Tales of the Cocktail (sometimes shortened to Tales or TotC) is an annual

trade conference A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

, and gathering of

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

and

spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

industry professionals in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The conference was founded in 2002 by cocktail enthusiast Ann Tuennerman, and as of 2016 hosts between 15,000 and 17,000 ticketed attendants.

History

Tales of the Cocktail began in 2002 as the New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour, a walking tour of historic New Orleans bars hosted by local cocktail aficionado Ann Tuennerman (née Rogers). In September 2003, Tuennerman celebrated the first anniversary of the tour by hosting Tales of the Cocktail, a small gathering of cocktail enthusiasts and industry professionals that included legendary

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...

and writer

Dale DeGroff Dale DeGroff (born September 21, 1948, Rhode Island), also known as ''the King of Cocktails'' or ''King Cocktail'', is an American bartender and author. The New York Times in 2015 called DeGroff "one of the world's foremost cocktail experts", and ...

. After a hiatus following

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005, Tales of the Cocktail returned to New Orleans in 2006 and resumed operation. The event was moved up to July to avoid overlapping with the anniversary of the hurricane, and has taken place in the summer ever since. Ann Tuennerman retired from Tales of the Cocktail on September 25, 2017. Mrs. Tuennerman informed the diversity council that her husband Paul Tuennerman would be returning to work at Tales. Several members of the council resigned in protest at not being included in the decision. Mrs. Tuennerman resigned soon thereafter. In February, 2018 the Solomon Family and Neal Bodenheimer purchased the trademarks for Tales of the Cocktail, Ann and Paul Tuennerman completely divested from the trademarks and all business associated with Tales of the Cocktail. Additionally, there was a complete overhaul of the Board of Directors for the non-profit called New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society. The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation was officially formalized under new leadership, with a mission to educate, advance, and support our industry, on February 15, 2018.

Location

Tales of the Cocktail is primarily hosted at the

Hotel Monteleone Hotel Monteleone is a family-owned and operated hotel located at 214 Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. The hotel includes the only high-rise building in the interior French Quarter and is well known for its Ca ...

in New Orleans’

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...

, but many events take place at other nearby bars, hotels, and event venues. In November 2018, Tales of the Cocktail announced a new brick and mortar location in downtown New Orleans. The venue will serve as both an event space and full service cocktail bar.

Spirited Awards

In 2007, Tales of the Cocktail launched the Spirited Awards, an annual awards ceremony honoring bars, bartenders, and other industry professionals from around the world. Some of the top awards include American and International categories of Best Cocktail Bar, Bartender of the Year, Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, World’s Best Cocktail Menu, and numerous others. It is regarded by many as the most prestigious awards ceremony in the cocktail and spirits industry.

International Events

In 2011, Tales of the Cocktail launched their international event Tales of the Cocktail on Tour (sometimes shortened to Tales on Tour) in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The event has since taken place annually in various cities, including

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 2017, Tales of the Cocktail on Tour was slated to take place in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

References

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External links