Tales of the Cocktail in partnership with Culinary Concierge Magazine, Tasting Panel Magazine, and CocktailTimes.com announces the ten finalists for the Official Cocktail Competition of the 8th Annual Tales of the Cocktail.

“Sampling from over 150 of these creative, complex, forward-thinking, often delicious “tikified” Planter’s Punches was pure pleasure, but choosing only 10 was no easy task — there were just too many good ones. Often it came down to the originality of the garnish, or the use of an unexpected ingredient that harmonized particularly well.  But I can confidently say that if I saw these 10 finalists on the cocktail menu of a Tiki bar, I would never leave.” Said author and Tiki expert Jeff Berry
The ten finalists are listed in alphabetical order below:

• Peter Bogren
• Kathy Casey
• Gina Chersevani
• James Goggin
• Jason Littrell
• Evan Martin
• Adam Seger
• Chantal Tseng
• David Willhite
• Timothy Zohn

The first place winner will receive $1,250 cash and the recipe will become the “Official Cocktail” of Tales of the Cocktail 2010.  The winning cocktail and its creator will be featured throughout the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail event.

The ten finalist’s recipes are online at www.TalesoftheCocktail.com. The winner will be announced on March 31, 2010.

When Absinthe was banned in the United States in 1912 it left a large hole in the cocktail culture of New Orleans. Absinthe was a cherished sipping drink for New Orleanians and a critical ingredient in the city’s most historic cocktail¾The Sazerac. There just couldn’t be a substitute for Absinthe. That is until J.M. Legendre invented Herbsaint in 1934.

Though the “Sacred Herb” was originally created as a stand-in for Absinthe, Herbsaint has since developed a flavor all its own. For many it has become the ingredient of choice in a Sazerac while also inspiring its own series of cocktails such as the Herbsaint Frappé, the Herbsaint Suisse and the Herbsaint Punch.

The New Orleans Cultural and Culinary Preservation Society is inviting all cocktail enthusiasts to explore Herbsaint a little further at Frappe Fridays. During this series of seminars, we’ll dive head first into the history of this legendary liquor and some of the city’s most accomplished bartenders will lead demonstrations on how to craft a number of Herbsaint cocktails. Join us as we honor a New Orleans liquor that has become irreplaceable.

Each Frappe Friday will include:

Historical overview of J.M. Lengendre and Herbsaint Memorabilia and artifacts on display Hands on making of a Herbsaint Frappe by each person. An exclusive Tasting of the new Herbsaint Original. A hand crafted French Creole inspired meal at Arnaud’s Restaurant.

All attendees will receive:

Herbsaint Frappe Completion Certificate for Framing. Herbsaint Recipes. A few surprises!

Chef Tommy Digiovanni of Arnaud’s has developed a classic Creole menu for lunch.

Faucon Salad
Or
Onion Soup en Croûte
~~
Gulf Fish Pipérade
Or
Roast Pork Tenderloin
-Smoked Onion and Apple Marmalade-
~~
Custard Tart
-Herbsaint Liqueur
Coffee

$35 per person, per Friday

To RSVP, contact (504) 524-5433 or katy@arnauds.com

Spirited ticket packages on sale now!

Tales of the Cocktail, the premier global cocktail and culinary festival that celebrates the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans, celebrates their eighth anniversary event, July 21-25, 2010.

Beginning March 1, 2010, special ticket packages for our guests go on sale.

Founders Day Package
$595.00 (savings of $100.00)

The Founders Day is the complete Tales of the Cocktail package. By day you will you will feast on 14 spirited seminars filled to the brim with cocktail history, techniques and tastings. By night you will sample the handiwork of the world’s best mixologists with unfettered access to Tales of the Cocktail parties and competitions. A limited number of Founders Day Passes are available, so reserve yours today.

Package Details:

• Tickets to 14 seminars of your choice
• Ticket to Cocktail Hour Presented by Diageo
• Ticket to USBG Margarita Competition OR Bar Room Brawl Presented by Grand Marnier
• Ticket to Worldwide Cocktail Excursion presented by Beam Global Spirits & Wine
• 1 Invitation to Sunday Brunch hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Cocktail (Value of $45.00)
• Limited edition signed and numbered “Where Spirits Live” Silk Screen Poster (Value of 30.00)

Native Spirits Package – New in 2010
$135.00

The true spirit of our city lives in those that call New Orleans home so we’re inviting locals to join us at Tales of the Cocktail 2010 with the Native Spirits Package. This locals-only package will take you to the weekend’s best parties so you can mix with cocktail lovers from around the world, giving them a taste of what New Orleans is all about. Native Spirits Packages are limited so reserve yours today.

