Subscribe + Save

Scenes from Tales of the Cocktail

July 22, 2015

pernod-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Wednesday night's Pernod Ricard Welcome Party at the Chicory featured frozen craft daiquiri machines, an assembly line of Ramos Gin Fizzes shakers, and delicious drinks like this habanero-based one from Tippling Bros. Tad Carducci. The event also included live music by the Rebirth Brass Band.

williamgrantparty-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — After the Pernod party, William Grant & Sons transformed the WWII Museum into a futuristic playground, complete with surreal creatures serving up Hendricks Gin cocktails from various unusual apparatus like shown.

martini-rossi-reserva-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — One of the best new products we tasted came from Martini & Rossi's vermouth collection. The two new expressions in the Riserva Speciale line impressed when sipped solo and mixed in cocktails. Rubin, a blend of Langhe DOC Nebbiolo wines, holy thistle extract and sandalwood has a rich depth with chocolatey notes, while the Ambroso, made with Moscato d'Asti, cinchona bark and chinese rhubarb tasted herbal and aromatic with hints of caramel.

perfect-puree-totc-crdt-jen-prout-boelts — Not every tasting room at Tales includes booze. Various mixers, juices and one of our favorites—Perfect Puree smoothies—were also on display throughout the fest to make sure attendees stayed hydrated.

beam-julep-hour-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Beam Suntory hosted a casual Julep Hour event at a house in the French Quarter, featuring a variety of Mint Juleps and a heartwarming presentation by bartender (and renowned Julep lover) Chris McMillian.

barfight-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — At the annual Bar Fight Club, three international bars joined a stellar lineup of contenders including Houston's Pastry War and winners ABV in San Francisco. London's White Lyan (pictured) made a silky smooth martini-style drink with pechuga mezcal that stood above its competition in both ingenuity and flavor.

erin-rose-coffee-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — One thing is certain about Tales of the Cocktail: At one point or another over the course of the festival, you'll need some coffee. We especially loved the mole bitters–spiked cortado from Spitfire (left), the classic frozen Irish coffee from Erin Rose (center), and the new digs at Revelator Coffee (right).

tikititans-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Tales put on a series of guest bartending events throughout the week at various local bars as well, featuring "dynamic duos" of talented bartenders. Tropical drinks flowed on the patio at Cane & Table when these tiki titans Martin Cate of Smuggler's Cove and Lost Lake (pictured left), Paul McGee of Lost Lake (with wife Shelby Allison on the right), and Nick Detrich of Cane & Table (not pictured) mixed for guests as part of the series.

paul-clarke-book-signing-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Our executive editor Paul Clarke had several book signings over the course of the week. His new book The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance with Jigger, Shaker & Glass is already available via Cocktail Kingdom and amazon.com.

rutte-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Royal Dutch Distillers from Holland launched a new line of spirits called Rutte, with the help of the Bon Vivants team. The dry gin, genever and vodka taste clean and refined, but we were most impressed by the celery gin—a delicate and subtle spirit that makes a sublime G&T. The spirits will launch around the country in early August.

cure-little-caprice-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — We took the opportunity to support some of New Orleans' best cocktail bars while in town. The Little Caprice from Cure is every bit as delightful as it sounds. You can find the recipe on the homepage now.

balise-aguardiente-dolar-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — We also stopped by the newest concept from the Le Petite Grocery team, Balise. The Aguardiente Dolar is a spice-fueled mix of cinnamon-infused mezcal, Mexican fernet, angostura bitters, lime juice and fever tree ginger beer.

imbibehappyhour-totc-2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Our annual happy hour took place at Arnaud's French 75 bar on Saturday, featuring cocktails by Haus Alpenz. Check our facebook page in the coming week to see more shots from the event.

bartenders-breakfast-totc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — The Bartender's Breakfast party this year showcased the talent of bars around the country, including Noble Experiment, PDT, Teardrop Lounge, Pouring Ribbons, Cure and a sneak peek at San Francisco's almost-open Whitechapel. Here, Alex Day from Death & Co. in NYC mixes up a gin and sherry cocktail.

pignpunchptotc2015-crdt-emma-janzen — Finally, people flocked to Washington Square Park on the last day of the fest for the annual Pig & Punch event, hosted by the Bon Vivants and yours truly. Despite the 100+ degree weather, everyone enjoyed the variety of punches served and went home with smiles galore.

The annual Tales of the Cocktail festival took place in New Orleans last week, and we hit the streets armed with Instagram to document some of the goings-on. From seminars to product releases, special events and parties, there was plenty to report on, so scroll through the gallery above to see some of our highlights, and be sure to hover over the captions to read more about what made this year’s event memorable.

-->

You Might Also Enjoy

Bar Convent Brooklyn

Rochester Cocktail Revival

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

seattle cocktail week

Subscribe and Save

Up to 50%

Enjoy This Article?

Sign up for our newsletter and get biweekly recipes and articles delivered to your inbox.