By some incredible turn of events that involved the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, 3 airports and 12 hours, I landed myself at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans with 48 hours notice. Tales is an internationally acclaimed event for bartenders, spirit brands, booze media and enthusiasts, celebrating its 9th year as the 5 day bacchanalian conference to be at in the Big Easy.

I chased down fellow Hawaiian, bartender Sam Treadway from the Waikiki Edition passing out leis and competing with his “Killer Fizz” Pina Colada at the United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG) Pina Colada Championship sponsored by Bacardi on Friday night. The special event held at Tales of the Cocktail had 17 bartenders vying for the title that would make them $1,500 richer, adorn their mantel with a fantastic trophy and qualify them for a spot in the World Cocktail Competition in Warsaw, Poland compliments of USBG.

The Championships were held at the Foundry in the Warehouse District of New Orleans where 550 attendees sipped hand shaken Bacardi cocktails and listened to a live Latin band playing Caribbean sounds. Juan Coronado, Bacardi Brand Master, explains,”The main bars were serving Bacardi Legacy cocktails, like the ‘Daiquiri’ from 1898, the ‘Cuba Libre’ from 1900 and the ‘Pina Colada’ from 1954.” Each of the bartenders had a station where they described built and passed out their ever creative versions of the ubiquitous tropical drink while the samplers got to vote on their favorite with a wooden chip.

The winners of the event however were judged by a panel comprised of some of the foremost authorities on cocktails. Technical judges included: USBG National President David Nepove, USBG National Past President Livio Lauro, and Best Technical Performance at the National 2009 USBG Cocktail Contest winner Ronaldo Colli. Tasting judges included: USBG Vice President Aaron Gregory Smith, Bacardi Brand Master Juan Coronado, Bacardi Brand Master David Cid, Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador David Cordoba and Managing Editor of In the Mix Magazine Mike Maven.

Debbi Peek of Chicago was crowned champion of the Pina Colada at Tales of the Cocktail with her Pina Colada called “No Passport Required.” It featured smoked Bacardi Bacardi Anejo and pineapple and ginger purees, with a glass rimmed with toasted coconut and honey. The crowd sourced favorite was Las Vegas’ Matt Myers who received the majority of the chips to take home the People’s Choice award. His Thai Pina Colada had Asian influences and spicy cashews presenting a complex flavor profile.

“The goal of the USBG Pina Colada competition at Tales of the Cocktail was to inspire today’s generation of bartenders to reimagine this classic cocktail and take it forward into the second golden age of cocktails,” said Ann Tuennerman, founder of Tales of the Cocktail. ”The winning cocktails had true balance and complexity of flavor and deserve their place in history alongside the Original Pina Colada.”

No Passport Required Created by Debbi Peek, Chicago

• 2 oz Smoked Bacardi Anejo Rum
• 2 oz coconut milk
• 1 oz Roasted Pineapple Puree (Perfect Puree)
• 1/2 oz brown sugar syrup (equal parts brown sugar/water)
• 1/2 oz Ginger Puree (equal parts fresh ginger/water/sugar/ blended)
• Garnish – Glass dipped in honey and rimmed with toasted coconut
• Smoked Bacardi Anejo – Cold smoke over cherry wood for 45 minutes.

Directions: Shake all with ice. Strain into toasted coconut-rimmed ice-filled Pina Colada glass.

Thai Pina Colada Created by Matt Myers, Vegas

• 1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Yr
• 2 oz Pina Colada Mix
• 1 1/2 oz Thai Syrup
• 6 Leaves & 1 crown Mint Leaves, muddled & for garnish
• 3 Leaves Kaffir Lime Leaves, muddled & for garnish
• 1 Shoot of Lemon Grass, as garnish

Directions: In an old fashion glass, bruise 6 mint leaves and 2 kaffir lime leaves with Bacardi 8 Rum. Strain rum into blender with Thai Syrup, Pina Colada mix and 1 scoop of ice. (Reserve glass with bruised leaves). Blend until smooth. Pour contents into old fashion glass with bruised leaves. Stir leaves quickly. Garnish with 1 Lemon grass shoot, 1 kaffir lime leaf and a slapped mint crown. Provide a straw and enjoy!

Killer Fizz Created by Sam Treadway, Hawaii

• 1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior
• 1 oz fresh pineapple juice
• 1 oz fresh coconut milk
• 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
• 1/2 oz orgeat
• 1 fresh egg white
• 2 oz soda water
• 2 fresh chunks of pineapple soaked in St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Directions: Put all ingredients except soda water, Allspice Dram and pineapple chunks into your shaker. Dry shake and then shake vigorously with ice. Pour your soda water into your chilled collins glass. Double strain the shaken mixture over the soda water. With a kitchen torch, lightly roast the pre-soaked pineapple. Lay the burnt pineapple chunks over your drink on a pick. Serve with a straw.

June 18th.  Another fun Fandango at the Frannie.  St. Francis Winery, located at Highway 12 and Pythian Road, for years has demonstrated their appreciation for their wine club members, and fondness for having a great time.  Pouring some of its more mesmerizingly encompassing wines, red and white alike, pairing them with incredible cajun dishes and antagonistically brilliant music with New Orleans/Mardi Gras consistency, St. Francis once again delivered another memorable event for its club members.  Frannie employees looked almost as excited as the club members, which contributed heavily to the evening’s positive persistence.

