NEW YORK—For one night only, Fords Gin took over Rockefeller Center's rink-level event space, HERO, with an immersive experience dubbed, “Beyond the Pour.” The invite-only affair unfolded over eight hours, with groups of 12 embarking on an hour-long cocktail-making journey every 15 minutes—all in celebration of the so-called "Cocktail Gin."
Within two hours of the invitation being sent out, all available slots were reserved. In all, more than 300 tastemakers attended, according to Shaun McFarlane and Edward King of Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), the advertising agency behind the event.
“We are about cocktail culture, and we like to see ourselves as an extension of the hospitality industry, so we wanted to provide that hospitality,” Fords Gin co-founder Simon Ford told BizBash of “Beyond the Pour,” which was the company’s first consumer-focused event. 
Fords Gin national ambassadors helmed the experience, treating groups of 12 with spirited trivia and facts about the brand.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
Though exclusive by design, McFarlane, GS&P’s senior copywriter, and King, the agency’s senior art director, gave BizBash an insiders’ look at what went down behind the green curtain...
Room 1 | Bartender in a Bottle
Upon entering “Beyond the Pour," guests were immediately greeted by the rhythmic sound of bartenders shaking up a French 75.
And just beyond the bar—designed as a tribute to Fords Gin—was a 1,558-square-foot space where “a giant LED screen created the illusion of entering the bottle itself, surrounded by dynamic lighting, glass chandeliers, and an atmospheric soundscape,” McFarlane and King explained. 
Entering "Beyond the Pour" was designed to make guests feel as if they were stepping into a Fords Gin bottle, courtesy of a larger-than-life LED screen, glass shards hanging from the ceiling, and a soundscape.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
All the while, a Fords Gin national ambassador kept guests entertained with spirited trivia—like how it took "83 different variations" to craft a London Dry Gin versatile enough to be "compatible with as many cocktails as possible.”
Room 2 | The Art of Dilution
This 1,880-square-foot enclave celebrated what another Fords Gin ambassador called the second-most important ingredient in any gin cocktail: ice. It was only fitting that the room’s “striking visual centerpiece” consisted of “giant melting blocks encasing the nine botanicals found in Fords Gin,” including juniper berries, jasmine flower, and lemon, grapefruit, and orange peels, per McFarlane and King.
“Here, we focused on technique—specifically, how dilution transforms flavor,” the duo added, noting that “guests tasted gin neat, then lightly diluted, and finally in a bone-dry martini to experience firsthand how ice does more than simply chill a cocktail.” 
The second room in the hour-long walkthrough experience was all about "The Art of Dilution." Thus, giant ice blocks encasing botanicals found in Fords Gin (like juniper berries, jasmine flower, and lemon, grapefruit, and orange peels) served as the room's centerpiece.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
Room 3 | The Golden Trio: Sweet, Sour, & Spirit
The third, 1,705-square-foot space was all about “balancing sweet, sour, and spirit” with what bartenders know as the “sour base.” Here, guests explored a spectrum of cocktail bases, sampling zesty, lime-forward sour bases as well as sweeter infusions of orange marmalade and honey.
"Each base corresponded to a final cocktail they could order at the bar: a Bee’s Knees, a Gimlet, or a Breakfast Martini,” McFarlane and King explained. 
The third room was an ode to the sour base. There were three on offer for guests to sample, ranging from zesty, lime-forward sour bases to sweet infusions of orange marmalade and honey. Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
After selecting their preferred sour base, guests watched as skilled bartenders transformed it into a perfectly balanced gin cocktail.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
Room 4 | The Garnish Lounge
With a Fords Gin cocktail in hand, guests were ushered to the final room. It was the most expansive space at 2,235 square feet, where an eye-catching display of citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, and even toasted bread were offered as garnishes.
An adjacent lounge invited attendees to stay awhile and sip their personalized gin cocktail.
It was in the Garnish Lounge that Ford himself told BizBash: “If you're going to spend money to introduce your product to somebody, it’s better to create an experience they will remember. It’s a lot easier—a lot lazier—to just put up a billboard.” 
Fords Gin co-founder Simon Ford invited guests to complete their personalized cocktail with a garnish.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
"The conceptual process took approximately four months, spanning ideation, production, and execution," according to Shaun McFarlane and Edward King of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the advertising agency behind the event.Photo: Courtesy of Fords Gin
