The capital city of Costa Rica is now on a level similar to New York, Shanghai, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, and Rio de Janeiro, at least according to the emblematic Dutch beer Heineken. From now until late October, beer lovers and collectors of neat promotional items can pick up a special edition bottle of Heineken emblazoned with San José under the current big red star logo. The bottle is part of Heineken’s Cities of the World global campaign.

 

This is not the first time that San José has been recognized as a city worthy of discovery. As reported by The Costa Rica Star last year:

 

The capital city of Costa Rica has been ranked among the top five loveable cities in the world by respected British publication Monocle. San Jose is right up there with Colombo in Sri Lanka, Palermo in Italy, Tel Aviv in Israel, and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Since San Jose gets a lot of flack from locals, tourists and expats alike, so it is a bit surprising that it would be characterized as loveable by editors of a magazine based in London, which is a truly grand and loveable city on her own.

 

San José may be rough around the edges and dusty around the corners, but it holds a certain charm that at least Heineken and Monocle appreciate. One traveler who did not appreciate San José, but who nonetheless loved the rest of his experience in Costa Rica, is Zach C. Cohen, a fine journalist at the National Journal in the District of Columbia.

 

You can read the Heineken press release here; following are some highlights:

 

‘Cities of the World’ [aims] to inspire men to live worldly, new adventures by unlocking the secrets of their cities. The fully integrated campaign includes a 2 minute television commercial, on-line activation and special edition Heineken® bottles. [In one commercial,] its main character embarks on an adventure by following a set of business cards lost by a beautiful woman, Eve, with each card uncovering surprising and hidden venues in his city. The [commercial]is a reminder to Men of the World that every great city offers an endless adventure within its sky-scraping towers and neon lit streets. It reinforces the notion that men should never stop exploring their own urban backyard.

 

To celebrate the launch, Heineken has produced a set of specially designed bottles, each with one of six global cities printed on it; New York, Shanghai, Berlin, Amsterdam, London & Rio de Janeiro. Special edition bottles will be available globally.

 

Men of the World want to make the most out of their time in the city, because they know life only gives them one shot. So they really live their city by seeking out new experiences and adventures and they have an underlying fear of missing out on the best ones.