Ann Rogers, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail
Ann and her staff of spirited women have planned, implemented and promoted Tales of the Cocktail since its inception in 2003. In 2005, Ann founded The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to benefit hospitality industry members and produce Tales of the Cocktail annually. Its mission is to preserve the rich history of the restaurants and bars of New Orleans and the unique culture of dining and drinking famous to the city, while educating locals, visitors, and the hospitality industry about this culinary heritage. Look for Ann’s extensive bio on www.TalesoftheCocktail.com.

Dale DeGroff, Author of “The Craft of the Cocktail” and Founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail
Also known as “King Cocktail,” Dale DeGroff was Beverage Manager at New York City's famous Rainbow Room from 1987 to 1999, where he pioneered a gourmet approach to recreating the great classic cocktails and reinvented the profession of bartending. His work set off a cocktail explosion throughout the world. DeGroff has also invented hundreds of his own original drinks. His popular book, “The Craft of The Cocktail,” winner of the IACP Julia Child Award, has been hailed by Men's Journal as the "look-here-first, look-here-last primer on drink mixing."

Dale attended Tales of the Cocktail in 2003, in its first year and assisted in making the event become recognizable in the cocktail writing, dining and bartending industry. His work with Ann Rogers has helped to promote the event nationally, as well as to add unique and sell-out seminars to the schedule based on his expertise. This year, Dale DeGroff will present an encore presentation of his seminar titled, “South of the Border – Down Mexico Way” which features a tasting of tequilas from the different areas of Jalisco and why tequila is the fastest growing spirit in Mexico.

Joe Gendusa, New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour guide and Historian
Invite tour guide and historian, Joe Gendusa, to expand on the histories of a city notorious for its drinking and eating habits. Taking the cocktail tour with Joe is like experiencing New Orleans through a local’s eyes. Born and raised in New Orleans, Joe knows the colorful stories of New Orleans’ dining and drinking history better than any local you’ll find. He is enlightening and enthusiastic and fun to follow through the Quarter.

Louise Ferguson Saenz, Executive Director of Save our Cemeteries 
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society has developed a program for 2007, to educate the hospitality industry, the greater community and its visitors about New Orleans’ culinary history.  Save Our Cemeteries will present a course on the history of prominent restaurant proprietors in New Orleans buried in historic Metairie Cemetery. Upon completion of the course, tour guides will develop a tour script on the topic and will provide guided “culinary history tours” of Metairie Cemetery to hospitality industry members. The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society will underwrite and promote these complimentary tours, a collaborative effort by the two 501c3 non-profit organizations.

Andrea Thornton, Director of Sales and Marketing, Hotel Monteleone
By the time you’ve downed a mint julep at the Carousel Bar in the historic Hotel Monteleone, a slow panorama of the whimsical interior has passed by and you’re back where you started, all without leaving your seat. The Hotel Monteleone introduced New Orleans’ first revolving bar in 1940, and the Carousel has been rotating at a rate of once every fifteen minutes ever since. For more than fifty years, the revolving Carousel Bar in the historic Hotel Monteleone has earned the distinction of being one of the city’s favorite gathering spots. In fact, sometimes it’s hard to say which is more colorful, the Carousel’s bright circus motif or the characters it attracts.

Truman Capote claimed he was born at the Monteleone, and although he was not, he lived with his family at the Monteleone for a while after his birth. Capote returned to the hotel many times and shared a love of this home-away-from-home with other literary giants such as William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams. These literary greats brainstormed some of their most well-known work in the Carousel Bar. The Hotel Monteleone is designated as a literary landmark because of its history of welcoming countless authors, many of whom have written about the Monteleone, using it as a setting for their stories or novels.

The Hotel Monteleone celebrates the history of the cocktail as the host hotel for Tales of the Cocktail.
 
Georg Riedel, President of Riedel Crystal

The Riedel Spirits collection was developed by Georg Riedel on the principle that the content commands the shape. Riedel revolutionized glassware by customizing the shape of wine glasses to a particular type of wine and now they have done the same thing for spirits. Each glass is fine-tuned to direct the flow of the spirit, Rum, Tequila, or Scotch onto parts of the palate that will best express the flavors and aromas of a specific spirit. Georg Josef Riedel, 10th generation glassmaker and president of Riedel Crystal, will lead his first ever spirits glass tasting at the 2007 Tales of the Cocktail event.
           

Ed Hamilton, International Cane Spirits Tasting Competition
The 2007 International Cane Spirits Tasting Competition produced by Ed Hamilton and the Ministry of Rum will be held during Tales of the Cocktail. The International Cane Spirits Tasting Competition is the only tasting event dedicated to the Sugar Cane Spirits industry in the US. This is the only opportunity in the world for Sugar Cane Spirits to be judged on their own merit and in classes recognized by distillers and the Sugar Cane Spirits trade.

