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’Famous Drinkers & Infamous Imbibers' was the title for the latest installment of inebriating fun at the now legendary Brody Alchemy Sessions. The alchemy of alcohol is what masterful expat bartender Dez O'Connell is experimenting with, and he always succeeds in taking our taste buds on a tantalising trip full of cocktails, all set in a very respectable ‘cultural context’.

Guests got 8 mini cocktails for HUF 5000 (Brody members for HUF 4.000), along with a fab night of entertaining stories by the 'Brody Beverage Overlord'.

Dez’s style is naturally charming and funny, and he celebrated the lives of eight famous folks using humour and knowledgeable insights. As always he prepared magical drinks before our eyes which all linked to the careers of those celebrities with a special fondness for the sauce.

We all found out that Gerard Depardieu starts the day at 10 am, give-and-take a few minutes, with a glass of red wine and/or Champage! The equally robust English PM Sir Winston Churchill began each morning with a drink his daughter called the “Daddy Cocktail”, an eye-opener containing Johnny Walker. Makes us feel like a lightweight!

And it’s amazing that Liz Taylor could drink most men under the table, put in a sterling performance on screen and still stay so beautiful.



Special cocktails were also created in recognition of Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Lemmy Kilmister, and more, with fun quotes from each character shared along the way.

“Man being reasonable must get drunk; The best of life is but intoxication; Glory, the grape, love, gold – in these are sunk – The hopes of all men and of every nation”, wrote Lord Byron.



Dez asked quiz questions at the end of each cocktail story and maintained our interest throughout, with winners awarded bonus cocktails. Now, was that vodka-based cocktail made from the spirit of Latvia or Lithuania? Can’t remember… it must have been a good night out!

For sure what Brody Studios consistently does so well are creative events like this, nights full of imagination, fun and culture, making this a pretty unique private members oasis in Budapest, one to which we truly feel fortunate to belong.

Words and photos by Russell Skidmore for XpatLoop.com
After an extensive career in advertising - as an Art Director & Creative Director in London, Paris and Budapest for leading agencies - Russel transferred the skills and knowledge gained to the development of his own successful company covering wedding, event, PR and portrait photography: www.russell-skidmore-photography.co.uk