Tales of the Cocktail is just a few weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited. Tales of the Cocktail is a 5 day celebration in New Orleans that celebrates the spirits business with a focus on the cocktail. Now you can see why we are so excited.
ToTC for the WIN!
When is it?
This year Tales of the Cocktail, or Tales for short, is held July 16th through the 20th .
Where is it?
Many of the events at night happen all throughout New Orleans, but during the day, most of the action is happening in either the Hotel Monteleone or the Royal Sonesta. Most of the seminars happen within the banquet rooms inside the Hotel Monteleone, but the tasting rooms alternate between the Royal Sonesta and the Hotel Monteleone every few hours. It’s a good opportunity to see a small piece of New Orleans, and also to get some much needed fresh air. Make sure to grab a drink at the Old Absinthe House on your way.
How to navigate your way around Tales.
There are a few different ways to enjoy yourself at this event. Personally, I’m excited about learning new techniques and I love being in a room of excited and inspired bartenders from around the world. There are seminars and tasting events that appeal to a much larger audience than the cocktail nerds like me. There are also walking cocktail tours that happen every day. On Thursday’s the Spirited Dinners happen in restaurants all over New Orleans and pair a talented chef with a talented mixologist for an unforgettable dining experience.
If you just want to experience the tasting rooms, make sure to pick up at least $100 in tickets for seminars or events. This will include the tasting pass that you can use for the entire time you are at Tales. To make getting around at Tales a little easier, make sure to download the app for your phone. It helped us know what events were happening throughout the day.
Finishing it off!
Tales builds up to it’s main event on Saturday night for the Spirited Award Ceremonies. In this event we celebrate the people and businesses that have demonstrated excellence in their field. If you are passionate about the industry and want to see who wins the Bartender of the Year, or which bar wins best Bar Program, then you can’t miss this event.
Pig and Punch always marks the end of Tales for me. Here the Bon-Vivants of San Francisco host a whole pig roast and charity event in Washington square to give back to the New Orleans KIPP Charter Schools. Make sure to purchase a t-shirt to give back to the community that has given us so much to celebrate.
If you are going to be at Tales, I’d love to grab a drink with you- there won’t be a shortage of opportunities. Drop us a line on Twitter, Facebook, e-mail me Chris@abarabove.com
Anyone going to Tales of the Cocktail? I would love to meet up and grab a few drinks with you!
