Unlike most of my fellow Tales bloggers, I work in the liquor industry full-time, and one of the aspects of Tales that I particularly appreciate is the practical advice in the industry-focused sessions. Here are a few of the best tips for restaurant and bar owners that I picked up during the week.

Strategies for Dealing with the Economy
from the session on Managing the Rising Cost of Goods

• Inventory Management - keep less inventory on hand, and look for high quality, lesser known value brands to promote.

• Pour Control – ensure that proper pours are being utilized – whether measuring for cocktails or free pouring, ¼ of an ounce per drink makes a big difference to the bottom line over time. And it will probably alter the balance of the drink.

• Standardize Recipes – standardize your recipes for common drinks. For example, on a Kamikaze – do you use well vodka, a premium brand, or something else? All bartenders should make it the same way so you can price it appropriately.

• Small Luxuries - offer small luxuries as an option (e.g., a ½ oz taste of Louis XIV), rather than just a standard pour. People appreciate the opportunity to treat themselves, and this offering fosters that in a more affordable way.

Guide Your Guests
from the Session on Liquid Nudging: Using Psychology, Showmanship, Manipulation and Choice Architecture to Help Guests Choose Great Drinks- and Love Them:

• Treat People Right – Treat people how THEY want to be treated, now how you want to be treated. Reading people is an important skill in the hospitality industry, and is something that should be emphasized.

• Relaxation – Focus on relaxing each guest, and be generous with compliments.

• Look at Choice Architecture – 70% of people walking into your establishment don’t know what they want, and many will gravitate toward the path of least effort. If your beer cooler is the first thing they see, they’ll be more likely to order beer. If the menu is too complicated or too long, they’ll likely not order from it. Put some thought into what those people are seeing when they come in, both in the design of your bar, and in your menu, and whether it’s what you want them to see and be encouraged to try.

• Give Guidance – Listing a Cocktail of the Day or a Best Selling Cocktail, e.g., “We sell over 25,000 mojitos per year” gives people an easy choice, and is a simple way to guide your guests in a particular way.  Even keeping a count of the quantity sold on something specific on the wall will encourages guests in that direction.

• Offer the Best – Listing an extraordinarily expensive (and fantastic) option will often encourage guests to upgrade their choice. Very few will pick the $100 option, but they might pick the $25 or $16 option over the $10 option.

Working with Industry Partners
from A Special Relationship: Running Your Bar With The Help of Consultants, Sales Reps and Brand Ambassadors:

• Free Help is Out There – Let brand representatives, consultants and ambassadors help you. There are good ones out there, and they often have experience in running a restaurant/bar and designing cocktails. They should be able to demonstrate ROI for their recommendations.

• Staff Training – Accept offers for staff training when they make sense for your staff. Great training should be informative, engaging, and fun, and led by individuals who really know their stuff – both on the category in general and production, as well as product features.

And for fun, a picture of the beautiful Bar on Common at the Renaissance Pere Marquette.

I wrote a preview of this session a few weeks ago, and headed into it with some level of anticipation. I was hoping to see some really innovative things, and thought I would report back on what I heard and saw. In short, I didn’t see anything that blew me away, but I did see a few things that we’ll all be seeing more often in the coming months.

Don Lee’s Cocktail Stencils
I arrived a little late, and unfortunately missed the first part of Don’s discussion, but I got to see the pictures and samples. He was discussing stencils – specifically, using them to create a design or impression on the top of a drink quickly with bitters or spices. He uses a variety of tools, especially Muji atomizers, when applying bitters to the drink through a stencil. It’s a really bad picture (yes, it’s really bad), but you can get an idea of what might be accomplished in this shot.

Cocktail Pearls/Spherification
Given that Cointreau was sponsoring the session, it makes sense that they’d highlight their spherification kit & process. I had read a lot about it, but never seen it in person. I wasn’t sure I’d be impressed, but I was. The process has been around for awhile, but they have made it simple enough to incorporate into a cocktail bar setting. Fernando Castillon walked us through the process, and we got to taste some pearls.

I wish they’d had a projector to show those of us in the back of room what was happening – it was a bit hard to follow, but we got the general idea. Interestingly, he said the pearls will only last about 5 minutes, so they should be made to order, which their kit enables. Apparently, they solidify further as time passes, and their flavor dissipates in that process, so they don’t store well when made in this fashion.

Xavier Herit talked about other kinds of pearls, such as strawberry pearls, that can also be made through spherification and added to cocktails. I couldn’t see what he was doing either, but it sounded really interesting. Hopefully I’ll make it over to the Cointreau tasting room so I can see them up close.

