“A Trump Vodka?” you might wonder. “Who’d drink that?” For starters, the 1,500 people—among them C.E.O.s, socialites, and distributors—who mobbed Trump Tower Thursday, where RentQuest general manager Rebecca Chase took a cue from the product’s streamlined gilded bottle when determining the event’s aesthetic. Hence, the 7- by 12-foot gold laminate stage crafted by DCM Fabrication, atop which talent DJ AM, the Blonde Bombshells, and Busta Ryhmes entertained. Fortunately for Chase, Trump Tower also happens to feature less-than-subtle gleaming gold fixtures at every turn.

Lines four-people deep bellied up to the bars for Trump and tonic, and chocolate Trumptini signature cocktails, in addition to by-request vodka mixes, and hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Trump Restaurants soaked up the sauce. Among them: Trump Vodka-spiked tomato and herb bruschetta, smoked salmon and Trump Vodka crème fraiche, as well as blue-claw crab cakes and shiitake leek spring rolls.

For guests who couldn’t wait to get to the bar, models toting Trump cocktails greeted them in the building’s foyer. Nearby, a custom-made red carpet from Flemington Department Store was backed by AG Light & Sound’s 8- by 10.5-foot LED screen displaying media spots dedicated to the host liquor.

Of course, the evening wouldn’t have been complete without an appearance by the man of the hour himself. Trump took to the stage to graciously thank his guests for attending, and, uh, trumpet his recent successes, like his newly bestselling tome with Robert Kiyosaki, We Want You to Be Rich, and, of course, Trump Vodka. Apparently, orders have already reached the 100,000 case mark.

—Mimi O’Connor

Posted 10.31.06