“You aren’t in Manhattan anymore,” a bellowing voice cried from the slight frame of a man wearing a dazzling spectacle of an outfit–something between a Victorian circus clown and a Filipino tribal hunter.  “You are in Thailand.”

Such were the efforts of the folks behind Mekhong, the national spirit of Thailand: to attempt to whisk the crowd–of a chosen stylish, fun-loving swath–straight into a full moon celebration on a steamy night in Bangkok.

The fact that the powerful effects of Mekhong mixed into the tropical and plentiful cocktails was transportive enough was beside the point.  The coordinators of this party took a special pride in the excess of details.  Orchids and bamboo formations were placed here and there, “Thai Princesses” greeted guests and offered them cocktails, screens flashing scenes from the streets of Thailand, as well as a glowing full moon (which, alas, was obscured by the storm clouds for most of the night) transforming the sprawling Espace Chelsea penthouse loft into, well, a Chelsea penthouse loft with themed decorations.

Mind you, I am not scoffing!  The efforts were highly appreciated by all, myself included, and the inclusion of pad thai on a  banquet table (despite the fact that it that had a 20 minute line all night), and the exotic fire dancers and alluring belly dancers did set the party apart from the “any old.”  The crowd was certainly having a great time, and didn’t even seem to notice when the mixers temporarily ran out, and a good fourty minutes was spent drinking the Mekhong straight.  In fact, it could have been a fortutitous moment, as the energy built in tandem with the consupmtion of Mekhong, while simultaneously introducing people to the fact that it tastes quite good on its own.

A few other details were also very cool: the telepscope on the roofdeck, pointed at the rising full moon (once it actually came out of the clouds it was spectacular) and the projections of the Mekhong logo onto the adjacent buildings, and some details weren’t necessary: who comes to a Thai-themed party to listen to NYC DJ’s do a spin off?

Still, I reiterate, the efforts of these party-throwers were well worth it.  A good party with good crowd and a mighty fine drink may not have whisked me all the way to Thailand, but it certainly took the gloom out of a stormy thursday night, and sometimes that’s all a New Yorker really wants.

– Ava Fedorov