As invitations to the launch of Grey Goose La Poire—the company's new pear-flavored vodka—the PR firm Arts & Communications sent four teasers to guests during the week of February 9. A different item was delivered each day, including a bar of pear soap, a pear-scented candle, a pear tart, and a glass bowl filled with individually wrapped Anjou pears. On the Friday, guests received an invite to the La Poire launch. "We did that because we wanted to create a full sensory experience," said Tracy Nesdoly from the firm. "To me it really worked because the fragrance of [the vodka] is so beautiful."
Close to 100 invited guests attended the event, held in the new Baillie Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario Tuesday. "It's good that we are here because it's something different. We're not in a bar. It's good not to do the obvious," Dimi Lezinska, global brand ambassador for Bacardi Global Brands Ltd., said of the venue choice. Nesdoly added, "What we try to do with Grey Goose is to convey the sense of the world's best. With the venue, we try to ensure it can surprise and delight our guests and is suitable for the world stage."
Francois Thibault, Grey Goose's maitre de chai—also known as a cellar master—flew in from his home in the Cognac region of France for the event. The company is not planning to launch in any other Canadian cities. "Toronto is a very important market," Lezinska said. "We wanted to make an impact on Toronto first." Grey Goose La Poire has already been launched in the U.S., U.K., France, and Mexico, he said. "We were keen to launch La Poire in this season because it exudes the sense of a beautiful summer day," Nesdoly added.
In an interview, Thibault said a pear tart he purchased from a pastry shop in his hometown inspired the new flavor—the first vodka from Grey Goose since 2003. (Other Grey Goose flavors include L'Orange and Le Citron.) The type of wheat used by the best French pastry chefs comes from the Cognac region, as does the wheat used to create Grey Goose, he said. "When I tried this pear tart something magical happened ... it was a fantastic harmony of two flavors," he said. "This is where the whole association started ... it's more than a wedding or a marriage, it's more than an infusion, it's two flavors coming together."
Organizers created six specialty cocktails for the event with names like Peartini, Pear Poire, Pear-n-Berry Frappe, Lotus Blossom, Tuscan Pear, and Poirefection. Guests could sample the cocktails—and pear-inspired hors d'oeuvres—at small bars throughout the space. Attendees also received a bottle of Grey Goose La Poire at the end of the evening.
