Behind the scenes of the Cointreau Apprentice Program

Like the rest of New Orleans, the Hotel Monteleone has a few ghosts rattling chains throughout its rooms.  Flashes of light are seen in the corners of your eye, and odd sounds are heard throughout the nights.  Well, during Tales of the Cocktail, don’t be too afraid.  The sounds of ice being crushed against metal, [...]

Sugarcane Spirits around the World

Sugar, how sweet it is.  Put through a few industrial processes, you get molasses.  Put that same molasses in a still, and you get rum.  Since its purported first days in Barbados, the art of turning fermented molasses into Kill-Devil has roused the spirit and stirred the soul of man into acts both great and horrible, [...]

The Creole Julep

The Creole Julep has been named as the offiical drink of Tales of the Cocktail 2009!  Well folks, I could go and post the official announcement from Ann, and so I will!
NEW ORLEANS – April 1, 2009 – Tales of the Cocktail, the annual culinary and cocktail festival, announces the winning bartender and recipe of [...]

The Worst Drinks on Bourbon Street

Blair Reynolds is a Portland-based tiki fiend and proprietor of Reynoles Galley. He documents these obsessions at Trader Tiki.
A bittersweet irony holds its head aloft during Tales of the Cocktail, as the city so well known for its inspiration in the development of classic cocktails, and the “meeting of the modern cocktail minds” that Tales [...]

It came from New Orleans!

Blair Reynolds is a Portland-based tiki fiend and proprietor of Reynoles Galley. He documents these obsessions at Trader Tiki.
I’ve put up a few pictures from Tales of the Cocktail in my Tales 2008 Gallery on Tradertiki.com. Strangely, I found myself distracted by the good food, booze, and conversation and was more apt to [...]

On Tiki at Tales

Blair Reynolds is a Portland-based tiki fiend and proprietor of Reynoles Galley. He documents these obsessions at Trader Tiki.
When in New Orleans, it’s hard to turn one way or the other without seeing a Hawaiian shirted tourist headed towards the Cafe du Monde or Pat O’ Brien’s. But the most prominent placement of the brightly [...]

Potions of the Caribbean

This is the first post from Blair Reynolds, a Portland-based tiki fiend and proprietor of Reynoles Galley. He documents these obsessions at Trader Tiki.
Tales of the Cocktail is only a two months away, even a bit less at this point. At this time, thoughts of drunkenly gallivanting about, discussing the business of the boozeness, [...]