Ryan Reynolds and Aviation Gin toast the 40th anniversary of McDonald’s McRib
Never one to miss an opportunity to riff on a major cultural touchstone, Ryan Reynolds is toasting the 40th anniversary of McDonald’s McRib. To do so, Reynolds has created the ‘Gin Riblet,’ which pairs his Aviation Gin, plus a shot of barbeque sauce, with the world’s most famous limited-edition meal offering. McDonald’s is also celebrating with the debut of the first McRib NFT.
Few limited-time-only products receive as much fanfare as the McDonald’s McRib. This time around, the sandwich is getting more hype than ever from an unlikely source: Ryan Reynolds. In what could be viewed as a happier meal, Reynolds has created the Gin Riblet to drink alongside the McRib.
Tomato juice, barbeque sauce, a squeeze of lemon and Aviation American Gin make up the drink, which he says “is like a Bloody Mary’s hotter cousin.”
His instructional mixology video, which launched today, features Reynolds creating and sampling the cocktail. He says: “To celebrate the return of America’s favorite rib-shaped sandwich, I’ve invented the perfect glass-shaped cocktail to pair with it... Not sure gin and barbeque sauce go together? Let me McProve it.”
The video concludes with: “Happy 40th anniversary. Bring back Grimace, godammit.” It also features the tagline: “You deserve a drink today.”
Reynolds has proven to be a one-man hype machine for the Aviation Gin brand, which he sold to Diageo last year for $610m. ‘The Gift That Doesn’t Give Back’ spot, created in response to Peloton’s much maligned 2019 holiday ad, is already considered a classic – as is ‘Arlene’s Big Leap,’ which features an 84-year-old celebrating her ‘21st birthday’ because she was born on a leap year.
McDonald’s itself is trying some new tricks to promote the McRib. It kicked off a new promotion in which 10 people will win one of its limited-time-only NFTs.
To win, fans must follow @McDonalds on Twitter and retweet the sweepstakes invitation before November 7 from a public account. Winners need to have a crypto wallet that can use Ethereum, per the promotion’s rules. “With the McRib NFT, you’ll never again have to say goodbye to the sandwich you love,” McDonald’s said in a statement.
McDonald’s isn’t the first fast food giant to toss its proverbial hat into the crypto ring. Competitor Burger King made headlines yesterday by creating its own crypto giveaway. Consumers can win cryptocurrency by joining BK Royal Perks and Robinhood Crypto.