Hendrick’s House of Wonders was another stop on our day at Tales of the Cocktail event in downtown New Orleans. The annual event was at the Race + Religious wedding venue which made for the perfect space to host each whimsical area that made up the House of Wonders.
Going into the House of Wonders was like a trip to Wonderland as Alice. Workers dressed in grand Mardi Gras type outfits, embodying the mystical nature of the event. At the Wall of Reflections, gold and silver masquerade masks lined the wall with a large mirror in the middle marked with the phrase “Mirror mirror on the wall, a delight if you will, big or small.” Then doors opened giving each participant a surprise gift.
Hendrick’s is a gin company based out of Scotland that was founded in 1999. They pride themselves on their unusual recipe which includes infusing their gin with cucumber and rose. The gin is triple distilled to produce a drier final product that still contains hints of botanicals and provides a smooth, velvety texture.
Specially curated drinks were made by hand-selected bar teams from: Little Rituals, Trick Dog, Allegory, Navy Strength, Happy Accidents, Your Only Friend, Bitter Twisted, and Little Rascal. A drink stand offered Gin with Topo Chico tonic, club soda, or ginger beer, as well as a Spritz Royale Slushy made with Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret, cranberry, sweet lime, and French white wine.
In the midst of fruit trees and greenery, the Garden Party Pool gave guests a place to rest away from the hot New Orleans sun while enjoying one of the many specialty cocktails. Out in the garden, the Tini Frozey Rosey cocktail was being made, which included Hendrick’s Orgium, absinthe, white peach, lime, Rosé wine, and Peychaud’s bitters.
Members of Trick Dog cocktail bar offered up two delicious cocktails. The first was called Paradise Circus, made with Hendrick’s Gin, blanc vermouth, lime juice, simple syrup, and Calpico. They also had the Evil Ways drink made with Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret, dry vermouth, passionfruit, kumquat, and Gentian liqueur.
Masseuses in a small tent titled the Grand Pinkie Spa offered Pinkie Massages with a complimentary Hendrick’s Green Tea. Guests could choose from three options: a rejuvenating cucumber aromatherapy, deep tissue with rose essence, cooling cucumber wrap, or bayou sunblock & reflexology.