UK – Self-styled architects of taste Bompas & Parr are re-inventing poppers, making them into upscale and exclusive products. During London Cocktail Week (13–23 October), the poppers will be mixed in a curated drink menu at The Standard hotel’s Sweeties bar.
The launch of the artisanal poppers is part of the Excalibur XO activation, an ode to pleasure, ‘queer culture, public joyfulness, sex positivity and exceptional design’. On-site, Poppers Sommeliers will be available to present the line and the cocktail pairings. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a queer micro-exhibition and aromatic panel talks, all centred around the history of poppers and celebrating their role at the intersection of indulgence, erotica and art.
The Excalibur XO project aims to create an inclusive and educational space around pleasure and queer culture, while bringing an innovative concept to the food and beverage sphere through the atypical use of poppers in mixology.
Widely used but rarely in the open, popper inhalants contain amyl nitrite and are mostly used as recreational drugs, especially by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Bringing them into the public sphere in a luxurious, curated and covetable product encapsulates the Pleasure Revolution: a vision of unashamed and unbridled hedonism.
Strategic opportunity
Create disruptive products and spaces catering for new hedonists’ heightened interest for ultra-sensory and boundary-defying experiences