In years past, the weather has been hot, harsh, nearly of a vengeful pace.  But on June 18th, no such circumstance set.  I interviewed one gentleman, who’d been a club member for more years than he wanted to tell me, saying “…it would be a mistake to ever miss this…Fandango at St. Francis should make anyone want to join their wine club, or at least come with someone in the club, I’m serious…” Just looking around, you could tell many felt the same.  Me, not covering an event, but captured by the energy, the flavor profile of the occasion itself.

A winery known for its perfect balance of scenery, elegance, and humility, all guests about the lovely lawn were laughing, engaged with the other’s presence, if not dancing.  Even some of the Frannie employees could be seen a-jitter to the band’s electric arrangements.  One lady, a local, said that this event has always been like a condensed vacation, as though every year was like being in Sonoma Valley, on that expansive St. Francis green on a maiden visit.  The gorgeous Wild Oak Estate Vineyard only feet away, the Mayacamas Mountains grinning down at the jubilant time in motion, all were on holiday.

The cajun dishes, both delicious and uniquely cooked, according to guests.  A multi-layered array of offerings paired with arguably the most consistent and formidable reds in Sonoma Valley, maybe even County, could only dazzle club members.  And again, with the event’s geographic texture and palate: tangible ideality.  Some attending were guests of club members, as was the gentleman I spoke to from Sacramento.  He said, impassioned, firm: “I’m joining.  That’s it.  I’m joining.” So don’t be startled if St. Francis and its hospitably knowledgeable troops execute another trumping Fandango in 2012, and the crowd’s slightly, of maybe even significantly, more populous.  Sip, sip …

For eight years Tales of the Cocktail has been bringing cocktail aficionados, from around the world, to New Orleans. What began as a small gathering of cocktail enthusiasts and professionals has grown to become the premier cocktail festival, serving as an annual meeting place for the world’s most influential professionals.

For the first time, this internationally acclaimed cocktail festival is taking its show on the
road with Tales of the Cocktail on Tour. This first mini-festival will be held in
Vancouver, March 13-15, 2011, and will feature a series of events and seminars designed
to give everyone a taste of what’s in store at Tales of the Cocktail 2011. Continue Reading »

Left Coast Libations book signing in the lobby of Hotel Monteleone. From Left to Right: Ted Munat (author), Jenn Farrington (photographer), Michael Lazar (author)

Throughout the duration of Tales of the Cocktail, Octavia Books (a locally owned New Orleans bookstore) hosted an on-site cocktail-themed bookstore called ‘Shots of Inspiration’ in the Hotel Monteleone. Each day, hundreds of people lined up in the hotel lobby for various book signings with some of the most well-known authors of cocktail and mixology literature. The 2010 ‘Shots of Inspiration’ was so successful that it broke its sales record from the previous year. Below is a list of the top ten selling books during Tales of the Cocktail 2010. Continue Reading »

Photograph by Matthew Noel

Starting last Tuesday and ending this past Sunday, the 8th year of the largest and most epic spirits and mixology event in the U.S. took place in New Orleans, LA. It has taken just as long for most of the industry professionals to recover and report on their experiences. We searched all over the blogosphere for recaps of the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail, and here is a list of some of our favorites:

Drinking Lessons From Tales of the Cocktail (NewOrleans.com)

“Tales of the Cocktail is summer camp for high-end bar flies. Instead of arts and crafts and archery, you get drink-y lectures covering the history of Prohibition and gin or the science of stirring. You also make new friends, get very little sleep and, instead of poison ivy and sunburns, you catch a few blinding hangovers.”

Continue Reading »

This Sunday, July 25th, The Polo Club Lounge at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans will partner with Viridian Spirits to host the U.S. launch of Jade Absinthes from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. This will be the first time the complete Jade absinthe portfolio will be served on U.S. soil.

“We’re thrilled to host such a groundbreaking and thrilling event. New Orleans was once the epicenter of absinthe culture due to the port and French influence and we love its recent resurgence.” — David Teich, general manager of the Windsor Court. “To have this launch in Ted’s hometown with him in attendance is an honor, and we know everyone will have a fantastic time.” Continue Reading »

The first ever Cabana Cachaca Bartender Olympics will be held outside the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans on Thursday, July 22nd from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The Cabana Cachaca 2010 Bartender Olympics will be broken up into three distinct challenges: Speed, Knowledge and Creativity.

“We’ve designed the challenges around skills that every good bartender already has and uses each time they are behind their own bar. What will make this event exciting is the teams are made of the best of the best, and they are competing in front of an audience of their peers.” — Matti Anttila, founder and president of Cabana Cachaca. Continue Reading »

Tales of the Cocktail 2010
Date: July 21 – 25, 2010
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Epic. That is the closest you can come to describing Tales of the Cocktail, which has become the mixology event to top all mixology events. Taking place in the city that birthed the modern cocktail, Tales offers attendees an ambitious mix of parties, seminars, tastings, dinners, competitions, and other spirits and mixology-fueled events. Continue Reading »