The Bitters End

I recently concluded a rambunctious Satchmofest / bachelor party weekend at Cure. The Freret Street bar is one of my favorites, and one reason is Rhiannon. An expert bartender, she never fails to both entertain and educate. As the debauchery wound down on Sunday we headed to Cure for a restorative sazerac which got us on the subject of aperitifs and bitters revival. Some of you know what bitters are, but for those that don't an explanation of them by the undoubted drinks expert Wayne Curtis can be found in his Men's Journal article. Bitters give drinks like sazeracs their unique taste. Rhiannon gave us a sample of several without identifying them, placing them in numbered glasses. The second from left was my favorite, and my friends agreed. We all thought the sample at far right was harshest. She then replaced the glasses with the bottles, and we were surprised the one we liked the least turned out to be the old standby Campari. The one we liked best was named Aperol, a low-alcohol aperitif also from Italy. Our livers clearly responded to the low-alcohol content after what we put them through. We raised a glass. Last call for Aperol -- and a memorable weekend.

New Orleans: One Singular Sensation?

Travel & Leisure has just proclaimed New Orleans "America's best city for singles." The magazine lists our cafes and cocktails as well as our array of fascinating citizens (some of whom are even sober) as key components in winning the #1 spot. T&L cites Frenchmen Street and its live music as some sort of place "popular with the locals" now that the meanderthals have overtaken Bourbon Street. Guess nobody told them about the burgeoning bar scene along St. Claude Avenue. All in all the article's the perfect set up for the bachelor party I'm hosting for my friend Patten next weekend.

At the Tippling Point

Since Tales of the Cocktail opened last Wednesday, it seems New Orleans has been taken over by bartenders, liquor publicists, libational historians and enthusiastic boozers. And it seems to be growing ever more popular. Founded in 2003 as a way for enthusiasts to celebrate and share information about classic New Orleans drinks like Sazeracs and Ramos Gin Fizzes, Tales soon found itself bubbling upwards on a fizzy trajectory. Last year more than 18,000 people attended the four-day festival, according to the organizers, and 2011 appears to be even bigger. Opening ceremonies took place in Gallier Hall, an antebellum Greek inspired temple on St. Charles Avenue. I caught one of the many tasting parties at the penthouse pool patio of the French Quarter’s Hotel Monteleone. These tastings are schmoozy, boozy parties sponsored by liquor companies such as Absolut, Cointreau and Pernod eager to promote their brands. Longtime Tales veterans say they despise the tastings for their crass commercialism. But hey, promotions work. Sixteen stories above Royal Street, the crowd glowed from perspiration (the heat index read 101) and the drinks being poured by host Brugal Rum: "The Number 1 in the Caribbean." Bikini-clad go-go dancers frugged while waiters with platters of canapés navigated the pool and billowing curtains of white linen. A friend, who received a photo from the event via cell phone, texted back: "Where are you? The 1960s?" It could have been an episode of Mad Men.

Lost in the fun is Tales' educational mission with attendees paying $45 a piece for seminars with titles like "From Grain to Bottle" or "Mysteries of Wood Maturation." During these lectures experts share their secrets in sourcing and concocting the perfect cocktail. Hint: mixers and fresh ingredients are key. And they can be entertaining. See this link to Wayne Curtis explaining Colonial American drinks.

Taking it all in at the Monteleone was Luke Tullos from Lafayette, Louisiana. Tullos, a bartender, or "mixologist" as members of the profession like to refer to themselves, takes Tales very seriously.

"I focus on the mixology programs here," Tullos says. "I then go and share what I have learned."

What does Lafayette think about handcrafted cocktails?

"My customers love them," he says. "People in small towns get tired of drinking beer."

Tales runs until July 24.