Mad Hatter Gin & Tea Party
DETAILS:
Location: 1661 Ivar Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90028
Hours of Operation: This Alice in Wonderland inspired cocktail pop-up runs through August 2019. Please see their website below (under “resources”) for available dates & times.
Parking: Paid parking lots available in the area. Metered street parking also available. Most of the meters in the area have a 2 hour time limit, but this should be enough to cover your time if you pay the meter just before your session begins.
Cost: $60/per person, plus services fees. The event is offered on feverup.com which can offer various promo codes for discounted prices.
Time Commitment: The event is technically 2 hours, but it takes 10-15 minutes to get started and the last 15 minutes are reserved for picture opportunities, so the actual “Gin & Tea Party” is closer to 90 minutes long.
Miscellaneous: Non-Alcoholic cocktails are also available, if necessary.
Sometimes you have no idea what you’re signing up for, even when you know what you’re signing up for. That’s exactly how we ended up at an Alice in Wonderland themed cocktail party on a Sunday afternoon in Hollywood. Fresh off its inaugural run in New York, The Mad Hatter Gin & Tea Party unleashes a whimsical boozy pop-up in Los Angeles for a limited engagement through the end August (2019). Stuck somewhere in-between community theater and a high school musical on LSD, your level of enjoyment will fully depend on how much you’re willing to give in to the schmaltz. But if you choose to go down this particular rabbit hole, why not commit to the journey? At the very least, there will be alcohol to heighten or dull the experience depending on your expectations.
Shortly after check-in, your party (approximately 20 people per session) will be ushered into the foyer for a short introduction presented by the Cheshire Cat himself. It’s also in the foyer where you’ll receive the first of four cocktails while deciding on which hat to wear from the collection provided in the room. There will probably be a few in your group that will already be equipped with a hat of their own, if not a full-on Alice in Wonderland inspired outfit, which will look surprisingly normal considering the event and its vicinity to Hollywood Boulevard. Once adorned in your hat of choice, you’ll enter the grand drawing room where the Gin & Tea Party will take place. Resembling a fanciful set from a Tim Burton movie, the decor is actually well done and helps set the mood for the absurdity to follow. Cue the entrance of the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse who will entertain you with song and dance (much of it involving your participation) as you receive three more craft cocktails and an assortment of snacks. The whole thing may sound rather silly to you, but sometimes a little silliness is exactly what we need in the seriousness of our lives. And the cocktails, which turned out to be quite delicious (and strong), will help you make it passed six o’clock just like Alice.
RESOURCES:
Mad Hatter Gin & Tea Party website.
