In October, Dom Pérignon hosted a party at the Brant Foundation in New York City’s East Village, thousands of miles from its home in the Champagne region of France. At the party, which celebrated Dom Pérignon’s partnership with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, actors Zoë Kravitz and Natasha Lyonne, model Evan Mock and Raul Lopez, the designer of the subversive Luar fashion label, sipped Dom as they swayed to music from the Mudd Club habitué DJ Justin Strauss.

The Basquiat painting “In Italian,” a neo-expressionist work filled with gestural scribbles and stark images — faces, coins, dark creatures and cryptic words like “teeth” and “crown of thorns” — hung on one wall. Throughout the room were bottles of a limited-edition release culled from a 2015 Dom Pérignon vintage with labels that mirrored Basquiat motifs, including his signature crown in yellow overlaid in a way to suggest a connection between the artist’s work and Dom Pérignon’s own shield-shaped tag.

“I think people are looking for more than just the experience of consuming,” said Jacques Giraco, the managing director at Dom Pérignon, speaking of his company’s decision to evoke the image of an artist synonymous with the gritty downtown scene in 1980s New York. “It becomes a total experience. It conjures emotion, and that creates a stronger link with the brand.”

The flirtation of art and alcohol isn’t new — think Andy Warhol and Absolut vodka in the 1980s — but it makes a lot of sense today, when many studies indicate that Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than previous generations. Moreover, a jittery economic landscape makes expensive wines and spirits feel like unnecessary splurges to many consumers.

Partnerships like these give alcohol brands a fresh item to promote, but also, in the best circumstances, a way to impart a whiff of art world allure onto their tipples. A Basquiat could easily set you back many millions — $110.5 million, in one record-breaking 2017 auction — so a Basquiat-branded bottle of Dom, clocking in at $305, could be viewed as a downright steal.

“Younger consumers are just not engaging with alcohol as much,” said Marten Lodewijks, the president of the United States division of IWSR, a data firm that tracks the alcohol beverage industry. “So there’s a much bigger effort to come up with hooks to bring them in.”

So let the buzzy collaborations bridging booze and art commence. Qui Tequila recently worked with graffiti artist Brian Donnelly, better known by his nom d’art KAWS, on a series of three limited-edition labels in his bubble-shaped, anthropomorphized font. The bottles cost $1,000 each. Street artist André Saraiva contributed art to the packaging for a limited edition of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskey, released in September and initially priced at $2,100.

Other brand alliances are priced well into a startling five-figure range. Artist Daniel Arsham, for one, created a cast resin “time capsule” in which a bottle of Moët & Chandon was housed (and, at just 85 editions, costs $28,000 each). And Hennessy, the cognac brand, tapped sculptor Jean-Michel Othoniel for two decanters, one in Baccarat crystal encased in a gem-encrusted wooden receptacle, which costs about $38,000.

“They don’t want to just be an alcohol brand,” Guy Wolfe, the head of insights for status spirits at IWSR, said, referring to high-end makers of wines and spirits. “They see themselves up there with fine art, with brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior.”

For some brands, an association with art can be a point of differentiation. “The category is oversaturated with celebrity involvements,” Medhat Ibrahim, a founder of Qui Tequila, said of tequila’s popularity. “We wanted something that creates more value to the consumer who’s purchasing this product.”

Qui Tequila’s connection to KAWS was forged through celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who had been working with Qui Tequila, positioning it as a spirit of choice for those who enjoy fine dining. Matsuhisa is a fan and collector of Donnelly’s work, so the three-way partnership was formed to commemorate Nobu’s 30th anniversary.

“We’re delivering a piece of art, a beautifully designed bottle and an exceptional 25-year-old liquid,” Ibrahim said.

Giraco of Dom Pérignon came from the world of fragrance, in which new scents are introduced at a brisk cadence. A high-profile collaboration, like the one with the Basquiat estate, allows the brand to create a sense of urgency and excitement within a more slow-moving category like Champagne, which is limited by grape production.

“Even people who are real wine connoisseurs, they love the novelty of it,” Giraco said. “You see it on Instagram, they will talk about it, they will collect it.”

And, if a Basquiat label likens Dom Pérignon to art-making, so be it. “The process to make this is very complex,” Giraco said. “So to have a connection with art, which is also complex, it’s a good combination.”