Having a brew at the local bar may come with a VR chaser, if some alcohol brands have their way. Tech-aided events are coming to neighborhood bars in an interesting effort to add some cachet to liquor brands, according to Adweek. Top names like Jim Beam and Dos Equis are using VR to grab attention for their tastings, and even newcomers like cinnamon-flavored Fire Eater are trying the high-tech way into consumer’s hearts, minds, and wallets.

“In this day and age, it’s really hard to capture the full undivided attention of your consumer and it’s especially hard to capture that in a crowded, busy bar,” said Rachel Harris, Jim Beam’s U.S. director of brand activation. Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut is using Samsung Gear headsets at 250 bars in 16 U.S. markets for some 750 sampling events.

The VR headsets give the user a trip through a river of bourbon inside of a barrel, and swirls them around before exiting the barrel, all while a Jim Beam rep waves a piece of paper soaked in bourbon under their nose to enhance the sensory experience. “The virtual reality piece was a way to add a bunch of shock value and make sure that as they walk away, they’re talking about the experience,” Harris said.

Dos Equis used Oculus VR headsets at 21 different bars last year to show a three minute VR video, which boosted sales 18 percent while the live events and online video generated 27 million views. Brown-Forman used Oculus Rift to bring virtual circuses to English bars last year in order to promote their cinnamon liquor Fire Eater.

It’s hard to say if this is just a temporary gimmick or something that will become a regular part of liquor marketing. Perhaps the next time you find yourself in a bar and your head is spinning, it’ll be the VR headset and not the liquor that’s responsible.