State of the Art: A Cocktail Extravaganza

Loved this event! Great drinks and a fun mix of patrons. Props to Unilocal for securing a spot with a kickass rooftop view too!

This event is a tiny but mighty cocktail experience, and a great way for anyone to kick off their libation heavy week schedule.
By «tiny» I mean it’s held in one room at the Windsor Court. There is a balcony with a fun view of the city. It also isn’t jam-​packed; mostly filled with locals and some early birds for Tales of the Cocktail. This kept drink lines non-​existent and tall boy tables very accessible if you were double-​fisted with cocktails. By «mighty» I mean there was a cornucopia of delicious craft cocktails being whipped up before your eyes by a slew of sociable bartenders and mixologists who were more than happy to talk booze with anyone who approached their table.
It started at 5:30, so I was worried about not eating… No fear! Most tables had a scrumptious light bite to go with your mini cocktail from bacon potato salad to pork belly topped with pickled onions to squid ceviche. One of my favorite parts of this drinking afternoon delight was all the garnishes! From candied bacon, to roses carved out of oranges to fresh herbs to yellow watermelon grown specifically for Emily from Locally Preserved.
A great takeaway was the recipes for each drink. While I’m sure the skilled bartenders have that certain je né sais quoi when it comes to mixing and shaking, it’s nice to think that maybe I could recreate these cocktails at home if I wanted.
The only negative? That it doesn’t last longer. ;) They literally had to sockhop-​style flip the lights on and off 4 or 5 times to get the herd moving towards the elevator. I will absolutely be back next year!

This event was a great way to sample a lot of the New Orleans «local flavor»! Held on the 22^nd (I think? not the 4^th!) floor of the Windsor in a banquet room, with a great balcony area overlooking the city.
Tons of local bartenders from various restaurants set up shop around the room. There was a great variety of cocktails. I am not much of a cocktail drinker, since I am an extreme lightweight and don’t like and sort of brown liquors (don’t judge me!). However, this was a great way to try new cocktails and I was happy to find several that I liked! They also had light bites at many of the tables to give you a sample of some of the restaurant fare. The room was fairly crowded, but it was never more than a minute or so that you had to wait for a drink.
My husband and I had a great time meeting lots of NOLA locals! The only way this event could have been better would be if we won the raffle– grand prize 17 liquor bottles!

This was a super fun party that benefited Southern Food and Beverage Museum and The Museum of the American Cocktail. The drinks were definitely free flowing and most tables did not have a line… or if there was a back up it was only a couple of two people and you could watch the alchemist bartenders concoct their wares.
I even tasted 2 gin drinks that I liked! Me & gin… thought it would never happen.
I was a little disappointed in the quantity of the food but these events often run out so I had pre-​eaten a snack. What food there was, was delicious.
Of course, the company was awesome. I met some random people who were lovely and one even thanked me for being a librarian. So there’s that.
High marks!

⁴⁄₅ so many tastes
i don’t wanna say i’m a drunk… i just like to drink. thankfully, things came in sample sizes, though really fun only comes in one size: funsize. so there were many funsize drinks and it was cool to actually see them made (surprising showing of the quietest blenders ever). it’s interesting to see folks use the same base liquors and then how fresh notes from various citrues or a honey vs. beer syrup makes the world of difference. I think the winner for me was the gramble (or was it bramble), and also there was a really good drink with a homemade tonic that apparently is also featured at sobou.

When Mondays roll around, my day usually doesn’t end with multiple craft cocktails and fancy snacks — truffle potato puffs with caviar? Yes!!!
Sweet friends and stiff portions of complex adult beverages were in abundance. The emphasis seemed to be gin, but I really enjoyed the very sophisticated frozen daiquiri and pisco tiki taste.
As long as there’s primers such as this, my internal organs will stay hydrated and make it through the remainder of the week.

I’ve never been to a Tales of the Cocktail event and this wasn’t an official TOTC event. I SEVERELY underestimated how awesome this event was going to be. With over 20 bartenders and snacks at the ready, I was not prepared for its awesomeness. There was a large crowd, but not so big that I couldn’t get a drink easily. Oh, there’s a person in front of me? I’ll just go to the next table.
I’m a girly drink kinda girl, so I often don’t get things out of my comfort zone. I was grateful for all the friends I had at this event where we were able to share the various drinks. And they knew my tastes so they were able to point me towards some of the tables that I would like. There were so many drinks to choose from, I can’t tell you what I drank. Even though some of them weren’t me, I enjoyed trying them.
I’m excited to do this again next year!