The Grey Goose Winter Ball - London
An Evening of Exceptional Taste Promised at the Grey Goose Winter Ball
Headlined by:
elBulli, Christian Louboutin, Jonathan Saunders, Marc Quinn
On 29 October, Grey Goose vodka will be partnering with the Elton John AIDS Foundation for the fifth consecutive year to host the Grey Goose Winter Ball to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation – an evening of exceptional taste hosted by David Furnish, Sir Elton John and Grey Goose in Battersea Park, London.
Grey Goose is renowned for having redefined perceptions of vodka in the context of taste. For this year’s Architecture of Taste theme, guests will be invited to a spectacular showcase, which promises to demonstrate the structure and components of taste through spectacular food, cocktails and design.
Embodying the concept of this theme is elBulli, the world-renowned restaurant in Catalonia, credited with having re-written the rulebook on taste. Grey Goose is working with Paco Roncero (pictured left) from elBulli, to create a menu for the Grey Goose Winter Ball that will excite, challenge and delight the evening’s guests. Paco, who studied for twelve years at elBulli under the watchful eye of head chef Ferran Adria, will be designing and executing a groundbreaking menu that – now the restaurant is closed - will offer a rare opportunity to taste the famed cuisine. In fact, it will be the first opportunity to enjoy the elBulli experience since the restaurant closed in July.
A pioneer in molecular gastronomy, elBulli is famed for deconstructing recipes and ingredients, analysing their components and reassembling their forms through techniques and thought processes more comparable to science and architecture than cooking. Examining the blueprint and building blocks of food through haute couture gastronomy, guests at the 2011 Grey Goose Winter Ball will be invited to leave behind their preconceptions of dining and taste and enjoy a journey through, and a study in, their structure and composition.
Adding to the evening of exceptional taste will be an exclusive cocktail collection, world-class entertainment and one-of-a-kind creations for the auction to raise funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Working with Grey Goose UK Ambassador, Joe McCanta, Paco has turned his hand to creating exquisite Grey Goose cocktails that perfectly complement the evening’s menu. A bespoke ‘Nitrogen Bar’ will serve spectacular nitrogen-infused cocktails in elBulli’s signature molecular style created especially for the evening. Paco’s highly anticipated Grey Goose vodka martini cocktail, a reinvention of the traditional martini cocktail, ultilising the elBulli spherification technique, is set to be a favourite with Sir Elton John, David Furnish and their celebrity friends.
This year, legendary French shoe designer Christian Louboutin will be designing a cocktail bar for auction on the night. Scottish fashion designer Jonathan Saunders will be creating a one-off cocktail dress for the highest bidder, as well as designing the uniforms to be worn by the evening’s staff, and British artist Marc Quinn will be donating one of his works to the auction.
In addition to the ‘Nitrogen Bar’, the evening’s cocktail collection will include cocktails created by Paco Roncero, Christian Louboutin, Jonathan Saunders and Marc Quinn - working with Joe McCanta - that perfectly captures their characters.
Almost as talked-about as the people involved in the event is the event space itself. The Grey Goose Winter Ball venue exists for just one night a year. This year, the Ball will take place in a space in Battersea Park, which will be totally transformed to reveal another spectacular experience. Employing state of the art design, lighting and sound to bring to life the Architecture of Taste theme, partygoers will find themselves guests for a night inside the delicate architecture of a sensory world with no apparent walls or boundaries.
To date, the Grey Goose Winter Ball has raised more than £1.8M for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and is becoming one of the charity’s biggest fundraisers. This year’s Winter Ball aims to raise awareness and funds for projects in the UK and abroad, such as the Cambodia Habitat for Humanity scheme building housing for families with children suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Dublin, Ireland
Reg number: 343975 | Reg address: 46 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2
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