Playing with Carbonation
Evan Wallace started by talking about his Perlage system, which is designed to keep bubbles in sparkling wine. The key is the maintenance of equilibrium in the amount of carbon dioxide, and the Perlage system can protect a bottle of champagne for a few weeks. Essentially, the process is to purge the oxygen in the bottle, and then add pressurized air to bring the bottle to its normal pressure (60-65 psi is typical).

Evan also talked about applying the same technique to carbonating cocktails. His company has also created the Perlini, which is not yet on the market, but is coming soon (probably November 2009). After pouring the drink into the ice-filled shaker, and then seal and pressurize the shaker. You pump in the CO₂ and shake, and the bubbles will last as long as the bubbles in a glass of champagne.

A few questions and points that I found particularly interesting on the Perlini process:

• Shaking increases the rate of CO₂ absorption by a factor of about 10,000, because increases exposure to air – so you have to pump in a lot of it to achieve carbonation.  At home this will come from cartridges – in a bar, from a small tank.
• You could use a soda siphon instead, but the process of dispersing it back out from the siphon usually dissipates much of the CO₂ – leaving a less carbonated drink.
• Unlike soda, this process adds bubbles, but not dilution, and carbonates the entire drink.

He mentioned that the Perlini is being field-tested in Seattle, so you might see one before November if you’re in the area.  He wasn’t sure on the pricing yet – that will have a big impact on how common it will become.  With the rise of carbonated spirits at the liquor store, I imagine there will be significant interest in the Perlini.

I imagine many cities around the world have a local favorite spirit that isn’t seen much outside that place. In Chicago, we have Jeppson’s Malört, which is a wormwood-infused bitter spirit. To get an idea of what you’re in for when tasting Malört, the main marketing pitch was/is “Are you man enough for our two fisted liquor?” And their brochure used to (and may still) say that only “1 in 49 men” will come back for a second sip.

And those 1 in 49 are out there, I’ve met a few of them. Apparently, they sell about at least 1,000 cases of the stuff each year, so there are people out there drinking it. This year, it’s been getting renewed attention – I have written about Malört a couple of times, and Mike Sula at the Chicago Reader wrote an in-depth article this year and ran a cocktail contest for it. So of course a bottle had to make it’s way to Tales, thanks to a friend who asked that I not name him.

I’ve had a great time introducing some of my fellow cocktail writers to Malört, and I’ve got a few new photos to submit to the “Malört Face” group on Flickr. Here the best one so far, just to give the general idea.

Every day, in every great cocktail bar, mixologists are developing new techniques and ideas for making great drinks. Perhaps it’s as simple as a new way to create a garnish, or a new way to use a bar tool.  Or maybe it’s something thoroughly unique and innovative, the likes of which haven’t been seen before now. Expect to see a few of the latter at one of the sessions at Tales, called Mixologists and Their Toys.

Erin Williams, the US brand mixologist/ambassador for Cointreau, was tight lipped about exactly what we’ll see in the seminar.  Maybe it was because the Remy/Cointreau PR people were listening in on our call, but it was probably just that she didn’t want to give away any of the surprises.

Erin will of course be demonstrating the Cointreau spherification kit, which has landed in some bars in New York City and has been around for a couple of years but hasn’t gotten very far outside of NYC.  In addition, she has asked each panelist to unveil something completely new in the session.  All of the panel members  are known for their work in molecular mixology, including Don Lee from PDT in NYC; Fernando Castellon, a bar expert from Lyon, France, known for making food out of cocktails, among other techniques; and Evan Wallace (who might be talking about this, just a guess).  (Photo from New York Times)

If you want to see these great new ideas, you’ll just have to attend the seminar.  I’ll be there.  Will you?

Mixologists and Their Toys takes place Thursday, July 9,  in the La Nouvelle Orleans East & West Ballroom at the Hotel Monteleone. Tickets may be purchased here.

Last night we had the privilege of dining at Antoine’s, perhaps the oldest restaurant in New Orleans (and one of the oldest in the country). They moved to their current location in 1868, after their first location (starting in 1840) was razed for redevelopment.  The restaurant has 15 rooms, according to their website, and we got to see several of them.

By far, my favorite was the Mystery Room.  Partly because of the name, and partly because of the padlock on the door, I had to ask to see it.  The gracious manager at the front opened it up for us, and we got to see an interesting part of history.  The room is currently under redevelopment, which is why it was locked.  It was really interesting despite the rough edges.

Among the items on the wall was the painting/print called All is Vanity, the manager told us.  He told us that if you stare at it long enough, you’ll see a woman rather than the skull.  Wikipedia says this painting is by Charles Allan Gilbert.

