What an experience!

The long awaited day of January 26 was upon us. This was to be the second of four Smirnoff Experience Global events held in Shanghai China.
Having been blown away by the first event, which was held in Moscow, I knew this one would be as amazing. What made it even better was that it was in a country I had never ever thought I’d be in, but once again, because of the around the world Smirnoff Experience, I am once again blessed with another unbelievable stamp on my passport.
Shanghai, a land of intrigue, a land of the unexpected, and a land of new and old, January 26 would be the night that the Smirnoff would bring all this together into one unforgettable experience in nightlife.

Walking into the venue, we were welcomed to the longest cocktail menu in the world, with a record breaking 1320 possible different drinks on offer. Whether or not you are the best cocktail maker this Cocktail Bar made you feel like the very best. You’d get your glass with 35ml Smirnoff Black and ice which was step one, then moved on to select one of ten juice options, followed by one of eleven flavoured syrups and finish off with one of twelve garnishes. I had an apple juice, vanilla syrup with mint leaf mixture– The Akona - and it was delicious.

Whilst sipping on my original cocktail, my tastebuds loving the experience, my eyes and ears had their own little party. Onstage, the Shanghai Hip Hop MC duo called RedStar; a Shanghainese guy rapping in Chinese and an American guy rapping in English, with an explosive drum battle between legendary Tom Middleton and hip hop drummers from The Lab.

Later on the music front, we got to experience an awesome set by British indie group Hard-Fi, who were then joined by the Shanxi drummers to perform their hit single ‘Hard To Beat’. Being from South Africa and having never heard of Hard-Fi, I was very impressed and found myself dancing and singing along to a cover of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. The band really got everyone fired up.

DJ Sasha who played a rock orientated set, wound up the evening perfectly by keeping the buzz going right up until the end. During the press conference he’d said how excited he was to do this event, the rock orientated mix, and I could definitely see and feel the excitement. It’s so wonderful to experience artists that put their heart and soul into their craft.

Between the music experiences, the venue had a lot of treats to keep your jaw on the floor and surprise you at every turn. Starting with the Martini lounge; where you got a four choice mini-tasters. Sipping each of the four options, you’d pick your favourite by number, whereby you were led to your martini of choice. Mine was the crushed ginger martini, from a choice of green tea marTEAni, basil martini and a lychee martini.

Next was the chill out forest, specifically the silver birchwod tree forest, where you could enjoy your beverage and make a wish. On the trees were little scrolls that detailed the filtering process that makes Smirnoff Vodka so clear, and in there you could take a break from the entertaining music by wearing the headphones hanging on the special trees with calming birdsong playing. Whilst in your state of relaxation you were invited to make a wish and hang it on a wishing tree. I couldn’t wish for anything more in my life, but I did. Since keeping the wish a secret is pivotal in it coming true, I cannot divulge...

Around the corner was the Smirnoff Ice Moscow snow area. This was a lot fun. Every so often the timer would go off and the cutest little – not cold thankfully – snowballs would fall from the indoor sky. The Smirnoff Ten spent way too much time in this little area, and we loved it. The area was also photo opportunity place, as the snow was falling, you could wear a furry Russian style hat and have a Polaroid taken of you as memorabilia. It was great for the people who weren’t able to experience the Moscow event to get a little glimpse of it.

The best was the water feature. Behind a curtain of big creamy pearls with the message of ‘Remember the experience, please drink responsibly playing across the pearls n lights, beautiful girls would come out, do a little dance and offer you ice cold refreshing H2O. It was quite a surprise seeing them pop out while your eyes were following the drink responsibly message playing on the pearls.

The night was a grand production of originality at its best and I’m definitely looking forward to the next one. Original nights such as the Moscow and Shanghai events remind me once again how life is about searching for an experience and being original in everything you do. Well done to Smirnoff for the experiences of a lifetime.