Tales of the Cocktail Back to Journal →

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

This week Kileen and I flew to New Orleans to attend the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail, which is an incredible event geared towards "bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts". 1We clearly fell into the latter category.

At Tales 2023, 47% of our attendees were returning guests, 53% of our attendees were attending for the first time, and 8% of our attendees were cocktail enthusiasts.

The event showcases new distilleries, highlights premier bars and their bartenders, and celebrates the art of crafting a good cocktail. And - most importantly - the organizers put on a helluvan event.

We tasted all kinds of spirits - in recipes we’ve never heard of and in new takes on old favorites. Honestly, it was more educational than it was boozy, and I think that’s the entire point.

Not only was the event outstanding, but this was my first time in New Orleans, and it marked the first time Kileen had been in town since she was a child (read: under 21…) so the experience was slightly different this time around.

Bonus: The self-guided tour at The Sazerac House is an absolute must. A few tasty samples complement a trip through the rich history of the city and its most famous cocktail.