The annual Tales of the Cocktail extravaganza is to return for its 15th incarnation – and this year’s event features a day-long examination of sustainability, alongside the signature in-depth talks and seminars.

Tales of the Cocktail is set to return for its 15th incarnation next week

Now in its 15th year, the ultimate cocktail festival is back and this year takes place from 18­-23 July – offering 200 seminars, tastings, competitions and parties. A week at Tales of the Cocktail has never required so much planning.

Hotels, restaurants and bars throughout New Orleans are opening their doors to visitors and locals alike interested in participating in all aspects of cocktail culture.

With educational sessions covering all kinds of spirits, from Chinese liquors to Irish whiskey, and plenty of feasts and soirées, this year’s event looks set to become the most dynamic yet.

Every year, Tales of the Cocktail brings together the most respected talents in mixology for six days of special events throughout the vibrant city of New Orleans.

As always, this year’s Tales of the Cocktail will be featuring some of the biggest names in the cocktail and dining scene. Some noted industry leaders attending the event include cocktail historian David Wondrich, rum ambassador Ian Burrell and whisky expert Dave Broom.

With a jam­-packed schedule of seminars, tastings, and special events, there’s something for every spirits enthusiast at this world­renowned festival of cocktails, cuisine, and culture.

Read on for our pick of the top sessions not to be missed…

For further details and the full schedule, see talesofthecocktail.com.

Tuesday 18 July

Sustainability Summit
10:30am­-5:00pm
Nouvelle Ballrooms, Hotel Monteleone
The first Sustainability Summit is a day­-long series of seminars dedicated to offering advice on environmental practices for bartenders and bar owners. Led by Chad Arnholt and Claire Sprouse from the Tin Roof Drink Community, participants will learn what sustainability behind the bar means, how it can be measured, and what steps the bartending community can take to collectively alter its impact on the environment.

New Orleans Cocktail Tour
4.00pm­-5:00pm
Le Booze, Royal Sonesta Hotel
Dive into the rich cocktail history of New Orleans with Joe Gendusa, a renowned cocktail tour guide in the city. This late­ afternoon boozy walking tour will begin, appropriately, at Le Booze and lead you around historic cocktail hotspots in the French Quarter. This tour is not to be missed if you love hearing stories and exploring, while having a cocktail en route.

Get down with the new brown: Brandy from Barcelona!
3:30pm­-5:30pm
Vieux Carre Suite, Hotel Monteleone
As brandy enjoys a resurgence, this session will explore the versatility of brandy as a base for classic cocktails – many of which were made with the spirit to begin with. Using the brandies of Spain’s Torres family, who have been distilling brandies from their vineyards near Barcelona since 1928, top mixologists will interpret classic American cocktails.

Wednesday 19 July

Hey Scotch, where’s my age statement?
10:00am­-11:30am
Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Numbers on Scotch whisky bottles have helped guide bartenders and consumers to find their way through the category. An expert panel, which includes Tristan Stephenson, Georgie Bell and David Stewart, will examine why some in the Scotch whisky industry are moving away from age statements, why others are sticking with them, and the pros and cons of each from the perspective of the consumer, producer and bartender.

Bartenders to brand ambassadors to brand managers
10:30am­-12:00pm
Grand Ballroom South, Royal Sonesta Hotel
Taking the leap from professional bartender to an ambassador is a common career move. This open discussion will give insight and guidance on how to take the next step in your career. Get a deeper understanding of the opportunities and barriers faced by hospitality professionals looking to grow within the spirits industry.

From the people that invented gin but do not mind the English claiming it, presented by Rutte
11:00am­-1:00pm
Vieux Carre Suite, Hotel Monteleone
Join Myriam Hendrickx, master distiller at Rutte, as she talks through the evolution of genever from its origins through to the times of Old Tom, London Dry gin and then back to its roots: 21st­century interpretations of the old classics with genever.

Drink well, live long and prosper?
12:30pm­-2:00pm
Nouvelle West Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Alcohol has a long and complicated relationship with health. Can it really ‘defend the body from corruption’, or is that just wishful thinking? Join Claire Smith­-Warner, Jeffrey Kluger, Tristan Stephenson and nutritional therapist Libby Limon, as they separate the facts from fiction and explore how history and modern science has shaped our understanding of alcohol, and also discuss whether there is any link between libations and longevity.

Breaking the mould
12:30pm­-2:00pm
Nouvelle East Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
This seminar looks at some of the most progressive and innovative beverage programmes in the world, and explores what goes on behind the scenes. Join Alex Kratena, Joe Schofield, Luke Whearty, Matt Whiley and Nathan O’Neill as they discuss their systems and thought processes to push away from the confines of trends and conservativeness.

The floor staff: The unsung heroes of hospitality
1:00pm­-2:30pm
Grand Ballroom South, Royal Sonesta Hotel
Bartenders interact with only a fraction of the guests that walk through the door. The rest are met, sat, served and cared for by the unsung heroes of the hospitality industry: the floor staff. An expert panel of presenters discusses the often overlooked role.

Thursday 20 July

A journey into the world of vintage spirits
10:00am­-11:30am
Bonnet Carre Room, Hotel Monteleone
An expert from the supply side of the trade, Edgar Harden of The Old Spirits Company, will lead a seminar into unusual spirits, defunct brands, and the fascinating tales behind them. Discover how he finds and markets vintage spirits wishing to rebuild their heritage to the premium on­trade and private collectors for luxury consumption.

