Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

Although hipsters insist they were into ranch long before Doritos came along and made it cool, countless fervent fans are eagerly awaiting the Mar. 7 debut of Taco Bell’s newest Locos Taco, one which is wrapped in a Cool Ranch shell.

It appears one fan, writer/comedian Elijah Daniel, didn’t have to wait. When new rumors about the taco emerged last month, Daniel tweeted his excitement and the fast food chain saw an opportunity to do something big. Reports The San Francisco Egotist, the brand and its agency Digitas SF set up an “NYC Speakeasy” at a local flower shop where they sent Elijah armed only with a password and a mouthwatering dream. Watch what happened next:

RELATED: With customized Speedo, Taco Bell thrills one Facebook fan

Elijah isn’t the only one who received a pre-launch first-taste. Taco Bell also invited a number of media outlets to the speakeasy. So what are the early verdicts? From The Huffington Post and Business Insider to Today.com, read what lucky samplers are saying of the newest chip-inspired taco shell.

Another legend of fast food, McDonald’s, has returned its sweet, sweet seasonal St. Paddy’s Day treasure—more commonly known as the Shamrock Shake—to participating locations, reports Brand Eating.

Naturally, a “Harlem Shamrock Shake” was the logical next move (via Food Republic):



Hopefully, Kentucky locations are among the stores offering McDonald’s minty treat. Otherwise, the state wouldn’t be living up to its “kick ass” new slogan, now would it? According to AgencySpy, organizers behind the grassroots campaign have unveiled a case study to further its rebranding efforts:



If anything, Kentucky certainly helps make a case for a recent Fortune story. Nearly a century after prohibition, the magazine is exploring the diversification of the alcohol industry throughout the country, especially compared to this map from 1931.

Meanwhile, a map reported on NPR focuses on the global dominance of just two of alcohol’s biggest players: Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller. The two companies now own more than 200 brands in 42 countries around the world.

Like a number of other companies of late—including Office Depot and OfficeMax, U.S. Airways and American Airlines, and Random House and Penguin—Anheuser-Busch InBev is keeping its own merger hopes alive, awaiting word on whether regulators OK the brewer’s deal with Grupo Modelo, furthering the beer giant’s ties in Mexico. But what’s behind all of the merger madness? The Fiscal Times explains.

RELATED: Office Depot, OfficeMax merger announced prematurely

It looks like Reader’s Digest could use a merger right about now. According to USA Today, the magazine’s parent company has filed for bankruptcy, again.

Speaking of readers, if it’s been a little while since your last trip to an actual library, you might need to brush back up on a few rules. Aside from the conventional “be quiet,” mental_floss notes nine other “very specific rules” found at real libraries.

All rules aside, the library is still an important part of society—an opinion held by a number of notable writers. Flavorwire rounded up 25, in fact.

Ernest Hemingway wasn’t among the writers on Flavorwire’s compilation, but he did make an appearance at Open Culture, which shared seven fiction-writing tips from the author.

RELATED: 5 famous writers who stood while they worked

Apparently Papa is making the rounds this week. Adweek reports that Crispin Porter + Bogusky is debuting its second Hemingway-inspired rum. Called Papa’s Pilar, the brand—a startup project launched by the agency itself—hits Florida store shelves Mar. 4 with a rollout in other markets planned for later this year.

RELATED: Does drinking help inspire your work?

From a rollout to a recall, LA Weekly informs us that Kellogg’s warns that some boxes of its Special K Red Berries cereal may contain glass. I wonder if that’s the same as adding fiber.

Is there something you think we should include in our next edition of #TheDailySpin? Tweet me @iquotesometimes with your suggestions. Thanks in advance.