Elijah Craig Encourages Happy And Gilmore Towns To Celebrate Sequel

Forbes

3 days ago

Anticipating the excitement of Netflix's debut of Happy Gilmore 2, Elijah Craig decided to get in on the fun and celebrate towns named Happy and Gilmore across the United States.
This Kentucky whiskey brand recently gave away hundreds of special viewing kits exclusively to residents who live in towns named Happy and Gilmore. The watch party kit included branded Elijah Craig golf gear, as well as movie essentials like popcorn and candy. 'It has everything they need to host a hole-in-one watch party,' says Kaitlynn West, brand representative for Elijah Craig. 'They'll just have to pick up a bottle of Elijah Craig Small Batch at their local retailer.'
This promotion was well-timed, as Happy Gilmore 2 scored a hole in one. The film had 46.7 million views its opening weekend, making it the biggest U.S. opening weekend ever for a Netflix film. The sequel's popularity also boosted interest in the original film, which ranked third on the streaming service.
The connection to the film was natural, says Elijah Craig, she points out, is 'the official bourbon' of the PGA of America, as well as the official bourbon and official rye whiskey of the 2025 Ryder Cup in September. The brand also sponsors two professional PGA players, Bob MacIntyre and J.T. Poston, as well as pro sports broadcaster, Amanda Balionis.
'Elijah Craig has deep roots in the world of golf both as fans and sponsors,' West says. 'You can't be that ingrained in the golf community and not be a fan of Happy Gilmore; it's a classic, so it only felt right that we get involved in the long-anticipated sequel.
Elijah Craig first discovered that there were two towns in its home state of Kentucky named Happy and Gilmore, and that became the impetus for this special gifting. 'After we realized that, we thought we'd connect with towns that share these namesakes across the country,' West says.
Happy towns in Texas and Arkansas were gifted. Gilmore towns in Arkansas, Missouri, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, and Oklahoma, as well as two different Gilmore towns in Illinois and Gilmore City in Iowa were contacted.
'We reached out to officials in each town to spread the word,' West says.
Residents in those towns were really appreciative of the gifts, she says, adding that she didn't have an official count for the number of viewing kits that were distributed.
Though you can't receive a free viewing kit if you don't live in those towns, you can enjoy some special cocktails to celebrate the sequel, West says.
The Happy Gilmore-themed cocktails include Happy Days are Here Again (1 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. ginger liqueur, 2 dshes old fashioined bitters, 3 oz. hard cider), The Tap In (1 oz bourbon, .75 oz. pomegranate liqueur, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes orange bitters, and 3 oz. ginger beer), the Gilmore Buck (2 oz. bourbon, .75 oz. simple syrup, .75 oz. fresh lime juice, 2 strawberries, and 2 oz. ginger beer), and the Hockey Stick (1.5 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. pomegranate liqueur, .5 oz. fresh lemon juice, .5 oz. simple syrup and 2 dashes Angostura bitters). The full recipes can be found here, located in the 'golf section.'
'The golf-themed cocktails are designed to be refreshing and balanced, perfect for a summertime watch party,' West says.