Posts Tagged ‘Tales of the Cocktail’

LE LION HUNGRY FOR FRESH BLOOD

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

One year stage available at Hamburg’s award winning cocktail bar

This just in…Joerg Meyer, owner of Le Lion Bar de Paris in Hamburg, Germany www.lelion.net (winner, Best New Cocktail Bar – Tales of the Cocktail 2008) is looking for the right man or woman to add to his team. Meyer is taking on a Commis de Bar for one year.

In Joerg’s own words, “I just started to announce that Le Lion Bar de Paris is offering a job for one year as a Commis de Bar. That’s our style of education. I guarantee that you will work at least 200 to 220 hours a month. Your payment will be 1000•. You will only get tips if your work is good enough and the bartender is willing to share with you. During this year you will never tend the bar in front of my guests, I promise. But, I promise you as well, you will get a great education. You can apply; via email is best. You should be at least 20 years old and speak good English. German is not needed. Very important to me is good manners. So, are you in for some serious work?”

Information, resumes and cover letter to joerg@lelion.net.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Features | 1 Comment »

A SHOT OF THE BLACK STUFF

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

It’s Good For You
By Abigail Gullo

Maybe those college kids doing shots of Jägermeister aren’t so stupid after all
(www.jagermeister.com). They might actually be onto something (though possibly going about it in the wrong way) – and that something is appreciating the restorative qualities that Amaros and bitters like Averna (www.avernausa.com), Jägermeister, Fernet (www.fernetbranca.com), and Underberg (www.underberg.com) all offer.

We have all downed these bitter drinks in a hurry, rushing to get it to our belly, hoping it will do some good…or maybe bad. But, after sitting through the recent Tales of the Cocktail (www.talesofthecocktail.com) seminar A Shot of Black Stuff – Amazing Amaros and Brilliant Bitters, to see if these traditional medicinal bitters had any positive pharmaceutical value, I think I’ve concluded that the answer is “yes.”

The traditional boundaries of Tales of the Cocktail seminars were stretched for the first time this year as due to the ever-growing popularity of the event it had to expand outside the confines of the Hotel Monteleone (www.hotelmonteleone.com). Just one block away, the ballrooms of the Royal Sonesta Hotel (www.sonesta.com/royalneworleans/) on Bourbon Street were put to good use for an overflow of cocktail geekery and knowledge gathering. The ballrooms at the Royal Sonesta were refreshingly easy to find, compared to the labyrinth of the Monteleone, and sitting in the coffee shop across the hall I found two Germans waiting for the seminar to start.

Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck, founders of The Bitter Truth (www.the-bitter-truth.com), have advanced the field of bitters with their exhaustive research and newly released line

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Features | 2 Comments »

ROCKS STARS – TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 2010 TOP 5

Friday, July 30th, 2010

By David Ransom

Photo courtesy of Tales of the Cocktail

Rules are made to be broken, and while Rocks Stars, originally conceived as a profile column focusing on “Movers and Shakers” in the sprits industry, will for all intents and purposes remain that way, from time to time I may just throw in some thoughts on experiences I have along the spirits trail that I find need some play.

To that effect, I would like to bang a few keys on the keyboard, updating you on this year’s 8th Annual Tales of the Cocktail conference held in New Orleans this past hot and steamy week, by bringing to light what I consider to be the week’s top five events:

Here we go, in no particular order, except the last one:

5. Wednesday evening’s Beefeater Welcome party. Held in the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, This “welcome party” had it all: Alice in Wonderland characters floating through the room, trapeze artists floating through the air, and some beautiful cocktails with the “always classic” Beefeater gin, made by some of the world’s great bartenders, like Jamie Gordon and Audrey Saunders, while others, like Tony Abou-Ganim and Dale DeGroff roamed the room. A great way to kick into the week’s festivities.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Columns, Rocks Stars | 7 Comments »

WIPE UP

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Tales Of The Cocktail Bar Towel Sale Benefits Oil Spill Affected Oyster Shuckers

In an effort to support a seafood industry that plays such a large role in the culinary traditions of New Orleans, The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society will be selling a limited edition bar towel during Tales of the Cocktail. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this bar towel will go directly to oyster shuckers who have recently been laid off due to the oil spill in the Gulf.

“Whether you want raw oysters, Oysters Rockefeller, Charbroiled Oysters or just an oyster po-boy, you wouldn’t get a taste if it weren’t for oyster shuckers,” said Ann Tuennerman, Executive Director of the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and Founder of Tales of the Cocktail. “They’re an irreplaceable part of New Orleans culture

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Features | No Comments »

TALES 2010 – WHO TO WATCH

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

With Tales of the Cocktail a mere nine days away you’ve surely got your schedule all set and your flight booked. But, do you know who you’ll be cheering for at the Spirited Awards dinner on Saturday night, and who you’re counting on to keep those cocktails and things running smoothly throughout the seminars, tasting rooms and various events?

Just in case you don’t know whose hands you are in, or who you could be applauding at the Pernod Ricard sponsored Bartender’s Breakfast, here’s a list of the industry’s best and brightest.
Come back to www.insidefandb.com throughout the year to check out more about these folks. With so many of your friends and family on this list we’re certain you’ll be cheering loudly for all of them.

