From merely curious to downright odd, guests were treated to a bevy of sights, tastes, and sounds at Hendrick’s Gin "Emporium of the Unusual" Cocktails and Oddities event. Held at the historical Old Mint building in San Francisco, the three-day event allowed partiers to experience Hendrick's cocktails alongside a modern sideshow of magicians, illusionists, and curiousity shop-esque trinkets that would make the Mad Hatter’s head spin.The end result provided the City's myriad of cocktail enthusiasts with a look into the eccentric world of their namesake gin.
Known for their "cheery defiance of the mundane," Hendrick's didn't hold back with their carnival of anomalies, where performers dressed as living paintings as they served cocktails, while bespeckled, mustachioed steampunk gentlemen pranced around the party. The transformed Old Mint held surprises throughout the evening, including a private bar under the skirts of the woman on stilts and an accordion player sereneding guests with contemporary and classic songs.
Lest we get caught up in the spectacle and forget about the true spirt star of the show, attendees enjoyed a multitude of specialty Hendrick's cocktails, including the classic gin and tonic as well as the refreshing Cucumber Southside, made with sweet notes of simple syrup, mint and cucumber.
And with that, the "Emporium of the Unusual" came to an end—we came, we saw, we drank, and we will eargerly await another invitation into the curiously chic chaos.