Bourbon Street, famous for crazy partying, Mardi Gras and great food. Tales of the Cocktail is a convention and competition where bartenders and enthusiasts come to meet, greet and drink in one of the most historical places in the U.S. for the cocktail movement. Birthplace of the first American Cocktail, the "Sazerac", New Orleans is home to thousands of bars and restaurants, each with their own fame and fortunes stories.
My husband and I began our journey at The Bourbon House for a TOTC Spirited Dinner. The Bourbon House is owned by a prominent New Orleans family, the Brennans and is home to "The Bourbon Society". They have an incredibly extensive bourbon selection and well versed bartenders who are passionate about the booze that they consume and sell. Our dinner was hosted by Jeffrey Morgenthaler (a specialist in Barrel Aged Cocktails from Portland) and Bridget Albert (author of "Market Fresh Cocktails"). There we were treated to a four coarse dinner featuring a bacon wrapped sausage, a quail dish, stuffed pork chops and a baked alaska. Each coarse was paired with a Bourbon Punch. The Bourbons were supplied by Heaven Hill, the distributors of many well known Bourbons such as Elijah Craig and Jim Beam.
Jeff and Bridget came up with some interesting combinations using different simple syrups, sparkling wine, juices and sorbet. Each cocktail had a unique flavor profile while using virtually the same portions of the five components that make up a Punch. A "Punch" must contain five ingredients:
1. Alcohol
2. Sour
3. Sugar
4. Spice
5. Weak
We also had the pleasure of meeting sixth generation Master Distiller, Parker Beam. While we are on the subject of Bourbon, check out the bottling components that are used to create
Four Roses Bourbon.
We had the pleasure of attending a Four Roses Tasting at the Hotel Montelone in the French Quarter, head quarters for TOTC. The tasting was headed up by Master Distiller, Jim Rutledge ("Mr. Four Roses"). Four Roses was one of the front runners and a top producer in the early 1900's but was removed from the US market in 1950 for about 40 years while it was introduced and quickly became the top Bourbon in European and Asian markets. There are seven tiers currently being produced, check out their website at Four Roses Bourbon.
There was great shwag at the tasting, including the beads, T-shirts, stir spoons and of coarse mini cocktails. Four Roses has a wonderfully floral and mellow profile that is easy drinking and great for mixing. I recommend using it with St. Germain Elderflower liqueur or swapping in the Dolin Blanc in a Manhattan to real give optimal results with this feminine style Bourbon.
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| Processco |
A unique feature of the Hotel Montelone is the Carousel Bar that actually rotates! Very cool, and slow but I certainly couldn't endure the spinning for long. And I was a little disappointed with very irritated bartenders who clearly were not enjoying their steadily busy bar.
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| Negroni- Equal Parts Gin, Sweet Vermouth & Campari Garnished with an Orange Zest and I'll take mine with some bitters |
Barrel Aged Cocktail Seminar
hosted by
This is a concept that I can really get on board with. These guys are actually aging cocktails in glass and in oak barrels. Their seminar was extremely informative. The history of the aged cocktail dates back to the 1800's when cocktails were bottled and sold so that patrons could enjoy their favorite libations when they were away from home. References have been found in the Jerry Thomas Bartender Guide. In the 1900's club cocktails were being stored in aged wood as a means of preservation. This concept on the modern spectrum, is extremely new and in its infantile stages of what could be developing in the future. We had the pleasure of tasting three different Barrel Aged Cocktails, a Negroni, a White Manhattan and a Tequila Cocktail involving Absinthe. I'd love to go into everything that we learned at this Seminar, but watch for future blogs after I give this concept a go for myself. I am currently working on a glass aged cocktail, but I can't wait to get some of my ideas into a Barrel. If you are interested in getting more of the specifics of this process, please shoot me an email and I will share what I learned or at least get you in touch with someone who has more experience.
We went to an incredible Pisco tasting for La Diablada (The Devil's Dance Between Angels & Demons) where we were introduced to a couple different Pisco Cocktails that represented the different styles of varietals used to make Pisco. Here are just two varietals featured:
Quebranta- A Lima Region desert varietal similar to Cabernet. It is watered only once a year and yields a non aromatic varietal with earthy and smokey notes
Moscatel- The "Sofia Loren" of grapes, indigenous to Italy, it is the original grape used to make Pisco. Floral and light, the moscatel is soft and sensual
La Diablada was the most well balanced and subtly complex Pisco that I have ever had. I loved the way each of the flavor profiles could be accentuated in different cocktail profiles.
