A morning seminar kicks off with a Smoker's Delight cocktail.
photo: Carla Spartos
The genius of Tales of the Cocktail is that while most conferences are packed with presentations, roundtables and meetings, all seemingly a pretense for the marathon drink-a-thons that take place in the hotel bar (that's networking to you, pal), here in New Orleans, they don't bother with the subterfuge. Here, the seminars are actually about booze. At most, you even get to imbibe.
"The goal is to be pleasantly tipsy the whole time," explains Esquire cocktail guru Dave Wondrich from a seat at the revolving Carousel Bar. It seems like most conference attendees are taking Wondrich's advice. And how could they not? First, there's the nice British gentleman pushing La Fee absinthe upstairs in the Hotel Monteleone's Ernest Hemingway Room (positively literary, we know). Then there are the assorted seminars complete with their very own bartenders. The Buzz just returned from one entitled, "Chains committed to using fresh and quality ingredients and how they do it!," where panelists discussed the Next Big Things in the cocktail world, including: Thai basil; fresh chai syrup; herbs and spices; and seasonal and organic ingredients. And let's not forget the importance of "spanking" one's mint. After all, as one expert explained, cocktails are more than just "alcohol delivery vehicles." Apparently.
But more on that later – it's almost 5 PM and the Buzz has to throw on its little black dress, then dash off to the Hotel Montelone's Ballroom for the conference's official Cocktail Hour. We've got a feeling there's a long evening of networking ahead.
– Carla Spartos