Build Your Own Bitters class

We proceeded around the room, adding ingredients drop by drop until our concoctions were done to our liking. Mine ended up earthy and spicy. Ms. Boozenik’s was more citrus-ginger and lighter. Mine for whiskey. Hers for gin.

Diageo’s Cocktails from Around the World Happy Hour

At Diageo’s “Cocktails from Around the World” party, we wandered three floors of cocktail stations exploring the flavors from around the world.

Left Coast Libations Spirited Dinner

The Left Coast Libations spirited dinner was a fun circus of East vs. Left Coast smack talk, antics, & talent, and a trip through Ted Munat’s fairly scary mind.

Vanilla, Vanilla Baby

Phillip Duff gave a highly entertaining introduction to the story of Vanilla, the most popular flavoring in the Western world. It has been highly regarded, and badly imitated, since it was first introduced to Europeans.

Paul Pacault’s Ultra Advanced Spirit Critic’s Workshop

Paul Pacault led us through his Ultra Advanced Spirit Critic’s Workshop: a detailed and humorous ride through a what to smell, taste, and look for when exploring a spirit, and how some of those flavors and aromas come about.

Irish Whiskey Legends With Paul Pacault

There are few surviving distilleries in Ireland. But it’s one of the fastest growing spirits categories in the world. Why is that? Paul Pacault guided us through some history and tastings to help us understand.

Tales of the Cocktail: SavourEase – Savory Cocktails

It should come as no surprise that proper storage and handling are key to preserve the potency of your flavoring herbs and spices, and to help avoid wasting a lot of ingredients creating a flat cocktail.

The Emperor’s New Bitters

For “The Emperor’s New Bitters”, we took a humorous dive into the history of bitters of all sorts, and into the fascination modern bartenders have with them.

Tales of the Cocktail’s West Coast Invasion

Where were the East Coasters last night? Snuggly tucked in their fluffy soft beds, for it was the bewitching hour of 8 p.m. Meanwhile, the West Coasters were out making history at Tales of the Cocktail.

Tales of the Cocktail Vancouver

Tales of the Cocktail is carefully packing up the martini glasses and heading north to Canada for a tasty mini-cocktail festival in Vancouver, March 13-15, 2011. Organizers said that they plan to make their Canadian trek an annual event.