I love discovering new spaces within Johannesburg, some of us grew up here and discovering new places in your own backyard is always eye-opening. We got invited to a Grey Goose dinner at the Houghton Luxury Apartments, now I love spaces and houses, but what I love more is curated spaces that I can never afford. What I love about viewing these spaces is that they open you up to a new world of luxury. We arrived at the Houghton Luxury Apartments driving the latest BMW X3 M40 that we are currently reviewing. We were welcomed by the ladies at the door and they ushered us to the elevator that leads to the Penthouse. We arrived at the rooftop where everyone was dressed in white since the invite said blanc, we saw some familiar faces as well as our recent cover star, Maps Maponyane who recently opened up a restaurant in Linden called Buns Out – we need to check it out as soon as possible. We had a quick catch up about the reception of the covers and what people have been saying about it – people loved the cover.

       

Many of the people I didn’t know so I introduced myself then I realized that I had seen some of them and I’d heard a lot of their names before. The guest list had been carefully selected; from foodies, to YouTube stars, art curators and us from Marvin. We had conversations with the people of Grey Goose while we got cocktails, about their future plans and who they want to speak to within the South African audience. We were there, though, to celebrate World Vodka Day. The view of the penthouse is magnificent and the people of VBS Luxury gave us a tour of the penthouse that is on sale for R70 Million and, to be honest, I understand why. The Penthouse has five massive bedrooms all en-suite with a big walk-in closet. The main bedroom is so big that even the king-size bed looks rather small and you could question the size. Even the smallest bedroom is big enough to have a big closet and a large bathroom. The first floor is the kitchen, lounge, balcony and wine cellar. The second floor is all the bedrooms, and this is with its own elevator as well. The third floor is more of the entertaining area with a massive view of Johannesburg.

We kicked off the evening’s proceedings with a Grey Goose Peartini Masterclass on the rooftop of our gorgeous apartment, made with the delectable Grey Goose La Poire (Pear Flavour). We were ushered up to the rooftop by our hostesses and welcomed with a Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz cocktail on arrival, which is a signature drink for Grey Goose worldwide, as well as an Oyster station which was curated by the one and only Vicky Crease and her incredible team. We had a great time watching the sunset, enjoying their cocktails and canapés, some of which were served in birdcages…yup! We learned how to make a vodka cocktail, and that was an interesting experience because everything needs to make sense for the cocktail to be done right. From mixing vanilla, ice and the Grey Goose La Poire (Pear Flavour) while filtering everything at the same time.

Once all the guests had arrived, we kicked off our Grey Goose Peartini Masterclass championed by our Grey Goose ambassador, Nick Koumbarakis and our Head Bartender, Dan, from Molecule Bars. We later went downstairs for the dinner and had an interesting conversation with a lady named Karabo who is an art curator, I think we need to feature her on Marvin because she has that thing about her. The food was great, people fantastic and most importantly the venue is pure luxury. This is how you celebrate World Luxury Vodka Day.