Phillip Lim and Hennessy Host Annual Lunar New Year Dinner at Coqodaq
On Monday night, Phillip Lim and Hennessy hosted their annual Lunar New Year dinner at New York hot spot Coqodaq. Upon arrival, guests were greeted with red envelopes, pens and an invitation to add their wishes for Year of the Snake to the wishing tree. Midway through cocktail hour, the tree was already in full bloom, and “The Snake” — a special Hennessy cocktail created for the celebratory evening — was flowing throughout the room.
Guests including director couple Lulu Wang and Barry Jenkins, Prabal Gurung, Laura Kim, Eva Chen, Peter Do, Tina Leung, chef Jordan Andino and more stopped by for the festive celebration. Lim held court in front of the room’s yellow Hennessy backdrop, which featured a display of the brand’s Lunar New Year special bottle edition, with artwork by Shuting Qiu.
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The dinner was originally scheduled to take place in Los Angeles this year, but pivoted back to New York in light of the city’s recent fires. “We’re still rebuilding and so we still have to celebrate community,” said Lim, snake cocktail in hand, adding that Hennessy made a donation to the LAFD in solidarity.
Lim’s annual Lunar New Year dinner began as a “one time experiment” for Year of the Tiger, and has now spanned several Chinese zodiac animals and venues across New York. “Hennessy’s been such an amazing partner because they give me creative carte blanche,” said Lim, who has a personal connection to the brand. “In my family home, growing up, we always reserved Hennessy for our guest of honor,” he added. “So to be able to partner with Hennessy, it was such a full circle moment.”
Lim, whose personal sign is the Ox — “hard working, loyal, stubborn, consistent” — was optimistic for what year of the snake symbolizes.
“Recently I stepped away from my brand,” said Lim, who announced his departure from his namesake label last fall. “So it’s really symbolic of the year: renewal, rebirth, shedding and transformation for the next stage. It’s a special year for me. And I am excited to see what that rebirth is going to be like. For sure, this journey of this transformation has been scary but so empowering.”
Shortly after the first dinner course — Coqodaq’s signature 24c golden nuggets with caviar — lion dance performers emerged from the Coqodaq wings and made their way around the room. Unlike the crowd, the lions weren’t interested in the fried chicken. Guests instead fed the dragons Hennessy-branded red envelopes, each containing a two-dollar bill, a gesture meant to bring good luck for the year ahead.
The evening still had several buckets of fried chicken — and another dance — in store.
“It’s my first Lunar New Year dinner,” said Hennessy’s Antoine Varlet, addressing the crowd as glasses of Hennessy Paradis and soft serve ice cream were handed out around the room, the evening’s nightcap. “You already put the bar so high — what am I going to do next year?”
Launch Gallery: Inside the Hennessy's Lunar New Year Celebration
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