Package Details:

• 1 Ticket to Cocktail Hour Presented by Diageo
• 1 Ticket to USBG Milagro Tequila Margarita Competition OR Bar Room Brawl Presented by Grand Marnier
• 1 Ticket to Worldwide Cocktail Excursion presented by Beam Global Spirits & Wine
• 1 Invitation to Sunday Brunch hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Cocktail (value of $45.00)
• Official Tales of the Cocktail 2010 T-Shirt (value of $15.00)
• Official Tales of the Cocktail Recipe E-Book, Where Spirits Live Edition (value of $20.00)

Taste of Tales Package – New in 2010
Actual Cost (ranging from $105.00 to $135.00)

For those that want to enjoy Tales of the Cocktail in moderation, we offer the Taste of Tales Package. Purchase tickets to any three Tales of the Cocktail 2010 events you’ll receive a limited edition Sazerac blueprint poster, valued at $10.00.

Tour of Tales Package – New in 2010
Actual Cost (ranging from $210.00 to $270.00)

If you have a slightly larger appetite for all things cocktail, try the Tour of Tales Package. When you purchase six tickets to any Tales of the Cocktail 2010 event you’ll receive The World’s

Drinks and How to Mix Them by William Boothby (a reproduction of the 1908 edition) with a new introduction by John Burton compliments of CocktailKingdom.com and MudPuddle Books, valued at $20.00.

Spirited ticket packages on sale March 1, 2010

Tales of the Cocktail, the premier global cocktail and culinary festival that celebrates the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans, celebrates their eighth anniversary event, July 21-25, 2010.

Beginning March 1, 2010, special ticket packages for our guests go on sale.

Native Spirits Package-New in 2010
$135.00

Founders Day Package
$595.00 (savings of $100.00)

Taste of Tales Package
Actual Cost (Ranges from $105.00 to $135.00)

Tour of Tales Package
Actual Cost (ranging from $210.00 to $270.00)

Reserve your packages now, as they will be sold for a limited time.

Learn more about the packages

Tales of the Cocktail in partnership with Culinary Concierge Magazine, Tasting Panel Magazine and CocktailTimes.com invite you to submit a winning recipe for the Official Cocktail Competition of the 8th Annual Tales of the Cocktail.

For our eighth anniversary, we are punching things up with our annual cocktail competition. If you think your skills are up to the challenge, we would like you to create a Planter’s Punch that we can use as our official cocktail at this year’s event.

Almost every famous Tiki drink is based on the Planter’s Punch. The Zombie is a turbo- charged Planter’s, while the Mai Tai simply adds Curacao and Orgeat to the classic Planter’s formula of rum, lime, and sugar. For the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail official cocktail competition, we invite you to create an original Tiki drink using the Planter’s Punch formula as your template.

[Full information, including a complete list of rules and sponsors, may be found here.]

For our eighth anniversary, we are punching things up with our annual cocktail competition. If you think your skills are up to the challenge, we would like you to create a Planter’s Punch that we can use as our official cocktail at this year’s event.

Almost every famous Tiki drink is based on the Planter’s Punch. The Zombie is a turbo- charged Planter’s, while the Mai Tai simply adds Curacao and Orgeat to the classic Planter’s formula of rum, lime, and sugar. For the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail official cocktail competition, we invite you to create an original Tiki drink using the Planter’s Punch formula as your template.

[Full information, including a complete list of rules and sponsors, may be found here.]

January 21, 2009
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Hotel Monteleone Front Steps

It’s about time to get this moving again. We’ll be making some announcements soon about changes to the editorship and format of this blog. Some things didn’t run as smoothly as we’d have liked in the fast, fast pace of last year’s Tales, and we have some plans in place to address some of the problems. So stay tuned, please.

Meanwhile, the main Tales 2010 site is slowly starting to go live. If you check over there now, you’ll see links to room specials at the partner hotels and, honestly, it’s not too early to book your accommodations. Discounted rooms start as low as $99 a night, so check it out! And keep an eye on the main site. Announcements are pending about seminars, speakers, and other Tales 2010 events. It’s looking like another great Tales, everyone! Hope to see you there.

If you missed one of Philip Duff’s talks at Tales of the Cocktail or want a reminder of what you heard at one, note that he’s put his slides up online at: http://www.slideshare.net/philipduff

His talks were:

• Take a right at Albuquerque
• Liquid Nudging
• Low Country Libations
• The Fine Art of Banging Out Drinks