July 2012 marked the 10th anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, the international festival that brings together cocktail professionals and enthusiasts for five days of seminars, dinners, awards, and tastings in New Orleans. Here, Julie Reiner—a 2012 Spirit Award nominee for Best Bar Mentor and owner of New York’s Clover Club, Flatiron Lounge, and Lani Kai—shares her tips for parties:
1. “For a budget-friendly cocktail party, skip the open bar in favor of serving beer, wine, and two to three signature cocktails or punches,” Reiner says. “Always make at least one of the signature cocktails a punch so bartenders can get a drink into guests’ hands right as they arrive.”
2. For an economical in-office party, a bowl of punch is simple enough to make for a small crowd. To keep it cold, fill a two-quart container with water, and freeze 48 hours beforehand. “Small ice cubes will melt quickly and dilute the drink, but a large block will keep the punch
cold for many hours,” Reiner says.
3. “If you have the budget, hire a trained bartender or mixologist from a favorite bar to design a cocktail menu or make pre-batched cocktails for your event,” Reiner says. “It should only cost a couple hundred dollars. I think most would be happy to come assist.”
4. When it comes to fashion or function, always talk through a design idea with the person working the bar first. “At a Tales of the Cocktail event a few years ago, a brand decided to have a bar made of ice, which is not the best idea during the summer in New Orleans,” Reiner says. “Glasses and bottles were sliding right onto the floor as it melted.”
5. When batching cocktails, make sure bartenders know to leave bitters and egg whites (used in cocktails like whiskey sours and pisco sours) out until the last minute. “Bitters can intensify as they sit, so it’s difficult to control the level of spice,” Reiner says. “Egg whites are used to add a creamy texture and aesthetically beautiful layer of foam. But acidic ingredients like lemon or lime will literally cook the egg if left to sit, so you won’t get the texture or the froth.”
