Tales of the Cocktail festival

For the uninitiated, 'Tales of the Cocktail' is a festival built around cocktails. For those of us who truly enter into the spirit of Tales, this consists of five+ days of geeking out at seminars about cocktail recipes, cocktail history, and the world of liquor, followed by nights of imbibing with one's peers.

The only downside is that this discerning drinker's extravaganza occurs during Nola's hot, muggy, and thunderous season.

The activities centre around The Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street, the venue for the two seminars I'm moderating. Both boast panels of experts and luminaries in their fields.

Vermouth: The Catalyst for the American Cocktail

When: 2:15-3:30pm, Wednesday 24.July.24
Where: The Ritz-Carlton, Audubon Room
Panellists:
Roberto Bava - Principal of Giulio Cocchi Winery and President of the Consorzio Vermouth di Torino
Paolo Dalla Mora - Marketing guru, founder and owner of Strucchi Vermouth, and creator of Engine Gin.
Philip Duff - Renowned industry commentator, educator, influencer, consultant and host of the Philip Duff Podcast.
Fulvio Piccinino - Founder of Saperebere.com, spirit educator and author of The Vermouth of Turin and Futurist Mixology.

Irish Whiskey: The Rise, Fall, Resurrection and Now Revolution

When: 11am & 1pm (2 x 45 min sessions), Thursday 25.July.24
Where:The Ritz-Carlton, Gentilly Room
Panellists:
David Elder - Head Blender Royal Oak Distillery
Darryl McNally - CEO/master distiller Limavady Irish Whiskey
Peter Cooney - Co-founder Boann Distillery
Woody Kane – Global Brand Ambassador The Busker

What to do and what not to do at Tales

1. Download the Tales of the Cocktail app - there is a bewildering array of events during the week, and this app displays these by time and day whilst also allowing you to build your own personal schedule of the seminars you have booked to attend.

2. Frenchman Street - While at Tales, you should spend at least one evening in the jazz bars on Frenchman Street. They all have great jazz, but D.B.A. also has great whiskey and beer. Frenchman Street is easy to find; walk up Bourbon Street (away from Canal) until you hit a wide road called Esplanade Avenue. Turn right onto this and follow until you reach Frenchman Street on the left. Walk up this, and you'll start hitting the street's bars after a block.

3. Dig deep - It goes without saying that industry folk and fellow bartenders tip well, but please don't forget the city's musicians. They live on your tips and without them, New Orleans would not be the special city it is.

4. Dive bar hangouts - bartenders are drawn to late-night atmospheric dive bars, usually because that's all that's still open when they finish their shift. During Tales, the local after-hours bartender haunts enjoy a bumper week. Favourites for beer and shots include: Erin Rose Irish bar (Conti St near Bourbon St), St. Lawrence (219 N. Peters St) and Bar Tonique (820 N Rampart St).

5. Pace yourself - a whole week at Tales is a true test of stamina, and those early seminars prove harder and harder to make as the week goes on - even for some of the speakers. Snatch power naps during the day to save yourself from missing out on the action, and if you are wandering from bar to bar, ask for a plastic take-out cup to pour your drink into rather than downing it. (Remember, don't drink out of glasses or bottles on the street - only plastic cups are allowed. Please direct questions regarding sustainability to the venues.)

6. The river - walk across and take a look at the Mississippi. Europeans will be amazed at its breadth. It's tempting to sit with a takeaway cup on the large stones lapped by the water. However, the bank teems with rats, so the benches higher up are perhaps a more romantic setting.

7. One afternoon - you should slope off to the charming Napoleon House (corner of Chartres & St Louis Streets) for a Pimm's Cup then, suitably refreshed, continue the walk up to Tujague's (corner Decatur & Madison Streets) for a milky-minty Grasshopper cocktail. Head back for an early evening Vieux Carré cocktail while slowly revolving around the Carousel Piano Bar at the Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal Street) before deciding which of the many evening dinners, parties or tastings you are going to rush off to.

8. Vintage barware - Collectors will find plenty of gems in the city's antique shops, and Lucullus, a culinary antique shop at 610 Chartres Street, is noted for selling absinthe spoons and absinthe paraphernalia. You'll also find a selection of modern-day replicas at Gem de France, 729 Royal Street.

9. Gator & oysters - Felix's lies close to The Ritz-Carlton and is a must-visit due to its oysters, which should be washed down with a glass of Abita Andygator beer (an exceptional local brew that's rare to see on tap). Grab a seat at the bar and ponder the folk in the line waiting outside Acme Oyster House opposite.

10. Enjoy the city's bar scene - New Orleans has the best music and dive bars in the whole of the United States, but it also boasts some great cocktail bars and cocktail heritage.

11. Visit The Museum of the American Cocktail - Founded by Dale DeGroff in 2004, "MOTAC celebrates and preserves a rich aspect of American culture while providing educational resources for professionals and the public." You'll find MOTAC inside the Southern Food & Beverage Museum at 1504 Oretha C. Haley Boulevard, New Orleans. It's closed Tuesday but otherwise open daily 11am to 5:30pm with admission costing $10 per person.