By Ian Neubauer
Vodka O, an Australian vodka that claims to be free of impurities, hosted a controversial event in a Sydney church last night that has been chided for commercially hijacking the holiest week of the Christian calendar.
The event that satirised a traditional Christian confirmation ceremony took place at the Paddington United Church on Oxford Street three days prior to Easter Friday.
Guests were treated to Vodka O hymnbooks, shots of ‘holy water’ on the rocks and a new cocktail called the Fred D’Nile composed of ginger beer, lime and vodka.
Entertainment included a musical number by drag queen Penny Tration dressed as a nun, renditions of the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayers, and a faux-baptism involving male and female ‘virgins’ being christened with Vodka O on the alter. The bar was then lit in flames.
“I wanted to create an event for Vodka O that would highlight the fact that the brand is free from impurities, and there’s no purer place than a church,” said Believe Advertising managing director, Adrian Falk.
“It was also important to me to involve the guests throughout the evening and have them engage with the brand. This made the event a lot more memorable than throwing a simple cocktail party that takes little effort,” he said.