The New Tradition Collection: Bompas and Parr rethinks the Party Popper

Bombay Sapphire has commissioned five artists to rethink traditional decorations of the the festive period. To mark The New Tradition Collection each collaborator has been asked to recreate a Christmas product in an unconventional way. It’s Nice That has been previewing the creations in the weeks leading up to Christmas that concludes with this special showpiece designed by Bompas and Parr.

“At Bompas & Parr our philosophy is ‘revel with us’ so a super-festive brief is very welcome,” explains Harry Parr. “Ultimately we thought our party popper was more appropriate for New Year – its indoor pyrotechnics are just right for ringing in the New Year – and just right for bringing a group together for a singular moment.”

The studio has created what they describe as “a nuclear party popper on steroids” that will act as the centre piece to a New Year party. Arranged in the shape of the Bombay Sapphire gemstone, the design started as a series of mood boards which were developed into an architectural schematic before fabrication. “We started out with the idea of using conventional party poppers but were thinking of creating a framework with 20, 50, more poppers. But then we thought even bigger and our thoughts turned to confetti cannons,” explains Harry. “That meant we had to scale everything, bringing in pyrotechnic triggers, but also allowed us to create exotic and luxurious contents to go inside.”

This ambition demanded some careful design considerations, with the creative duo having to work out how the party popper would behave when the cannons worked in concert. “As a result we created a weighty copper sub-frame and worked with the pyrotechnic guys to anchor the cannons within the frame to ensure the whole thing would be stable when it was activated.” explains Harry. “When creating the bespoke-shaped confetti we had to be alert to ensure they were not too big to be propelled like a gin-inspired projectile. And then there’s the scented components of the confetti too – would they be too heavy, or fly out dangerously fast like shot?”

This seasonal and exciting project allowed Bompas and Parr to act quickly and engage their famous sense of humour. “Amid larger projects that contain wider or longer narrative arcs or need to align with bigger campaigns, it’s fun just to be able to create a standalone device and to meet the technical challenges that they present without recourse to other considerations,” says Harry.

Each design for The New Tradition collection is accompanied by a new festive tipple developed by mixologists at Bombay Sapphire. Each mix provides an update of a classic gin drink. Here you can find out how to make the Star 75, a beverage that will help you see the New Year arrive in style.

SERVES ONE

Recipe:
35ml Star of Bombay
15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup (2:1 ratio – sugar : hot water)
75ml Martini Prosecco
Maraschino cherry

Method:
• Pour the lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker
• Add the measure of the Star of Bombay
• Fill with ice, close and shake well for 10 seconds
• Carefully strain into a chilled champagne flute
• Top up the cocktail with the chilled MARTINI Prosecco
• Then gently stir to combine
• Finally, drop a maraschino cherry in the glass