We spritz: From classic aperitivo to low abv drink
10:30am­-12:00pm
Grand Ballroom South, Royal Sonesta Hotel
Given the increased interest in low­alcohol cocktails, many bars have adopted the concept of adding lower­abv drinking options to their beverage programmes. Explore the nuances of less boozy cocktails with Leo Robitschek from New York City’s Nomad and aperitivo expert Anna­Louise Marquis from Campari America, who look at the skills required to create complex and flavourful drinks using lower­-proof ingredients.

Aquavit – Nordic by nature
12:30pm­-2:00pm
Bonnet Carre Room, Hotel Monteleone
Led by Monica Berg, this exclusive tasting is a rare opportunity to taste aquavits never before seen in the US. This tasting will take participants through the differences between spirits from each of the Nordic countries, but will mainly highlight the enormous variations in the Norwegian aquavits, where botanical blend, ageing process and raw material distinguishes each from any other. The tasting will go through the makings of the spirit – and also look at the variables that affect the final product.

Better drinking through chemistry
3:30pm­-5:00pm
Grand Ballroom North, Royal Sonesta Hotel
A collaborative session featuring three of the world’s leading experts on maturation: Dr Mathew Crow (Diageo); Dr Bill Lumsden (LVMH); and Dr Don Livermore (Pernod) moderated by Ewan Morgan. The seminar will discuss progressive maturation and science, as well as how patience, skill and time form the foundation of what we know as ‘modern whisky’.

Friday 21 July

Bartending robots: Friend or foe?
10:00am­-11:30am
Nouvelle West Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
How much of a bartender’s skill can a machine replace? Join the discussion on the future of robotics and how they can affect the bar, for better and for worse. There will also be a tasting of St George Spirits gins, with the chance to make your very own gin.

Hello, American single malt whiskey!
12:30pm­-2.00pm
Iberville Room, Hotel Monteleone
Move over Scotch and Bourbon – American single malt whiskey is poised to conquer back bars and store shelves. This panel discussion will feature four prominent distillers of American malt whiskey, with sample tastings of some of the best and newest expressions.

Bar in-depth: The world of The Clumsies
3:00pm­-4:30pm
Iberville Room, Hotel Monteleone
New to this year’s TOTC is the Bar In­depth series, offering detailed presentations of various bars’ concepts, financing, operations, staffing, marketing and drinks programmes. In this session, learn the successes and failures of renowned Greek bar The Clumsies.

Mastering your prep game: Technique & application
1:00pm­-2:30pm
Grand Ballroom South, Royal Sonesta Hotel
From flash infusion to maceration and closed­ loop fermentation, many terms and techniques from the culinary world are finding their way into bar programmes. This is a chance to lay the foundations and awareness of the important classic and modern prep techniques, understand their application, and know which crucial skills to master first and foremost.

The whisky heretics V: Extreme Scotch
3:00pm­-4:30pm
Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
This is the fifth and final part of the Whisky Heretics talks, in which Dave Broom and Ryan Chetiyawardana aim to open bartenders’ minds to the possibilities of mixing and understanding Scotch by explaining about history, flavour and versatility – and confronting and challenging prejudices at every turn. Now it is time to journey further out in the whisky galaxy and look at how distillers push the limits of flavour, asking why they do this, how it is done, and what the results can be.

Moving beyond colour, a new classification for rum
3:30pm­-5:00pm
Grand Ballroom North, Royal Sonesta Hotel
Rum is arguably the most diversely made spirit. The methods in play reflect both the traditional and modern ways of rum production, and yet no recognised method of communication exists to distinguish between the two. The new classification concept explored here highlights the difference between methods and will give attendees an entirely new insight into the category.

Saturday 22 July

Bar in-depth: Peg & Patriot, London
10:00am­-11:30am
Nouvelle West Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Created by the founder of The Talented Mr. Fox, the Peg + Patriot is one of the most talked­about cocktail bars in London. Come learn the secrets behind the haunt sure to dominate many a ‘world’s best bars’ list.

Movers & shakers: A guide to making it abroad
10:00am­-11:30am
Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Take a look at why people in our industry make a move across the globe to further their careers. This seminar discusses how to prepare for a big move and make a successful arrival, as well as the different tools needed to find success abroad.

Irish whiskey 2.0 – the future of Irish whiskey
12:30pm­-2:00pm
Nouvelle West Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
From the birth of the category in Ireland to today’s resurgence and resurrection, Irish whiskey is entering a new era in its history. Look into the future of the category and explore what’s to come from Ireland’s newest distilleries.

New ice techniques, tools and technology
12:30pm­-2:00pm
Nouvelle East Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Experience a slideshow of some of the best ideas in ice from the past couple of years, including branding ice cubes and hacking Clinebell machines, to freezing objects inside cubes and using robots to cut ice blocks into different shapes, and much more.

Bai-curious? Chinese spirits and you
3:00pm­-4:30pm
Iberville Room, Hotel Monteleone
Chinese grain spirits are the world’s least understood drinks category. Baijius are as complex and flavourful as any liquor, but their potential in cocktails is only starting to be understood. This seminar will provide a deep dive into baijiu with a guided spirit and cocktail tasting.