| EVENT REPORT 07.11.07 5:03 PM |
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| Luxury Sweet |
| Grand Marnier toasted its new product, the vanilla liqueur Navan, at a sprawling town house replete with homages to the spirit's signature spice. |
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| A seven-story, double-wide Gramercy town house owned by Marie and Bill Samuels—congratulations to them—served as the setting for the cocktail party launching Grand Marnier's Navan Natural Vanilla Liqueur last night. A crowd of 130 guests that included media, society types, and assorted luminaries (including Bebe Neuwirth and George Steinbrenner) gathered at the modern but stately home to sip specialty Navan cocktails, eat Navan-infused appetizers from Red Table Catering, and partake of the services of assorted entertainers on the steamy night. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | An arrangment of orchids, natural elements such as apricots and amber, and Navan bottles adorned a large wooden table in the center of the main space.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | The Samuels opened three floors of their home to Navan invitees.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | Guests could retire outside to the garden adjacent to the living room.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | Henna tattoo artists appllied tattoos in the form of the Navan logo, an orchid blossom.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | People lined up for tea-leaf readings from NYSketches.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | Organic elements made up much of the decor.
Photo: BizBash |
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Bardin Palomo decked out the residence in all things vanilla, including candles, vanilla beans, and orchids, a reference to the vanilla orchid (from which one of Navan's key essences is harvested). Other decor touches included elements referencing the color and notes of Navan, such as apricots, and amber beads and baubles.
Produced by Susan Shin of Shin Advisors in cooperation with Navan marketing manager Stephanie Chassing, the party also called on SalonTea founder Tracy Stern as a cohost. (One of the night's featured cocktails, the Natural Vanilla Chai Tea, employed Stern's product; the presence of a tea-leaf reader in the corner of the main floor underscored the tea connection.)
Shin secured the private home for the event through her friendship with the owners; Bill is a venture capitalist for Samuels Capital, while Marie owns the company Everyday Tiaras and is an art collector. (Her impressive collection decorates the home's walls.) Chassing knew she had found the right place as soon as she saw the predominantly white home with high ceilings and a back wall made almost entirely of windows. "It didn't feel like you were inside; you felt like you were outside," she said. "It's very pure. We visited a few places, but Marie's house represents exactly what I had in my head."
Inspiring the mood of the event was, as Shin described it, the "smooth and relaxing flavor" of Navan. "The whole idea is to chill out," she said. Aside from iced summer drinks and a DJ playing Euro beats, masseuses giving hand massages with vanilla oil or lotion encouraged guests to cool down. The one thing that didn't, however, was the town house's air-conditioning, which couldn't really compete with the number of warm bodies assembled.
—Mimi O'Connor
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