Bar Convent Brooklyn was an event Anthony Bourdain would have relished.

The bar and beverage industry expo featured hundreds of beautiful people from around the world sharing their food, products, cultures and a slew of beverages. Whether it was a family recipe handed down through generations, a new concoction from an established player or a foreign brand infiltrating the United States, everyone had a story to tell and an eager ear to hear it. Counselor was on the scene to see all of the promotional products that sponsors and exhibitors were handing out.

Chicago-based Stolen Spirits had lots of branded booty at the Brooklyn Expo Center from June 12-13, including baseball caps, pins, cell phone cases and lighters. The rum and whiskey brand keeps everything black and white, including its graffiti-themed labels on all of its products. “Our branding is drawn from street culture,” said Benjamin Zorn, brand ambassador for Stolen Spirits. “Now you’ll have a lighter that says stolen on it – how many of us have had lighters stolen? We give out stuff that people will actually use.”

Originally, the brand’s smoked rum was called Coffee and Cigarettes, a tribute to the 2003 Jim Jarmusch film. However, Zorn said the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau rejected the name for including “cigarettes.” So, as legend has it, designer Kelvin Soh took out a black sharpie and scribbled over the label. “Sourcing is a great thing that has been going on forever in the spirits industry,” Zorn said. “We source from around the world and put our own spin on it. We wanted to be transparent about our sourcing, so we just went and said, yeah, we’re stealing it.”

On the other hand, Charleston, SC-based Pusser’s Rum paid for its product. From the mid-1600s until 1970, the rum blend was given out in daily rations to Royal Navy sailors, easing tensions of shipboard life. After the Admiralty Board decreed that rum was no longer necessary for sailors, entrepreneur Charles Tobias obtained the recipe and naming rights, selling Pusser’s Rum to consumers.

“We sell history and quality,” said Bob Jones, director of procurement and international sales. Pusser’s Rum has been a part of Bar Convent Berlin – the predecessor to Bar Convent Brooklyn and the biggest spirits show in Europe – for most of the event’s 12-year existence. “There are a lot of spirits shows where it might just be bartenders with no decision-making abilities and they just want to come and drink,” Jones said. “But here you get a nice mix of importers, distributors, bartenders, owners. Most of today’s attendees are from New York, but the Berlin show attracts about 60% of attendees from outside Germany.”

Trade agencies from Italy, Ireland and France were on hand to help companies from their countries get established in the U.S. market. “Consumers have gotten a lot more educated and are more curious about where their drink is sourced from rather than caring about just getting hammered,” said Sylvia Conti, a representative of the Italian Trade Agency. “They care about how the bottles are designed, where it’s sourced, the cost, the contents, how it’s grown, all that goes into it. Once you know the story, it’s a lot more fun to include in your recipes and drinks.”

Attendees were given branded wristbands at the entrance, sipping from logoed shot glasses as they sashayed amongst the vendors. Swag included stickers, coasters, pins, pens, lanyards, keychains and T-shirts. Nobody offered more than Leblon, a Brazilian distillery that specializes in cachaça. The enthusiastic crew parked outside (literally), handing out specialty cocktails next to its lime green van, lime green foosball table and lime green soccer carnival game. It was like Slime Time Live for those 21 and older.

“The color is bright and vibrant and it’s not by accident,” said Darnell Holguin, Leblon brand ambassador. “We try to introduce some life and energy, which is what Leblon is all about.”

The team gave out branded sunglasses, soccer balls and even flavored lip balm. There were also booklets full of cachaça recipes, as educating consumers about the exotic product is equally as important as promoting the Leblon brand. “Every element we put together in terms of advertising and interactive experiences is to showcase as much Brazilian culture as we can,” Holguin said. “If you look at our bottle, it’s an image of cane grass in the shape of the mountains overlooking the water in Leblon. It’s that beach life and expression of a good time: being with friends, enjoying a great cocktail, being under the sun.”