An intimate, sophisticated women’s event designed to spark brand traction and launch Burgundy Bar’s very first signature cocktail, ‘Spill the Tea’
The challenge
Burgundy Bar needed more than just an event — they needed momentum.
The goal was to generate conversation around the brand at Westown Square, introduce their first signature cocktail, and bring our recently pitched brand strategy to life in a tangible, experiential way.
With a paid, 50-guest women’s night scheduled just before the festive shutdown, the brief was to create something emotionally resonant yet sassy and fun — an evening of empowerment, connection and letting go — all within budget.
Experiential detail.
Intimate Sophistication.
Women-led Connection.
The process
Crafting the Concept: “Spill the Tea”
The entire evening revolved around the launch of Burgundy Bar’s first signature cocktail — Spill the Tea.
Working closely with the mixologist, we shaped not only the name but the narrative and activation around it, ensuring it aligned seamlessly with Burgundy Bar’s bold, feminine and slightly sassy brand direction.
But we didn’t stop at naming it.
We designed, sourced and product-tested a bespoke “tea bag tag” that was inserted into every cocktail served that evening. This small but powerful experiential detail transformed the drink into an interactive moment — reinforcing the concept visually and physically in a way Durban hadn’t seen before.
It wasn’t just a cocktail. It was a conversation starter in every glass.
Positioned a week before the festive break, the concept invited women to gather, connect and quite literally “spill their tea” — a symbolic act of releasing what no longer serves them before stepping into a new year.
Champagne was served on arrival atop an Inverroche-branded carpet installation, immediately elevating the guest journey from the first step inside.
From Concept to Creation
Designing the Details That Shape the Mood
Fifty women. All dressed in burgundy. Complete sophistication.
We thrifted, handmade, quote-sourced and built a cost-effective yet visually impactful space layered in burgundy florals, candlelight and ribbon-tied wine glasses. Welcome cards adorned each place setting, while every chair sat perfectly aligned — intentionality in every line of sight.
In the women’s bathroom? A handwritten note in burgundy lipstick on the mirror. Painkillers and peppermints for refreshment. Subtle touches guests may not consciously clock — but always feel.
We also designed and facilitated the core “Spill the Tea” activity. Each guest wrote down her confession — her truth — and one by one approached the front, tearing her card to shreds and placing it into a vase. A collective moment of release. A visual symbol of leaving it in 2025.
The success of an event is always in the small things. This was no exception.
Elevating the Experience Through Partnership & Performance
To deepen the sense of connection, we partnered with Sisterhood Connect — a podcast platform founded on women’s connection. Founder Thobile (“Tops”) hosted and MC’d the evening, guiding guests through moments of empowerment and vulnerability with authenticity and warmth.
The cocktail launch became theatre. The mixologist walked guests through the story of each ingredient before serving the drink individually — each glass finished with the custom tea tag detail that tied the entire narrative together.
Inverroche sponsored the alcohol for the launch drink and gifted bottles to attendees, while additional prizes — including gifts from Fourways Group and a Neutrogena hamper — added excitement throughout the night.
Live charcoal artist Ashleigh Francis (Soochi) created a performative artwork of a woman sipping the signature cocktail — a striking visual centrepiece that captured the spirit of the evening in real time.
Behind the scenes, we managed sound, mics, influencer hosting, live social coverage and a fully briefed photographer and videographer working off a clear moodboard and shot list. The result? Four months’ worth of strategic social media content from one well-executed night.
We even built the playlist intentionally — allowing the music to build in tempo and energy as the evening unfolded.
Listen to the playlist by clicking here
The outcome
“Spill the Tea” positioned Burgundy Bar as a sophisticated yet playful destination for modern women — bold in brand voice, strong in community and intentional in experience.
The bespoke tea tag element elevated the cocktail from a drink to a branded moment — something interactive, shareable and entirely unique within the Durban hospitality scene.
The event created immediate traction, amplified through influencer attendance and digital sharing, while firmly planting Burgundy Bar’s signature cocktail into the market with a story guests could connect to.
We believe atmosphere is layered — through design, narrative, music, scent and micro-details.
When you obsess over the small things, even something as tiny as a tea tag, you create experiences people remember and photograph.
“Spill the Tea” proved that intimacy, strategy and experiential thinking can turn a 50-person event into a brand-defining moment.
And for Burgundy Bar, it marked the start of something beautifully bold.