We learned about H2O Cocktails that are essentially just Vodka and Infused Water. There are no sweeteners added at all, so they are very low calorie drinks with fresh and easy profiles. I like to think of it as a great alternative to serve at the bar rather than those damn Skinny Girl Margaritas. <insert eye roll here>
I'm going to take a moment to tell you about a wonderful restaurant that you absolutely cannot miss if you make it down to New Orleans, The Commander's Palace.
Let me start off by saying that the service was impeccable. We were wandering through the Garden District around dinner time and happened to stubble on this place through a hit on Urban Spoon. We walked into the restaurant and were greeted by the Maitre De who informed us in a most gracious southern tone that we were not up to dress code due to my husband's shorts (mind you, it is blazing hot and humid in New Orleans and you are damn crazy to be in pants), disappointed, we turned and hit the pavement. Only to be stopped by Kenny, the valet who commented on our situation with the shorts and told us that he lived just around the corner and would be more than willing to lend my husband a pair of his slacks--- unbelievable! I could never imaging this sort of thing happening in Reno or in Sacramento. Luckily, they fit and we were back on our way into the restaurant in a matter of minutes. We were seated in a glass garden seating area that was build around two huge trees that were apparently not eligible for removal. Our server, Chris was a pleasure and was one of those servers who took the time to read his customers and offer great suggestions and give customized service. We enjoyed our five coarse Chef's Tasting and Wine Pairing immensely. My personal favorite was the hand pulled mozzarella with Cajun garlic spices served with caramelized bacon topped toast points. It was unbelievable--- no words, really. We also had Blackened Red Fish atop of corn risotto and braised short rib pesto raviolis. I was pleasantly surprised to be offered non-Napa wine as my pairings, so refreshing. The tasting included a cocktail, that although was not my cup of tea, I was happy to discuss the profile and thought process behind it with Chris. Turns out that the restaurant grows many of their own herbs, including three different types of basil. Overall it was an incredible experience, don't miss this hot spot where many of today's respected Chef's have cut their teeth (Emeril).
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| Crawfish Soup |
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| Hand Pulled Cajun Mozzarella |
As far as the party scene goes on Bourbon Street... it's everything you would imagine it to be. Craziness, drunkenness and general mayhem--- even on a Tuesday night. I can't even imagine how insane this place gets during Mardi Gras. We made our way through a lot of bars, The Old Absinthe House was interesting to see, although I was a little disappointed with their Absinthe selection, I was expecting more. We went to Pat O'Brian's, we checked out a ton of little places and even saw what claims to be the oldest bar in the US, which still had no power. The history alone was amazing, then you add the booze, all good. I do have to say that the service on a whole was not great. I'm sure that the staff on Bourbon Street gets fed up quickly with drunken shenanigans, but hey, that's the nature of the business. I was not impressed by knowledge or even hospitality. The bums on the street would probably help you out more than most of the bartenders that you are tipping. Once you get off the main drag, the service improves immensely. We really enjoyed the Palace Cafe on Canal Street.
Really great stuff. We also stumbled into a little place called K-Joe's for lunch one day and were pleasantly surprised by a good hearted waiter who helped us pick out the best things on the menu and gave us some in house made crackers that had a Cajun honey sauce and cream cheese for dipping. The wings at this place were to die for.
Another great place was Muriel's Jackson Square. The first round of service was absolutely terrible. It took our waitress half an hour to even take our drink order. But once we got the food, the experience improved ten fold. They had a fabulous Yellow Fin Carpaccio and this crumbly Gouda cheese thing. I also loved the Blackened Red fish.
Gotta Love the Hendrick's. They did a drink with vanilla ice cream and nutmeg that was frothy and delicious.
We had Kahlua for breakfast in the form of mini espresso cocktails in the tiniest stemware you have ever seen. And of coarse drank gallons of Milagro at the pool party. The cocktails had various combinations of sparkling wine, passion fruit, orange juice and fresh sprigs of thyme.
Throughout the trip, I couldn't escape a feeling of awe and a sense of wonder that comes with New Orleans. Tales was amazing, but the city itself breathes life into the event. You could never do it all in one trip and we look forward to returning year after year to this incredible event. I learned so much and have so many things that I want to try for myself and bring back to my home bar. I can't wait to be a second timer so that I can more effectively build my schedule. This was a wonderful experience and I recommend that anyone who truly is passionate about bar tending, or drinking, make their way to Tales of the Cocktail.
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