Dale DeGroff, left, confers with judge Ted Allen of Top Chef at the fest's Bar Chef competition.
photo: Carla Spartos
Perhaps no one has had a greater influence on the American cocktail renaissance than mixologist Dale DeGroff. Walk into any restaurant or bar with a top-notch cocktail program and chances are he either created it or inspired whoever did. It's no surprise then that he seems to be the most popular guy at Tales of the Cocktail, with fans approaching him for autographs and bartenders for advice. The Buzz caught up with DeGroff after he led a jam-packed seminar on tequila Saturday afternoon.
Zagat Buzz: What do you like best about Tales of the Cocktail?
Dale DeGroff: The passion, the friends I don't get to see very often and this extraordinary New Orleans community, which comes out to support us in droves. And I like to think that since we've been coming here, the drinks in New Orleans have been getting better and better!
ZB: Are you noticing any trends?
DD: The conference is twice as big this year so I didn't get to attend as many seminars as I would have liked. Ann [Rogers, the festival's founder,] has us working pretty darn hard. But I'd say absinthe is a big presence. Now that it's allowed by the U.S. government, you're seeing quite a few brands. That's a good thing.
ZB: How has the relationship between cocktails and fine-dining restaurants changed over the years?
DD: First what you had was a movement in this country back to regional, seasonal, local foods, and away from processed ones. We became a wine drinking country again in the past 35 years. My boss and mentor, Joseph Baum of Restaurant Associates inspired a lot of chefs. He moved me to 19th-century cocktail recipes. He wanted to go back to that European way of local, regional cooking. He wanted this country to rediscover the American cocktail of the 19th century – no soda guns, no mixes, but real ingredients and recipes. Until that point, recipes weren't a part of the business' mindset. There were no great bartending schools. Now the industry is rediscovering the cocktail in the way it did real food. And the public is saying we've had enough of green neon liquid coming out of a soda gun.
ZB: Are you currently working on any projects?
DD: Lots of stuff. I just did menu work at Keith McNally's new Italian restaurant in New York, Morandi. And I've been working with Colin Cowie on his first Sea Bar, which just opened in the Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos.
ZB: Do you have a hangover remedy that you could recommend?
DD: There are two ways to cure a hangover. One is, don't start drinking. Number two is, don't stop drinking. Or you can try soaking your feet in oatmeal.
– Carla Spartos