Next to the room, you’ll find a hallway with a phone.  During Prohibition, this phone was the secret way to order a drink.  This area was a speakeasy, and drinks passed through the room that is now the Ladies’ restroom, and through to the Mystery room.  Upon emerging from that room with a coffee cup full of booze, the answer to the question “where did you get that drink?”  was “it’s a mystery to me.”  The manager told us that the floors were coated with sawdust in this area, so in case the authorities busted in, the drinks could be quickly dumped onto the floor and covered up with the sawdust.

There were some other interesting finds, including these:

• The Rex Room, decked out in green, which honors one of the krewes in the Mardi Gras celebration each year

• Some interesting bottles in the cases lining the walls (including one from the days when “charcoal filtered” was a prominent selling point for a whiskey)

Apparently, there are several more rooms upstairs, which used to be a residence.  One of them, the Japanese room, was closed shortly after Pearl Harbor, and was only reopened in the mid-80’s, we were told.

The food was great, the cocktails (by St. John Frizell of Pegu Club, following the writings of Charles H. Baker Jr.) were classic, and we had a fantastic time.

For my first post about my first time at Tales, I thought I’d just throw in a few tidbits about what I’ve seen, heard and done so far.  Here goes nuthin’!

Great Participants and Parties
I have already met many great people and the sessions so far have been great.  It’s fantastic to be around so many folks with the same interest in and outlook on cocktails.  It’s quite energizing, which made it easier to deal with a total lack of sleep yesterday.  Luckily I got some zzzs last night, so I can hang with the best of ‘em tonight, after our pairing dinner at the legendary Antoine’s.

I went to a number of parties last night, including the blogger reception (so great to put some names with faces), the Warhol Factory Party, the Green Hour Revival and the Opening Night Reception at the Palace Cafe.  All were packed to the gills, but with people who were excited to be there.  I also got to try some absinthes that were new to me (including the Marteau, which I really liked).

Most Interesting Item in the Swag Bag
First, let me say that I’ve never had media credentials before, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the heft of the swag bag.  Its full of intrigue, with mini bottles of a variety of spirits, t-shirts, marketing materials and more.  The thing I’m most excited about, at least initially is the Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup from Australia (made by the Wild Hibiscus Flower Company).  Not having a fridge, I am planning to save these until I get home, but they’ll probably be the first thing I open.  I hope they live up to my expectations!

Best Tip from Tales, Day 1
I’ve already learned a bunch, but my favorite lesson today came from the session led by Audrey Saunders in the session called  The Scented Trail. Why not enhance the aroma of your cocktails by spritzing the top of the drink or the garnish with a lovely tincture or hydrosol reflecting your desired scent?  I am totally going to try this once I get home, and I loved trying all the things in dropper bottles that she sent around.

You might not know it (yet), but there are a number of small distillers and spirit companies out there making amazing products. They may not have huge marketing budgets like Diageo or Pernod Ricard to get the word out, but they have passion, and many of their products are worthy of your attention. With distinctive flavor profiles and character that could not be obtained through mass production, this expanding array of small producers is slowly changing the face of the spirits industry.

I recently talked by phone with Allison Evanow, the founder of Square One Organic Vodka. She will be moderating the Artisan Spirits panel discussion at Tales (less than a month away!). At this session, you’ll have a great opportunity to explore this trend in depth with pioneers from several aspects of the artisan spirits movement, including:

• Lance Winters, distiller at St. George Spirits, where they have been making a wide array of great small-batch spirits for many years (one of their stills is pictured at right),

• Neyah White, well-known mixologist from Nopa in San Francisco, who uses many artisan spirits in his beverage program,

• Eric Seed, proprietor of Haus Alpenz, the company behind several acclaimed artisan spirits introduced in the U.S. recently, and

• Bill Yorks, Spirits Manager at Quality Wine & Spirits, a Georgia distributor carrying a range of artisan spirits.

The panel will explore the meaning of the term “artisan spirit,” and the journey required to get a product to the market. Taking an inside look at the spirits industry, the panel will discuss the barriers for small producers due to market domination by large companies and distributor consolidation, as well as the role of mixologists and cocktail aficionados in this movement.

The group will also examine whether this trend is limited to cocktail & spirits geeks, or whether this movement could transform the way the general public drinks. Will it be like the microbrewing industry? In answering that question, the panel will explore the who/what/why of this trend, and how the industry and consumers are responding so far.

Artisan Spirits takes place on Thursday, July 17^th from 12:30 – 2 pm at the Hotel Monteleone. Get your tickets here.