The Spirit World

Tickets for the seventh annual Tales of the Cocktail conference and gathering for aficionados of well-made mixed drinks, went on sale last week. Tales brings together bartenders, restaurateurs, distillers, brand managers, cocktail enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning and practicing the fine art of cocktail-making. As in years past, the event will feature seminars for pros and enthusiasts, bartending competitions, tours of historic New Orleans drinking spots, and lunches and dinners where food and fine cocktails are paired by some of New Orleans’ best chefs. I attended my first Tales of the Cocktail last year, filing dispatches for The Spirit World, and learning an immense amount about cocktail history, spirit tasting, and new and old brands. It was an overwhelming and inspiring experience. Tales is an immersion in cocktail culture and technique, where the content is far from theoretical. Seminars feature spirit tastings, and sample cocktails created and explained by presenters. I left New Orleans with a card deck full of new recipes, a bag of goodies, and a list of books I wanted to read. I also managed to leave without a hangover; something that required pacing and determination. Here are some Tales highlights:

• Tales begins Wednesday July 8 with the Nightclub and Bar Professionals series, a day of sessions focused on the beverage business, cocktail trends, and bartender training.

• Seminars: Take one jigger of modern cocktail-making practice, a squeeze of cocktail history, a dash of spirit tasting, and garnish with practical business ideas for producers and bar owners. Presenters include David Wondrich, Dale DeGroff, Ted Haigh, Robert Hess, Darcy O’Neill, Charlotte Voisey, and the proverbial many, many, more.

• Competitions: There is a USBG Caipirinha competition, which should provide plenty of lime-muddling action for fans of the Brazilian national drink. I have to confess that I am looking most forward to the On the Fly competition, which challenges bartenders to create a cocktail using only the contents of the prodigious Tales of the Cocktail swag bag. I saw a shaky video of this informal competition last year, which looked like a lot of fun. It appears that this year’s versions is steed up a notch, with eight competitors, three judges, and sponsorship. Hmm, would the list of sponsoring brands offer any hints as to what one might expect to find in the swag bag?

• Tasting Rooms: Brands from Absinthe to Zacapa (rum), Tales offers a four-day lineup of spirit-tasting, and specialty food and cocktails based around sponsoring brands. when I strolled into tastings 30 minutes or so after they had started, I was surprised to discover that most were not simply lineups for a dram or cocktail. A number of brands had designed mini-seminars, video presentations, competitions, and other worthwhile experiences around their products. Sure, there were sales pitches, but most producers were smart about combining information with marketing. After a couple of these, I learned to show up on time. And I learned a lot. This year’s tastings look to be even more innovative, with food tie-ins, and even a few multi-brand events.

Ticket options for Tales of the Cocktail range from the mostly-inclusive Founder’s Day pass that gets you into your choice of seminars, the competitions and cocktail parties, to day passes and individual seminar tickets. The organizers have secured room blocks in several nearby hotels, including the charming Hotel Monteleone, where most Tales events take place. Tales of the Cocktail happens July 8-12 in New Orleans.