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Tales of the Cocktail
Highlights of an alcohol junket in New Orleans
There are press junkets and then there are alcohol-sponsored press junkets. On a regular travel junket, the resort or city that's footing the bill wants the journalists to experience as much as humanly possible. Often the result is a grueling 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. forced march of activities stacked hour on hour with nary a moment to pee (I know: woe is me). Overfeeding is also a problem. It starts out great, like the excitement you feel when facing an all-you-can-eat buffet, but ends badly, with you feeling stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, exhausted and hostile.
With a booze junket on the other hand, all the alcohol company wants is for you to fully partake of their wines and spirits. Since alcohol companies have lots of money to throw around, these junkets are often in some five-star location. Something like jet skis, ATV dune buggies, or bungee jumping is usually involved, which always seems like a really bad idea when drinking from dawn till dusk. All debauchery, complete with regrettable drunken statements, tawdry new "friends," and a pounding hangover the next day, is expected and rewarded.
The Tales of the Cocktail festival held over five days in New Orleans was somewhere between an alcohol junket and an alcohol convention. Bartenders (or bar chefs as they are now called), bar owners, and alcohol companies converged at the French Quarter's Monteleone Hotel for a surprisingly professional take on a five-day drinking binge. Sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, Borders, and more brands of alcohol than I had ever heard of, the festival was host to a dizzying array of tastings, events, and panels with titles like "Sake To Me," "Cocktails On Film," "Sip, Shop and Spa," "Tiki Drinks," and "Party Like A Pro." Some of my favorite events:
With a booze junket on the other hand, all the alcohol company wants is for you to fully partake of their wines and spirits. Since alcohol companies have lots of money to throw around, these junkets are often in some five-star location. Something like jet skis, ATV dune buggies, or bungee jumping is usually involved, which always seems like a really bad idea when drinking from dawn till dusk. All debauchery, complete with regrettable drunken statements, tawdry new "friends," and a pounding hangover the next day, is expected and rewarded.
The Tales of the Cocktail festival held over five days in New Orleans was somewhere between an alcohol junket and an alcohol convention. Bartenders (or bar chefs as they are now called), bar owners, and alcohol companies converged at the French Quarter's Monteleone Hotel for a surprisingly professional take on a five-day drinking binge. Sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, Borders, and more brands of alcohol than I had ever heard of, the festival was host to a dizzying array of tastings, events, and panels with titles like "Sake To Me," "Cocktails On Film," "Sip, Shop and Spa," "Tiki Drinks," and "Party Like A Pro." Some of my favorite events:
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