A toast to vodka

As I was growing up many things defined a good party, from venue to timing to theme. Obviously, good company was always a given factor but other than just having great friends present there are other staples that make or break a good celebration.

Between the ages of around six to eight what defined a good bash was the amount of candy present at the event and fun games. Heck, as long as the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups kept on coming I would have a blast and follow that up with a pabitin pot full of surprises and I was in heaven. Then the age of nine rolled around and between then and 13 what I looked for in a get-together was good music and good food – real food this time, not just sweets. Some of my favorite pre-teen party foods were good tomato spaghetti, a yummy pizza, and those little dough-covered hotdogs fondly called pigs-in-a-blanket.

Subsequently as I grew older still I once again looked for different things in parties whenever I went out. Suddenly, drinks became even more important than sweets, cuisine, and fun games. A good celebration couldn’t be without the proper alcohol either served straight up or blended to delicious spiked perfection. Whether it’s the simple ice cold San Mig Light or the more sophisticated alcoholic pleasures of scotch and vodka suddenly everyone at the party got a drink in their hand and is guzzling down alcohol in amazing amounts. Indeed, nowadays the era of serving food is almost non-existent and all parties kick off after dinner focusing more on drinking the night away.

Personally, I didn’t start out as a big drinker – heck, who am I kidding, I’m still not a big drinker. The only difference between me now and me of a few years back is that I can at least down more than just one glass and I’m finally starting to learn about the subtleties of alcohol, information which I can thank my more drink-savvy friends for. So now, when faced with the ever present question of – "What can I get you to drink?" – I have more than just one answer, and I know how to taper down something too strong to suit my stomach. Red wine taste bad? Add coke. Vodka is nicely accented by Sprite or 7-Up.

To be sure, it’s only been the past two years that I’ve been able to fully enjoy the alcohol-centered revelries that permeate the young social set today. Whether it’s dressing up in jeans and sneakers to enjoy a friend’s beer-fest (mixed for me, sorry, I’m still not a beer person) or dressing to the nines to enjoy more potent alcoholic beverages at gatherings, I’ve noticed that a drink du jour can indeed define an evening.

That being said, the huge celebration held a few weeks back at the Mile Long compound was a huge success thanks to their central drink of choice – Smirnoff Vodka. Put together by Stephen Ku and Eventscape, the party was the venue to launch its iconic new look and Smirnoff gathered the metro’s loveliest together for a night of fun at the Mile Long center in Makati. Gathering Manila’s hottest DJs for three massive parties in this larger-than-life venue Smirnoff enthralled the crowd with the infectious beat of Lady Trinity together with James McCranie as they blended a combo of house music at Halo while the hip-hop beats of DJ Ace and Bad Boy Jeff livened things up at Club V. Resident music expert Manolet Dario powered up the Smirnoff VIP Lounge Tent where performances of unexpected street musicians continued to liven up the event.

With such a diverse menu of fab pickings it’s no wonder that party denizens by the dozen flocked to fill the venue to near capacity and Smirnoff-filled glasses could be seen being enjoyed by chic hot celebrities like Borgy Manotoc, JM Rodriguez, Tim Yap, MTV VJ Patty Laurel, JR Isaac, RJ Ledesma, and many more partyphiles enjoying the night of great drinks and great music. Covered by MTV Philippines, Smirnoff not only launched its fabulous new look but promoted the search for Smirnoff Party Liaisons – young, hip, and confident individuals who exude the Smirnoff Vodka party vibe.

To cap off the night lucky partygoers even got to enjoy the special "Smirnoff Unleash" CD featuring tracks like Time by Elya, Everybody Maybe Wrong by Citizen Kane, and Mr. Beat by Roberto Masi, the perfect companion to have while enjoying the intoxicating flavorful taste of Smirnoff Vodka (which to a mild drinker like me, would have to be enjoyed with an equal amount of 7-Up!).

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Comments, suggestions, rants, raves? E-mail me at aquamarine_tranquility@yahoo.com.