEO of ZEAL, said: “The strongest activations connect the brand idea, the experience and the earned story from the outset.”