Yesterday SodaStream launched the Ultimate Mixologist Contest, challenging customers to create a “custom cocktail or mocktail recipe” along with a demo video. SodaStream of course produces seltzer-makers in an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank; and I’m thinking of variations on a Bloody Mary– since Kat Stoeffel coined “Bloodbubbles” and “blood cocktails” in a brand-slaying article in New York Magazine.

SodaStream sure needs something. Six weeks ago Barclays cut SodaStream’s rating to “underweight”, predicting that the company would be selling for as little as $35 a share within a year, and slimming down in a hurry, the stock price has already shed a hair less than 5 more points since then.

“The second half of the year resembles a nightmare” reports an analyst at Motley Fool; “earnings fell off a cliff … looks like a classic boom and bust story”.

And what ever happened to that possible deal with Starbucks? Ouch. Looks like Starbucks decided to come out with its own seltzer maker– the Fizzio– rather than risk the perils of picket lines from teaming up with an apartheid product produced on stolen land.

There’s speculation in the business press that Fizzio might be “a Nail in SodaStream’s Coffin“ :

The competitive landscape is starting to chip away at SodaStream, and it’s only going to get more difficult now that Starbucks has tossed its hat into the ring. Importantly, Starbucks’ Fizzio machine has a unique feature that distances it from SodaStream.

Speaking of coffins, after two years of persistent street protests from UK activists, SodaStream’s flagship UK refill store Ecostream in Brighton is closing up shop for good. Reports Corporate Watch:

Ecostream issued the following statement this morning: “SodaStream confirms that the EcoStream store, located on Western Road in Brighton, closed earlier this week. Following the two year test period, the company has decided to focus its business efforts on other channels, specifically on retail distribution partnerships.” [Retailer] John Lewis have also informed Corporate Watch today that they will no longer be stocking Sodastream products. According to John Lewis’ Senior Press officer: “John Lewis has stocked Sodastream for the past four years but in light of declining sales we’ve taken the decision to no longer stock the range”. Campaigners have demonstrated repeatedly outside John Lewis stores calling for the chain to discontinue its Sodastream range and for consumers to boycott Sodastream products.

With all this negative news lately, it seems like the perfect time to whip up some new recipes for blood cocktails by entering SodaStream’s mixologist contest (send us your videos!).

And is anybody else wondering Where’s Scarlett Johansson? You’d think she’s the perfect “mixologist” poster girl to promote this effort. So far, not a peep out of SodaStream’s global ambassador.