The Smirnoff Experience Intoxicates Toronto

Above a furniture store on Adelaide East, servers dressed up like comic strip characters (or comic strippers, really) and shimmied around in red outfits, serving people vodka, vodka and more vodka. Free vodka, and free hoagies, and free popcorn, too. The crowd on July 19th was equal parts blogger, photographer, and PR piranha, and though everyone seemed to know everyone, introductions were abundant. The only way you were getting in is if you were on a list, or if you were a fortunate plus-one, but before checking your name off and ushering you forth, you were asked to sign a release form. Cause, you can, like, be in the commercial!

The Smirnoff Experience is a series of parties hosted in different Canadian cities, put on by the vodka company, in celebration of, yes, the vodka company. The right people, the right place, the right time. That's the event slogan, and if you're not there, you're missing out or at least that's how they sell it.

The show was headlined by DJ Deadmau5, who played for the bouncing crowd at a blaring decibel. Bros were icing bros, and girls took turns having their photographs digitally enhanced to look like a Lichtenstein. There was no shortage of themed elements to take in, from the smoking cocktails (literally), to the streaming, ceiling high graphic slideshows all along the walls. The space was big, but maybe a little bit too big. Nothing is worse than a party that appears to be short half a guest list.

However, those who were able to make it included the boys from Greta Constantine, Eye Weekly columnist Sarah Nicole Prickett, Anita Clarke of I Want I Got, promoters Jonathon Condran and Anna Von, and event designer Morad Afifi, just to name a few.

But more important than the drinkers are the drinks. Not a big vodka lover typically, the drink list boasted a few creative mixtures that surprisingly hit the spot. The Mule was tart and tasty, while the bartender's own concoction of Vanilla Smirnoff and Diet Coke, made especially pour moi, was truly excellent - bubbly and sticky sweet. By night's end, most people were red faced and tongue tied, teetering on sky-high heels toward taxis, tired, titillated and totally 'experienced'. And this weekend, I'm sure they'll choose Smirnoff if they're not still hung over.

Billie Misha
		About the author:
		Billie got her start in the media industry as a photographer. Snapping on red carpets and at film events, she quickly learned that if a picture speaks a thousand words, a blogger speaks a million. She has written for dozens of websites and online publications, and loves to scoop stories on the steamiest scandals, the biggest and best trends,and whatever else is making news RIGHT NOW!
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