Last week bartenders from across the country, some of the top mixologists in the world, and representatives from liquor brands of all stripes gathered for the annual drinks festival known as Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. With spirits companies hosting a couple hundred tastings, seminars, and parties around the French Quarter, the festival is an ideal place to find drink ideas and bar trends for events and parties.
This is especially true because the mixologists making drinks at these events need to choose cocktails that can be made quickly for large groups—there's no time for the labored process that can characterize some places that claim to specialize in hand-crafted cocktails. That means lots of punches, as well as drinks served in bottles and fountains.
Here's a look at some of the trends that were on display and under discussion during Tales of the Cocktail July 17 to 21.
Disclosure: The writer of this article attended Tales of the Cocktail as a paid speaker for a William Grant & Sons meeting.
“We are absolutely trending towards an era of less reverential and more irreverent cocktail drinking," says Jamie Gordon, manager of mixology for Pernod Ricard USA. "There is still a great appreciation towards the craft as a whole, but bartenders are finally working out that a tongue-in-cheek delivery of a good drink still delivers a good drink.” At the Absolut party during Tales of the Cocktail, servers used syringes to serve shots to guests in a room with the feel of a mad scientist's lab (pictured).
"The most interesting cocktail trend I noticed at Tales this year were cocktail fountains," says Claire Smith, Belvedere Vodka's head of spirit creation and mixology. "I think these will gain popularity at corporate events because they are both fantastic for serving signature cocktails to larger groups and also serve as a gorgeous decorative element for an event." Another vodka brand, Absolut, used cocktail fountains at its party during Tales of the Cocktail (pictured).
Lillet national brand ambassador Amanda Boccato notes that lower-proof, light aperitif-style cocktails have been a trend for events. One option: the Liberte, which uses Lillet Blanc, cooled fruit tea, honey syrup, and soda water (pictured).
Paul Monahan, a brand ambassador for Sailor Jerry, is aging cocktails in barrels used to make whiskey. He has made large batches of Sailor Jerry Old Fashioneds and aged them for there months in barrels already used to make Glenfiddich or Hudson. (Like Sailor Jerry, both are William Grant & Sons brands.)
Punches have been a popular trend for a few years now, and mixologists continue to seek ways to make them different. Andy Gemmell, global brand ambassador for Dewar's, said he has been rediscovering punch recipes from the 1700s that use honey, herbs, and spices. A pop-up version of the Dead Rabbit—a New York cocktail bar several people mentioned as a new leader in conversations during the festival—hosted by Pinot Ricard Irish whiskey brands Jameson and Midleton had bowls of punch set out on the bar with teacups (pictured) guests could fill themselves (or have bartenders properly garnish).
"An interesting trend and twist on the persisting bottled cocktail trend is that of the single-serve, frequently carbonated cocktail, which has gained traction and popularity as the technology has become cheaper and more accessible," says Jamie Gordon, manager of mixology for Pernod Ricard USA. Freddy May, a whiskey specialist for William Grant & Sons brands including Monkey Shoulder, Hudson, and Gibson's Finest, has been bottling carbonated Negronis: "Take a regular Negroni recipe, put it through a soda stream and then use a bottle capper from any brew shop to make them in advance. They keep cold in the fridge or ice bucket until ready to serve." New York restaurant and bar Saxon & Parole has served them (pictured).
As is true with most event pros looking to promote their products to event guests, Lorne Cousin, the West Coast ambassador for Balvenie, aims to create interactive experiences. "I have all our guests rub some of the DoubleWood 12 Year Old on the backs of their hands to burn off the alcohol, which, to their amazement, releases a stream of delicious aromas, which they all love."
