It's hard to think about an objective review when you're floating on 4,000 litres of pungent mauve cocktail, becoming slightly dizzy as you spin around on your orange raft and the heady smell of punch wafts into your nostrils. In fact, it's very hard to think anything but 'wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!'
The Courvoisier Architectural Punch Bowl, staged by the endlessly creative Bompass & Parr, was a joy to visit. Perched in a townhouse designed by the great Robert Adam, the punch bowl was a swimming pool-sized vat of fruity cocktail, whose hints of winter spice were perfect to combat the chilly day outside. The event aimed to recreate the oversized punch served by admiral Edward Russell to 6,000 guests in 1694, although the modern version did have the added bonus that guests could clamber aboard a giant, garnish-shaped raft and bob around on top of it. (We were, admittedly, relieved to note the strict regulations against swimming in the punch - we're not sure the average Londoner would have added anything to the flavour..)
Overall, it was a fun experience which confirmed Bompass & Parr's reputation as the kings of pop-up, although if they do ever want to expand on the concept further we think it would be an awesome idea for the next series of Takeshi's castle.