2010 TALES OF THE COCKTAIL SPIRITED AWARD ® NOMINEES AND JUDGES (Sponsored by Pernod Ricard)

The 2010 Spirited Award® Ceremony has two Judging Committees which is comprised of the following members:
Committee Chairman: Simon Ford, Chairman

USA Judging Committee
Alia Akam
Bridget Albert
Natalie Bovis Nelsen
Wayne Curtis
Dale DeGroff
Camper English
Simon Ford
Robert Hess
Francesco Lafranconi
Ryan Magarian
Jim Meehan
Tal Nadari
Julie Reiner
Aisha Sharpe
Dave Wondrich

International Judging Committee
Stephan Berg
Henry Besant
Jacob Briars
Wayne Collins
Tony Conigliaro
Dale DeGroff
Peter Doreli
Phillip Duff
Simon Ford
Eben Freeman
John Gakuru
Jim Meehan
Sean Muldoon
Linden Pride
Angus Winchester

Award Categories and Criteria and Shortlist
(In no particular order)

• Best American Cocktail Bar
Criteria: This award recognizes the influence on cocktail trends within the United States and seeks to award the country’s best cocktail bar.
• The Clover Club, Brooklyn
• Death & Co, NYC
• Rickhouse, San Francisco
• The Varnish, Los Angeles

• World’s Best Hotel Bar
Criteria: The classic ‘American Bar’ played an important role in the history and development of cocktail culture. The judges are looking for hotel bars, which uphold this tradition (but are not necessarily old) and offer five-star service and consistently well made drinks.
• The Artesian at the Langham, London
• The Bar at The Connaught Hotel, London
• Florida Room at The Delano, Florida
• Hemingway Bar, Paris

• Best Cocktail Writing
Criteria: Great journalism is one of the best ways to communicate to the general public the value and significance of great cocktails and related products. This award is for any non-book journalism (Magazine, Newspaper, Website, etc) which promotes bars, bartender, or cocktails in general.
• CLASS magazine
• Gary Regan
• Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller
• Naren Young

• Best New Product
Criteria: This is awarded to what the judges consider to be the best new cocktail ingredient (spirit, liqueur, syrup or juice) or piece of cocktail equipment (muddler, shaker etc.). To qualify products must be on general retail sale in at least three US states.
• Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth
• Cocktail Kingdom’s barware
• Crème Yvette by Cooper Spirits
• Meehan Cocktail Bag by Jim Meehan

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Events | No Comments »

MARGARITA MADNESS AT TALES OF THE COCKTAIL

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Tax day is the deadline for entries into the Milagro USBG Tales of the Cocktail 2010 competition
By Francine Cohen

Just like taxes, but much much tastier, the deadline is looming for entry into this year’s Tales of the Cocktail USBG competition. Kicking off the fun on Friday, July 23rd this annual competition will feature USBG members mixing up their variations of a margarita with Milagro tequila as the key ingredient that shines through.
Entries are due in tomorrow, tax day (aka April 15th). Competition guidelines and an entry form are below.
Good luck!

COMPETITION RULES AND INFORMATION

USBG Milagro Tequila Margarita Competition

Location: The Board of Trade (316 Magazine Street)
New Orleans, LA
Date: Friday, July 23, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with set-up beginning at 12:00 p.m. for competitors

Drink Submission
Each recipe must feature Milagro Tequila
Each chapter will receive sample bottles of Milagro Tequila Silver to each chapter president’s house for use during experimentation and recipe creation
Other spirits may be used as modifiers – As long as Milagro Tequila shines through

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Events | 1 Comment »

TALES OF POTENTIAL TIKI PUNCH-UPS

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Whose punch will we find in our cups?
By Francine Cohen

Whose Tiki tipple will be raised in a toast as the official cocktail for Tales of the Cocktail 2010 and lauded by cocktail professionals and aficionados far and wide?

You’ll have to wait until March 31st to find out what you’ll surely be sipping at Tales, but for now we can tell you that there are ten finalists, and it’s a very impressive lineup of Tiki mixing talent.

These talented mixing whizzes were offered a chance to create the official cocktail for the summer’s most spirited event thanks to Tales of the Cocktail’s partnership with Culinary Concierge Magazine www.culinaryconcierge.com, Tasting Panel Magazine www.tastingpanelmag.com, and CocktailTimes.com www.cocktailtimes.com. With over 150 recipes submitted judges Jeff Berry, Anthony Dias-Blue, Robert Hess and Stephen Remsberg had quite a task selecting the ten finalists.

Author and Tiki expert Jeff Berry comments, “Sampling from over 150 of these creative, complex, forward-thinking, often delicious ‘Tikified’ Planter’s Punches was pure pleasure,

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Features | No Comments »

PICKLE BACKS JUMP THE SHARK

Friday, February 26th, 2010

INSIDE F&B charges chefs and bartenders with creating the next drink sensation
By Francine Cohen

Photo by Michael Harlan Turkell

February 25, 2010 will forever live in infamy as the day that the beloved pickle back jumped the shark.

We’re thrilled for its popularity.  And still intend to enjoy them now and again.  But the pickle back no longer holds its own as a secret insider liquid handshake since  the cat’s out of the bag thanks to this terrific article by Robert Haynes-Peterson, http://www.examiner.com/x-2969-NY-Drinks-Examiner~y2010m2d25-The-Breslin-Brings-Pickle-Back

Known well to those who have embraced the briiiiiiine, the pickle back has a special place in the hearts of industry folks (and a select and welcome group of aficionados) who find themselves at bars late into the night/wee hours of the morning, often following a grueling shift and looking for nothing more than a simple drink, a savory pick me up, and some good company.  Now we expect to see lots of people bellying up to the bar for their backs.

Whatever its vaunted origins (Texas www.traveltex.com, Bushwick Country Club www.bushwickcountryclub.com, The Randolph www.randolphnyc.com, The Rusty Knot www.nymag.com/listings/bar/rusty-knot/ ) and supposed instigators of its popular appeal

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Features | 3 Comments »