We can’t say no to a good party, especially if there’s a great cause behind it. For the second year in a row, Spirit of York proudly participated in The Power Plant’s 21st annual fundraiser, Power Ball as their official spirits sponsor.
One of our core values is supporting the local community. It’s a big reason why Spirit of York is 100% Canadian, from the ingredients we use, straight to the design of our bottles -- we’re strong believers of supporting local, including our arts and culture scene. As we constantly work towards improving our own craft, we want to help others excel at theirs as well. This is why community involvement is so important to us.
This year, Power Ball was bigger and better than ever. In celebration of their 21st year, they appropriately named this year’s party Power Ball: 21 Club. For those in the arts and culture community, Power Ball is one of the hottest ticketed events in Toronto that attracts the who’s who of the city’s most talented artists, leaders and influencers. Unlike your typical art party, Power Ball invites artists to recreate immersive art experiences that transports guests to otherworldly places based on the annual theme.
This year, the Power Plant transformed itself to dark and sleek speakeasy, which combined all the glitz and glamour you would expect intertwined with over-the-top installations, which gave guests complete sensory overload. From mouthwatering culinary creations, show-stopping performances and immersive art displays, there’s no denying that Power Ball is one of the biggest summer soirees in the city.
So where did we come in? In this year’s party, Spirit Of York had three dedicated bars. Our challenge? To create three innovative cocktails that matched the theme of eccentric rooms designed by these talented artists. And what did we have to say about that? Challenge accepted.
One of the first rooms we were featured in included a giant gin-filled bathtub, hiding away in the shadows of these artificial clouds that took up the space. Here we featured an earl grey tea gin cocktail. To resemble the atmosphere of the room, the cocktails featured a tasty lemon cloud made from algae extracts.
In possibly one of the most visually innovative rooms we were featured in was the TRON209, a backlit space designed by Bruno Billio that literally looked like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. Keeping up with this theme, we created a glow-in-the dark vodka tonic, an aromatic caviar drink which was definitely a crowd pleaser with guests.
Now, it wouldn’t be a party without show-stopping performances. This year’s Power Ball was no different, featuring some of Toronto’s biggest drag and burlesque artists such as Dainty Smith, Tynomi Banks and Gay Jesus. To keep the party and good vibes going here, we served up a Vanilla Old Fashioned cocktail, anchored by our Spirit York Whisky.
Art (like cocktails) is experienced differently by everyone, but what it does more importantly, is bring people together. We’re very fortunate to have been a part of this incredible party, and look forward to taking part again next year.
Spirit of York’s Vanilla Old Fashioned - Power Ball Edition:
Take a piece of Power Ball home with you and recreate our Vanilla Old Fashioned cocktail. Using Spirit Of York Whisky, made from 100% rye aged in Virgin oak, this cocktail has a smokey twist, definitely worth trying out with friends and family.
Ingredients:
- 2oz Spirit of York Whisky
- 1/2 vanilla syrup
- 4 dashes aromatic bitters
Instructions:
Mix Spirit of York whisky, vanilla syrup and bitters into a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass and serve the cocktail with one large ice cube.
Optional:
If you want to level up and take your cocktail to the next level, you can recreate the smokey effect by using a smoking gun.