How Cîroc is Tailoring its Athletic Club Platform to Tap into Pickleball, Dance and More -

With the news cycle in flux and doomscrolling becoming a daily norm, leisure isn’t necessarily top of mind for consumers, but Cîroc is looking to change that with the Cîroc Athletic Club. The vodka brand’s new experiential platform brings together sports, fashion and culinary culture to create a country club-inspired space of “luxury leisure.”

Since launching at the 2025 US Open, the social club has activated around Super Bowl LX, the Nexo Dallas Open and the Desert Smash charity celebrity tennis event, with more activations to come for the Miami Open, FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 and Cannes Lions.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve started to change a lot of the brand reception on Cîroc,” says Jessica Lanzon, director-partnerships and events at First Round Collective, the joint venture between Diageo and Main Street Advisors. “I’m deliberate and intentional with the places we show up in because this is a new direction for the brand, and I want it to really feel fresh, different and something that everyone can relate and fit into.”

Shifting Consumer Habits

In addition to creating community, the brand’s new “Leisure Well” ethos is a response to changing social behaviors, as Gen Z and millennials move away from nightlife and bar gatherings to wellness spaces, immersive activities and even daytime raves.

The Cîroc Athletic Club is built around popular sporting events and scaled to fit the venue and occasion. At larger footprints, the club hosts a pickleball tournament where influencers and content creators go head-to-head on a branded court, like the inaugural Cîroc Cup that took place during the US Open at the Skylight at The Refinery in Brooklyn, NY (Agency: Team Epiphany).

Inside the glass-domed penthouse, attendees enjoyed pickleball matches; mini golf; a bar with a curated menu of themed Cîroc cocktails, such as the Pickled Limonata Spritz; beats by dj Rae Sada; and partner activations, including Remedy Place B12 shots and the Hyperice Recovery Zone with massage chairs and tools.

“We’re focused on daytime activities because the drinking occasion is very different,” Lanzon says. “The dynamics changed a bit in the industry, where maybe five to 10 years ago, it was like, ‘Let’s go out to drink and then do an activity,’ versus now it’s like, ‘Let’s go to an activity and then have dinner with a nice drink.’ It’s more savoring the drink occasion.”

To that end, ahead of Super Bowl LX on Feb. 6, Cîroc Athletic Club took over M Ranch Napa, a historic vineyard estate in Napa Valley, CA—a nod to the brand’s French grape heritage. The afternoon featured a professional pickleball tournament led by celebrity pickleball coach Matt Manasse, wellness experiences focused on recovery and IV therapy, and curated artworks from the Jenkins Johnson Gallery, a cultural touchpoint where “the whole ranch was almost like a museum.” In the evening, attendees were treated to dinner by chef Kwame Onwuachi and performances by DJ Millie and International Dance League (more on that later).

Merch is Here to Stay

Cîroc-branded swag items have become a sought-after staple at its events. Attendees look forward to hitting Cîroc’s pop-up merch shop and snagging the limited drops. “From firsthand experience, swag is not going away. We don’t sell our swag, but we are out of it every single time,” Lanzon says.

At the Napa Valley event, Nike’s Jordan Brand and Levi’s launched their new Air Jordan 3 shoes in the merch shop—a collab that brought a bit of streetwear culture to the vineyard. Cîroc’s custom-designed apparel and duffle bags have also been big hits among attendees.

“We want the merch to be premium and things that people use, so we try to get creative with making it a utility piece,” she says. “I always put myself in the consumer’s shoes and think, ‘Would I actually wear this? Would I actually use this? Would I want to take the time and effort to carry this with me at the event and take it home in my suitcase?’ All of that is intentional and thought through.”

Stepping into the Dance World

Key to the success of the platform has been the team’s willingness to take calculated risks and plant a stake in the ground with growing properties.

Earlier this month, Cîroc announced a partnership with International Dance League, the first global professional dance league, marking the latest expansion of the Cîroc Athletic Club platform. IDL’s first brand sponsorship spans its slate of U.S. events and Championship Finals in L.A. across venue signage, exclusive Cîroc-branded merch, on-site experiences and co-branded social content. Cîroc will also activate at IDL watch parties throughout the season.

“I always am going to jump on things that are different or launching, like IDL, for example, and it’s really a collaboration to then grow and build us both up,” Lanzon says. “If it hasn’t been done before, somebody eventually is going to do it, so why not us? That’s what excites me. It’s an open slate.”

Inside the Cîroc Athletic Club:

Photo credits: Courtesy of Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka; Getty/Cassidy Maldonado (The Cîroc Cup); Getty/Jerrit Clark (Napa Valley); Presley Ann/Shutterstock for Desert Smash

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