The ultimate Tales of the Cocktail survival guide
It’s easy to burn out quickly at Tales of the Cocktail, but hopefully this survival guide from some of the show’s regular visitors will ensure the experience next week is as enjoyable and useful as possible.
Survive Tales of the Cocktail with these handy tips from the expertsWhat does Tales of the Cocktail mean to you? Held every year in New Orleans, the cocktail festival is widely known as one of the most vibrant, varied and utterly raucous industry events on the planet, but what you get out of it entirely depends on what you put into it.
Held this year from 16-20 July, Tales of the Cocktail presents an opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends, old and new, discover new spirits brands and cocktail ingredients you could only have dreamed of, and ultimately improve your knowledge of the drinks industry in one fell swoop.
Some, who have been attending the event every year since its inception in 2005 will be used to the hectic nature of rushing between seminars, pushing through the throngs of cocktail enthusiasts all equally intrigued by that bottle-conditioned, Negroni-aged gin in the corner. Others, however, the “Tales Virgins”, may be trembling right now with a mixture of trepidation and sheer excitement.
Fear not, help is at hand. We’ve asked some Tales regulars for their tips on what not to miss, how to handle the experience, what New Orleans grub to chow down on, the best places to party and ultimately how to enjoy every minute.
Click through the following pages to read their advice. Make sure you heed it!
Ryan Chetiyawardana, Mr Lyan
One of the most innovative bartenders in the world right now is not only spreading the Mr. Lyan philosophy through one of his many seminars at Tales, he has this sound advice to share.
• Go to the seminars! Don’t only party – there are amazing talks on from the best from around the world.
• Drink in Alibi until the early hours. Needs to be done.
• Eat fried chicken. It’s the south and it’s amazing.
• Meet and chat with all the fantastic bartenders from around the world.
Jim Meehan
Besides tending bar at New York’s trailblazing PDT, Jim Meehan can be found writing about his beloved industry and even has time to design a bartender bag along the way.
• Eat at Donald Link’s restaurant Cochon. It’s a 15-minute hike from the quarter, but well worth it. Fried alligator, the cochon, and cucumber salad are my jam.
• Have lunch at Acme. It’s just a block away from the Monteleone Hotel. You must order some fried oysters and the jambalaya with a frosty cold beer.
• Order a muffelata from Central Grocery. Head over to this historic store for one of New Orleans’ signature sandwiches. Eat between a quarter and half and save the rest for the following morning.
• Savor a Pimm’s Cup at the Napoleon House. The drink is forgettable, but the environment is as close to heaven if you’re in need of some zen amid the clamor of the quarter.
Erick Castro
The face behind San Diego’s Polite Provisions, one of our Bars to Watch 2013, is best known for breaking boundaries with his obscure, historical recipes.
• Attend the Wild Turkey Party, “60 Years Strong: The Industry’s Toast to Jimmy Russell”. It’s one of the more rare events this year, celebrating the “Buddha of Bourbon”, master distiller Jimmy Russell. The man is a legend, and there is an incredible lineup of bartenders participating.
TIP: RSVP!! It’s free to get in, but make sure you RSVP online.
• Bartender’s Breakfast (after Tales). This is hands-down one of my favourite industry events of the entire year. It’s just a big party, with great cocktails, food, music and people. It’s a late-night celebration held on Saturday night right after the awards, and you’re guaranteed to see everyone and have an amazing time. It’s a winner – good people, total scene.
TIP: Hydrate. Enough said.
• Pig & Punch. This event is killer because it’s a big afternoon party outside with a whole pig roast, Punch cocktails, games and friends. Presented by the Bon Vivants, the party benefits the New Orleans KIPP Charter Schools.
TIP: Bring cash. Make sure you donate a lil’ something to the cause.
• Bar Fight Club. You get the opportunity to try cocktails from some of the best bars in the nation, all in one spot.
TIP: Get there early. It fills up quick.
David Wondrich
Cocktail author, historian extraordinaire David Wondrich was last year’s winner of the Golden Spirit Award, given to the presenter with the highest seminar scores, but he really needs no introduction.
This year I’m looking forward to what I look forward to every year: sneaking in a good New Orleans meal or two, nipping around the corner to the Napoleon House for a Sazerac with, say, jason Crawley, John Gertsen, Jacques Bezuidehout or whichever other crony of mine I happen to bump into when we both have a minute to spare, and basically talking to friends old and new. To me, that’s what Tales of the Cocktail is all about.
Claire Smith
Belvedere Vodka’s head of spirit creation and mixology is no stranger to Tales, having participated in many a seminar as both host and panelist. In 2011 she was awarded the Golden Spirit Award for the presenter achieving the highest score from attendees.
• Tales is the foremost global cocktail festival and brings together the best talent from all over the world. I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends, making new ones and learning about the cutting edge techniques that will be impacting our industry in the coming months and years
• Enjoy a cocktail at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone in between seminars
• Check out the Old Absinthe House
• Remember that Tales is a marathon, not a sprint. Take some time to enjoy New Orleans and sign up for a swamp tour or a tour of the French Quarter (cocktail bars excluded)
• Visit Alibi.
Philip Duff
The drinks consultant and Tales of the Cocktail’s director of education give his lowdown on the unmissable seminars at this year’s event, having screened all the proposals from the start.
• Jamie Jones teaching Pop Up The Ladder (And Own A Bar), has a unique (for the cocktail world) non-London focus, living and working in Manchester. That hasn’t stopped him winning numerous contests, including the G’Vine global one.
