Aoc Restaurant Blog Tales of the Cocktail Recap, part 3: Distilling Practices, Vodka Martinis, and a tour of New Orleans

Posted By: GroveImage Credit: Tales of the Cocktail Facebook PageIt's been fun recollecting my experience at the Tales of the Cocktail conference in NOLA with you all. Here's another peek into what I experienced and learned at TOC.Thursday10:00am: Artisan Distilling, Old World vs. New WorldThursday morning's first class was a great discussion between three major players in the distilling world, contrasting differences between old world distillers and new craft distillers in the U.S. on quality, style, and historical value. The panel included:• Jean-Pierre Cointreau - CEO of the Renaud-Cointreau Group and family name of the very famous French orange liqueur• Alain Royer - VP Development of the Renaud-Cointreau Group, who previously helped develop Smirnoff Vodka and Campari• Lance Winters - Master Distiller at St. George Spirits in Alameda, California who helped produce Hanger One vodkaIt was intriguing to hear about the Renaud-Cointreau brands and the generations of history and French law that have gone into preserving the distillers' traditional products. Lance Winters talked about the differences of distilling in America vs. France. St. George Distillery has been around since 1982, but gained traction in 2000 after releasing their first whiskey. In that short time, they became leaders of craft distilling in America with their great range of artisanal varieties of vodka, gin, absinthe, rum, whiskey, brandy, and liqueurs. Winters recommended using the freshest ingredients and having a deep understanding of modern distilling techniques is the key to creating world-class spirits.1:00 pm: In Praise of the Vodka MartiniIn a world that is quickly turning its back on vodka for gin-based cocktails, the Vodka Martini is still one of the best-selling cocktails of all time. Guest speakers Joe McCanta, The Global Ambassador for Grey Goose Vodka, and Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff taught this class about the rise of Vodka Martinis in the 1950s-1960s, and how bartenders around the globe are now reimagining the Vodka Martini for modern-day palettes. Some tasters from this class included:The Gypsy QueenA tasty classic Old Guard vodka martini: 2 parts vodka, 1 part Benedictine, one dash of bitters, lemon twist. The Martini No. 1A great new twist on the classic: 2oz. Grey Goose, 1oz. Alexander Jules Sherry, 1tsp. white honey, and sea salt sprayed with an atomizer.The Forever YoungAnother great twist on the classic: 1 1/3 oz Grey Goose, 1/2 oz dry vermouth, 1/2 oz eucalyptus simple syrup, and an opium essence sprayed with an atomizer). 3:00 pm: New Orleans Cocktail TourThis historical walking tour through the famous bars and restaurants of New Orleans is how Tales of the Cocktail came to be. During the tour, we went to Antoine's, The Court of Two Sisters, Pirates Alley Café and Absinthe House, and Tujagues. These spots have been mixing up French 75's, Mint Juleps, Sazeracs, Hurricanes, Ramos Gin Fizzes, and Vieux Carrés for more than 100 years, some up to 200. Both the city of New Orleans and these establishments have been destroyed and rebuilt time and time again after hurricanes and plague. The resiliency of these establishments and the people that run them is amazing to see firsthand.Check back next week when I wrap things up with coverage of my final day at TOC. See you then!