DJNL @ Grand Prix

To recap five days of fast cars, fashionable parties and more champagne than you could ever think possible you need three things. First, get a week or two of rest and second, a couple of strong pots of coffee. With those things both covered, here’s what we covered during the craziest 96 hours Montreal has seen so far this year.

At DJNL, the Grand Prix craziness kicked off mid-week with the first of two invitations to the Ritz Carlton. The Ferraris and Lamborghinis were just begining to line up around Montreal when the Ritz in colaboration with Moet et Chandon gathered a few priveledge VIP guests at Maison Boulud to launch The Beach at Maison Boulud and a new cocktail champagne from the famous brand. For the entire month of June, the terrasse in front of the Ritz has been converted into a sandy beach complete with white Moet et Chandon umbrellas. We nibbled on treats provided by the famous restaurant while sipping on crisp champagne over ice. Moet et Chandon has developed Ice Imperial, a Champagne that is meant to be enjoyed over ice. It was a wonderfully crisp start to the crazy weekend.

We spend Thursday afternoon at the Peel Street Paddock’s Belvedere Terrasse where we once again sipped on Moet et Chandon champagne and delicious cocktails blended with ice cold Belvedere Vodka. We feasted on oysters while shaded from the hot afternoon sun under the white tents of the VIP section.

On Thurday night, DJNL had an exclusive invite to the Buonanotte Grand Prix kick-off party. Seated at the media table with the entire cast of Breakfast Television Montreal, Mose Persico and other guests, wine and cocktails kept flowing as we chowed down on some wonderful meats, pastas and pizzas by chef Marco Bertoldini. The vibe was comfortably chill (at Buonanotte you have to understand that chill is still pretty crazy anywhere else) as we chatted it up with the staff, VIP guests and the celebrities who had started trickling in to Montreal for the Grand Prix festivites.

Friday night was the big one. We started off at Le Meridien, following last year’s tradition, for a special cocktail at the newly renovated, renamed and renowned new restaruant, Barinsznoi. After chatting with guests over a couple of cocktails we were off to the Ritz for the official Ritz-Carlton Infinity Canada Grand Prix black tie party. With “Hamptons Chic” as this years theme, the air seemed lighter than last year’s party. As this is the Ritz, everything was over the top with a Moet et Chandon bar to kick off the night as guests mingled in the Palm court. Up the marble stairs we gathered in the Oval Ballroom where DJ YO-C held tight control over the crowd with fantastic music while guests gathered around the food stations and bars to continue indulging in the glamourous evening. High profile guests like George St. Pierre, Montreal’s Mayor, Denis Coderre, Jonas and many more stopped for photo ops as they moved through the crowd.

Saturday night started off early as we gathered at the W Montreal for the Pit Stop Party. Featruing a fashion show by Masabni and Wizemen and a live performace by the Fast Romantics. Cocktails by Ungava and Belevdere vodka. You can read more about the fabulous evening in our special featured post.

There was no shortage of parties over the weekend to keep Grand Prix party people going day and night. Santos in Old Montreal, Le Richmond in Griffintown and the St. James Hotel gathered large crowds at their annual blowout parties. As with every year, the Grand Prix has been the talk of the town and will continue to be for weeks to come. Before we know it we will be revving our engines for next year’s edition and we are already excited just at the thought alone.