Preview: Tales of the Cocktail 2023

The return of Tales of the Cocktail is a terrific reason to raise a glass, as the line-up for the New Orleans’ 2023 festival is packed with exciting events. We’ve pinpointed the highlights of this year’s show, and suggests must-attend seminars.

Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) turns 21 this year, so you better believe the drinks (as well as seminars, events, and networking opportunities) will be flowing. We’ve looked at what the annual festival, hosted by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF), has in store for when it returns on 23 July.

What started as an annual walking tour of historic New Orleans cocktail bars in 2002 has now become the world’s leading cocktail conference, and this year the festival’s agenda aims to ‘vitalize’ the cocktail community — the 2023 theme of the six-day-long event.

Chosen for its ability to encapsulate the hospitality community’s vibrancy and adaptability, and its unmatched kinetic energy that brings so much life to our shared experience, TOTCF board member John Gakuru says this year’s theme “runs deeper than just a need to vitalise our work and our beloved industry; it is also a rallying cry to look beyond our work life and ensure that we look after ourselves, others, and our planet.

“It’s essential that everything in our busy lives is in balance. This year’s theme will help us to take account of every area of our lives to ensure that we’re navigating life with positivity and vitality. ‘Vitalize’ is what we need to and will do, together.”

TOTC 2023 promises to be “bigger and better than ever”, welcoming attendees with more than 300 sessions and panels, and featuring more than 68 educational sessions, including seminars, workshops, and exclusive tastings as part of Tales’ three educational streams (Business, Culture, and Beyond the Bar), which will be presented by more than 175 industry leaders.

“We are thrilled to welcome attendees back to Tales of the Cocktail with a diverse line-up of signature programming that meets the ever-changing needs and interests of our community,” says Eileen Wayner, TOTCF CEO. “It’s our honour to be the industry’s annual meeting place, and we look forward to once again hosting an incredible group of talent and participants in our home city of New Orleans.”

This year, the TOTC seminar schedule is proudly led by more than 60% women and/or BIPOC presenters, and will bring a roster of more than 40% international presenters from countries including Australia, China, India, the Netherlands, Slovakia, South Africa, and South Korea.

Diversification

For this first time this year, TOTCF will introduce the newly created Catalyst Luncheon, formerly Dame Hall of Fame, aimed at celebrating the accomplishments and advancements of all people in the cocktail community.

Founded in 2012, Dame Hall of Fame initially offered an opportunity for women in the industry to come together and honour achievements not commonly recognised by other bar awards, but now it has been broadened to include all genders.

“This feels like the beginning of a new era for this event, which was born out of the simple desire to get women in a room together at Tales, and has become so dear to our hearts in the last 10 years,” says co-chair Kirsten ‘Kitty’ Amann. “I look forward to what this group will co-create in this space and in our own communities in the next 10 years — and beyond.”

TOTCF’s brand partners, including Lobbey, Perrier, Bacardi USA, Beam Suntory, Campari, Diageo, Pernod Ricard USA, and William Grant & Sons, are returning to New Orleans to host their acclaimed parties for conference attendees, while a reimagined New Orleans Cocktail Tour will also offer attendees a series of five educational walking tours, which will provide an insight into the city’s history and cocktail scene.

Last year, TOTCF announced a partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board to highlight the culture and talent that abounds in the island nation, and the partnership continues this year with a Singapore x Tales residency at TOTC. Held in the French Quarter Balcony room at The Ritz-Carlton, this residency will give Tales attendees the chance to experience a taste of Singapore’s innovation and culture, with a daily spotlight on a different bar and team from Monday to Thursday. Expect to see Elephant Room, Fura, No Sleep Club, and Republic showcase their talents in the four-day residency.

TOTCF’s ongoing mental health and wellness arm, Beyond the Bar, returns again for 2023, focusing on the ‘holistic bartender’ and addressing critical issues in the industry, from substance use and abuse to sexual harassment, race, equality, and inclusion.

Highlights of the Beyond the Bar programme this year consist of educational panels, seminars, and workshops, as well as fitness activations including a self-defence workshop with Roberta Mariani. There will also be a Beyond the Bar lounge, outside of the workshop rooms, sponsored by Boisson, where attendees can grab non-alcoholic beverages before entering the space.

Spirited Awards

On the penultimate night of the week, the 17th annual Spirited Awards will be held at the Fillmore Theater, and the winners of the World’s Best Cocktail Menu, Bartender of the Year, and Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient, and the five awards in the Writing and Media categories, for which The Spirits Business was named a top 10 nominee in the category of Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, will be announced.

TOTC will close this year with the 12th annual Pig & Punch event, a one-of-a-kind party hosted for charity, and presented by The Bon Vivants in partnership with TOTCF. Expect musical acts to provide the soundtrack to the day, which will feature Punches and Highballs using the event’s brand sponsors.

Below we have compiled our pick of the must‐see events to attend during the 2023 TOTC festival.

For more details and the full line‐up, visit talesofthecocktail.org.

Seminar: Retro Revival & Cocktails Through the Eras

Monday 24 July, 1:30pm-1:30pm local time

Get ready for a nostalgic journey through time as this retro revival seminar delves into the fascinating history of cocktails and cocktail culture. Expect a fun and kitschy ride through the eras that shaped the bar industry as we know it today, then prepare to look to the future, and explore how you can put a modern twist on classic cocktails using the latest ingredients, tools, and techniques.

The Best of Two Worlds – Bringing Ireland + America Together

Tuesday 25 July, 4pm-6pm

If you don’t want to have to choose between your favourite style of whiskey, this bringing together of two of Ireland and America’s best bars – Dublin’s Bar 1661 and New York’s Dead Rabbit – is the perfect event to hit. Both teams will be behind the bar at St Pat’s Irish Coffeehouse, making cocktails with Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whiskey, the brand’s flagship offering that blends together the two categories.

New Orleans Cocktail Tour: How the Drive-Thru Daiquiri Happened

Wednesday 26 July, 2:45pm-4:30pm

In 1981, David Ervin resigned from Louisiana Tech University to open The Daiquiri Factory, the world’s first drive-thru Daiquiri bar in Lafayette, Louisiana. Now at TOTC 2023, Ervin will lead this tour, which will stop at some of the most notable ‘walk-in’ Daiquiri bars in the French Quarter. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of how the drive-thru Daiquiri concept arose from the man who invented it.

Sales of the Cocktail: How ‘Premiumisation’ is Driving a Cocktail Boom, presented by Patrón Tequila

Thursday 27 July, 10am-11.15am

We might be in a cost-of-living crisis, but people are still spending more money on cocktails. Hosted by: Patrón global advocacy director Jacob Briars; Bacardi USA’s on-premise customer solutions director Simone Ventura; and Lauren Mote, on-trade excellence for Patrón Tequila, this talk will look at the demographic and economic factors that are driving this trend, and why it matters to bars and bartenders.