As Seen In…New Orleans

Mid-July, that sweltering sticky mess of a month in New Orleans is the setting for Tales of the Cocktail, the world’s coolest premier cocktail festival for spirits professionals from around the world. Catersource magazine was on the scene of this event, now in its 13th year, to uncover the newest libation trends for your next spirited event, as well as explore the food scene. Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone had to do it. —Kathleen Stoehr

The best serving vessel at the Diageo House Party was housing the ZaCoCo cocktail, a combination of one airline bottle serving of Zacapa Rum 23, a coconut—and a trendy paper straw. Photo courtesy of Diageo

Eschewing the usual pastrami spices and focusing instead on the flavor of the meat, Cochon Butcher’s duck pastrami sliders are addictive, near decadent in their simple execution. Recently named as one of the top 38 restaurants to dine in for 2015 by Eater.com, Catersource felt fortunate to find a quiet moment—and a table—when in the neighborhood. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

The day before she was named the 2015 American Bartender of the Year, Ivy Mix, co-owner and head bartender at Leyenda, in Brooklyn, NY, served her “The Sealed Deal” a smoky cocktail with primary spirits of Del Maguey Vida Mezcal and Jägermeister. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

Crabmeat ravigote: Local NOLA jumbo lump crabmeat tossed in lemon aïoli and served over fried green tomato with fried capers and parsley garnish at Dickie Brennan’s Tableau. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

Cheryl Scripter, owner of NOLA’s Bittersweet Confections, rolled bonbons to complement Sandeman Founders Reserve port during a two-hour tasting event at the Hotel Monteleone. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

An amuse bouche from Salon by Sucre in the French Quarter is a vegetable gazpacho with roasted corn salsa and olive oil breadcrumbs. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

The Alter Ego, created by mixologist Eric Ribeiro, offered Johnnie Walker Select Casks Rye Cask Finish with Cocchi Americano Rosa, lemon juice, and orange thai basil syrup. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

Using a metal ring mold, heirloom tomato risotto is placed inside, then topped with a fried soft shell crab. The mold is removed after the plate is set at the table, revealing a perfect circle. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

This intriguing hard plastic vessel—an absinthe “pipe”—is custom made in France for Pernod-Ricard for use at their tasting events. How else could this be used regarding small sips? Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

Deep Eddy infused its flavored vodka into melt-in-the-mouth cotton candy. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

At the Patron XO Café, the “Panhale Panacea,” crafted by Josh Mazza of Seamstress in New York City, combined Patron XO Café Incendio, Roca Patron Silver tequila, Suze Aperol, and eucalyptus tincture. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

In search of a midnight snack? After the bewitching hour, a tricked out Reyka vodka pop-up vending machine provided an array of all things Icelandic (mittens, bottle koozies, cocktail shakers), as well as a few late night snacks (pizza and burritos!) for the industry’s leading mixologists and other cocktail professionals.

A dazzling array of cocktail bitters awaited festivalgoers in the Octavia Bookstore. But beyond using bitters in beverages, Catersource tried an Angostura-flavored southern biscuit at one of its events. Divine. Photo by Kathleen Stoehr

Ted Kilgore of Planter's House, St. Louis, MO, taught a "Make it Your Own" seminar using EverClear. Photo courtesy of Luxco