Fresh & Unique Ingredients Required……
It’s the must-do trend in mixing cocktails – in restaurants, bars and at home: having and insisting on the freshest ingredients to flavor your drinks. Restaurants are searching for the rarest ingredients, many  mixologists are using seasonal ingredients from local farmers’ markets and as the perfect host/hostess, you should rise above the bottled lemon juice, simple syrup and sour mix and be the chef of your bar …..
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• Lost Ingredients: Obtaining or Making Rare Ingredients for Even Rarer Cocktails
• Aromatics and Their Uses in Cocktails
• From Farm to Glass: Greenmarket Mixology
• Chains and Their Commitment to Using Fresh Ingredients

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Not Your Fathers’ Cocktail Party…..
No more “jungle juice” and “meatballs on a toothpick.” Today’s cocktail parties at home require a bit more swizzle and put a twist on the parties of old using themes, food and serving variations. With multiple presentations and parties to learn by, Tales of the Cocktail consults the experts on such subjects and features many of TV’s hottest entertainers throughout the event.
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• Rum Balls and Other Spiked Food Items
• Sippin’ With 7 – Shaken Not Stirred
• How to Conduct a Home Tasting
• Party Like A Pro - Large Scale Party Planning
• Cocktails and Film - Theme Events

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Exploring Spirits From History to the Glass….
Not only will you learn where certain spirits came from, who created them, how they were used and how they are used today, but you’ll taste them, learn how to drink them and mix with them and meet the historians and experts who study and love them. Raise your glass and try something new – or revisit your favorite drink or brand with friends…..
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• Tales of the Cocktail Tasting Room
• The Cocktail’s Family Tree
• Rum’s Punch – A Spirited View of Rum’s Rise, Fall and Return
• Sake to Me!
• Johnny Appleseed, Hard Cider and Applejack: The Spirit of Americana
• From Glen to Glen: Exploring the Making, Magic and Myth of Scotch Whiskey
• South of the Border- Down Mexico Way (Tequila)
• South American Spirits
• Vermouth
• Absinthe
• The Mint Julep: It’s History and Celebration

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A Return to the Classics….
Tales of the Cocktail explores what makes a classic cocktail and how these bar menu fixtures remain popular. From the Sazerac, arguably the first cocktail, to the Martini, these classics continue to intrigue many cocktail experts and cocktail drinkers. …
Tales of the Cocktail presents:

• The Martini
• American Rye Whiskey
• Gin

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Pairing Cocktail and Food – A Classic Combination…
Certain foods bring out the flavor in a complementing cocktail. And vice versa. Every cocktail menu should be presented with a food menu. Experts all over the world are discovering how pleasant a meal can be when paired with the right drink. Chefs are offering suggestions on their menus and now you can sip the best drink with your meal.
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• Spirited Dinners – Full course dinners paired with cocktails for a very tasteful experience.
• Pairing Cocktails and Food

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Girls Just Want to Have Fun… with Cocktails…
Sophisticated women gather for cocktails all around the world. Whether it is a margarita at the local Mexican restaurant, wine at a friends house, or martinis at the hottest bar or club, women are finding time to relax and have fun with their girlfriends over drinks. Tales of the Cocktail singles out “the girls” and offers some new ways to have fun…..
Tales of the Cocktail presents:

• Martini Gras
• Shop, Sip and Spa on Rue Royale
• Margaritas and Makeovers
• Spirited Women Past and Present

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The Best of Tales of the Cocktail 2007…
Tales of the Cocktail not only wants guests to learn history with a twist and have fun, but we want to recognize the “best of the best” and offer several competitions and recognition ceremonies to do just that….
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• 1st Annual Spirit Awards
• Bar Chef Competition
• Official Cocktail Competition

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At Home in the Birthplace of the Cocktail – Tales of the Cocktail Recognizes it’s Roots
Tales of the Cocktail began in New Orleans because the city is often recognized as the birthplace of the cocktail. For five years, Tales of the Cocktail has shaken and stirred the French Quarter with the one of a kind festival and for the fifth anniversary, Tales of the Cocktail looks fondly on the place we are proud to call home….
Tales of the Cocktail 2007 presents:

• The Spirited History of Alcohol as Medicine at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
• Cocktail and Culinary Influences Tour at the Louisiana State Museum
• New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour
• Drink in History: The Napoleon House: New Orleans Greatest Saloon
• Drinks and Dishes Born in New Orleans
• The History, Oddities and Eccentricities of Galatoire’s

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Autograph My Menu Please….
Move over Brad Pitt and welcome Ted Allen. Movie stars are always going to be hot, but it seems today, that many people are looking up to their favorite chefs, party planners, designers and authors. With their fingers on the pulse of what’s in style for your home and lifestyle, Tales of the Cocktail welcomes the country’s largest gathering of cocktail authorities and these “hot shots” to the 2007 event:

• Ted Allen, Food and Wine Expert from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “Iron Chef,” and “Top Chef”
• Kevin Brauch, host of the FINE LIVING NETWORK’S show, “The Thirsty Traveler”
• Dave Martin of Bravo TV and Exec. Chef at Lola is Soul
• Cathy Riva, host of “Party Girl” on the TLC/Discovery Channel
• Jet Tila, Asian Chef Consultant to Bon Appetit and contributor to NPR’s “Good Food”
• Tony Abou-Ganim, mixologist and host on the FINE LIVING NETWORK
• Dale DeGroff, mixologist, author of “The Craft of the Cocktail,” and founder of The Museum of the American Cocktail
• Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, authors and co-founders of The Museum of the American Cocktail