• Ryan Chetiyawardana presenting White Lyan’s Usquebaugh Tales. Perhaps the most innovative bartender around.
• Steve Dolinsky is really cool – he’s brand new to Tales, and is a TV presenter with a sideline in doing media trainings for chefs and restaurateurs. He’s teaching Behind the Stick, In Front of the Camera.
• Allen Katz, a longtime friend of Tales, is participating in How to Go Broke: Opening a Distillery and that sounds incredible; Allen has opened a very fine distillery and bar no more than 20 minutes by subway from Grand Central, in Brooklyn. Especially as a former brand ambassador and spirits educator, his perspective on craft spirits would be superb.
• Multi-award winning Australian bartender Jason Williams is attending Tales and participating in How To Win Cocktail Competitions; he’d be great person to speak to about Australian cocktail culture, which I think is the most advanced and vibrant in the world.
Dave Broom
The whisky writer and educator is running four talks at Tales this year, from an in-depth look into the difference between age and maturity, to recreations of Scotch classics with White Lyan’s Ryan Chetiyawardana.
• Why Tales? It is the drinks trade equivalent of Glastonbury. I meet more UK friends/colleagues in NOLA than I do when at home and make new contacts from around the world. It is a place to learn, taste, talk, discuss, plot, scheme and laugh. It’s exhausting, but addictive.
• Make an A list of seminars, events etc you want to go to and accept that you can’t do everything. Include some “wild cards”. The paleo-cocktail class last year was genius!
• Don’t try and make complicated arrangements for meetings. There’s an element of improvisation required – you’ll be sidetracked, distracted, lost in the wrong part of town but, somehow, you will meet all the right folk – and some new ones as well. Relax!
• Factor in an extra 30 minutes if using the lifts at the Monteleone.
• Eat. It’s NOLA, so that means gumbo, jambalaya, muffaletta, po’boys, fried chicken, crawfish pie. Food is important because there just might be some drinking involved.
• Beware of the Alibi. It really never closes. Don’t peak too soon.
Naren Young
The former group head bartender of Avroko Hospitality Group’s five US venues, including the highly acclaimed Saxon + Parole, is now heading up the new bar at Bacchanal in New York, and still finds time to write about his passions.
• Have a late night/morning at Alibi (if Jake Burger is there, which he will be, that’s an added bonus. Plus he knows all the off-duty strippers by name). This is where everyone ends up. Some never leave.
• Eat at Cochon (or many of the other dozens of amazing restaurants) in NOLA. This is one of the best dining cities in America with many iconic dishes such as the po boy, muffaletta sandwich, gumbo, jambalaya and many more. It’s heavy food for sure. TIP: Have a hungover breakfast at Mothers.
• Try each of the city’s iconic drinks (do not miss Chris Hannah’s French 75 at Arnaud’s). Plus there’s the Grasshopper at Tujagues, Ramos Fizzes, Sazeracs, Vieux Carres, Pimm’s Cups and Absinthe Frappes. Too many drinks, so little time.
• See some live music on Frenchman Street. The city is famous for all kinds of music and it just adds colour and character to a city already brimming with it.
• The Pig & Punch party from the Bon Vivants is THE party of the week. What’s not to love: dozens of whole swine cooked to perfection, marching bands, softball, frisbee, truck loads of cold punch and good friends.
Alex Kratena
The Artesian’s head bartender, one of London’s finest, is no stranger to the cocktail industry, having pioneered the reinvention of the hotel bar with his concept at The Langham Hotel.
• Networking. Probably one of the most important features of TOTC helps me to create strong social network from a global perspective
• Seminars. Study, study, study. These present a great opportunity to learn from the brightest minds in the industry
• Trends. TOTC is great opportunity to identify up and coming trends at an early stage. You don’t necessarily have to pick up on them, but you can choose entirely different ways of doing things than rest of the industry.
• PR. This is a great opportunity to showcase what you are up to in front of industry leaders.
• Party. TOTC is probably the biggest party of the year.
Becky Paskin
A Tales Virgin herself, The Spirits Business’ managing editor gives her view of the event ahead of five days of imbibing, meeting new friends and trying to cover it all for the magazine and www.thespiritsbusiness.com at the same time.
• This will be my first year at Tales of the Cocktail and while I can’t express my excitement at finally being able to tag along, I’m totally nervous as well. I can only imagine it’s a bit like Glastonbury or Burning Man, except the drinks are flowing more freely, there’s less of a queue for the bar and bog (at least I hope) and you pretty much know everyone there. Many people have given me advice about how to handle the event, which goes something like this:
• Carry a bottle of water with you always. While I imagine plenty of drinks are available pretty much wherever you find yourself, staying hydrated will not only prevent you from keeling over in the heat, it’ll help stave off those nasty hangovers too.
• Go to a health and wellness seminar. I was so impressed to see this being offered at Tales. Having been a bartender in a past life and now working in a stressful publishing environment, I completely understand the importance of staying healthy and being able to relax. Three 90-minute sessions will be on offer at 8.30am throughout the week, so maybe it’s best to go along sooner rather than later.
• Take sunscreen. Nobody wants to wake up looking like a lobster.
• Eat and drink New Orleans. Absorb the culture and history of one of the most interesting cities in the States, as many of my friends on these pages have pointed out already.
• Tweet us @spiritsbusiness with your recommendations too. No doubt I’ll need them.
