Hennessy

At the start of the experience, guests could enjoy cocktails made with Hennessy served in glasses with the brand's logo.

The waiting area featured the brand's tagline, "Never stop. Never settle."

The first room in the tour had wall-to-wall graphics of vineyards, plus simulated rainfall to depict the unpredictable weather that winemakers often face. "The Wine Making Room required the team balance the speed of rainfall within the room, paired with a lighting plan to replicate the change in seasons," said Pham.

The minimalist design of the copper room was inspired by a traditional Charentais pot still, which is used to distill cognac. The room featured a neon graphic of the pot still.

The copper room provided guests with a popular photo op as it changed colors.

The next room featured rows of French Limousin oak barrels, designed for consumers to visualize the maturation process of eau-de-vie—a clear, colorless fruit brandy that is aged into cognac. Hennessy ambassador Jamie Evans discussed the aging process in the barrel room.

Evans then led a guided tasting of Hennessy in an all-white room that was decorated with vials of eau-de-vie. "The Blending Room featured 933 bottles of Hennessy eau-de-vie strategically installed in different shades to represent the different ages," said Pham.

After the tasting, guests were led into an industrial-inspired bar to enjoy more cocktails. The bar featured a light fixture decorated with bottles of Hennessy.

The bar also displayed on-theme imagery, which included photos of distillation factories and tasting glasses.

Industry expert and writer Camper English performed a cocktail ice demonstration, in which he carved a block of ice into a sphere.

The Ferris wheel had 16 mini chalets that contained cocktail recipes. The structure was created with more than 2,000 feet of electrical wire and 700 light bulbs.

The treats, made by Brooklyn bakery Bien Cuit, were available to passersby for free.

The William Grant & Sons party during Tales of the Cocktail took over the Civic Theatre, which has a modular flooring system that can be raised over the seating on the main floor, allowing guests to walk right to the stage.