Updated: Mar 29, 2020
What happens when you lock 7 hot shot bartenders in a room full of booze, shakers & a video camera? Over 6 hours of cocktail mayhem - 1,234 Corpse Reviver No. 2's, 811 Gin Basil Smashes & G'n'Ts than the volume of the Mississippi River...
When the running order contains the likes of legendary flair bartender Christian Delpech, the Savoy's finest Martin Hudak & bar manager of Scandinavia's best boutique hotel Chris Grotvedt you know you're in for a bumpy ride for the next couple of days or so...
We'd arrived quite early in the day to the Backspace Bar in New Orleans & the premise from our brief was simple. Royal Dutch Distillers were locking some of the best in the bar & giving them free reign over some of the portfolio. Our minds were ready but our livers were not!
One of our favourite cocktails from the event was this savoury, citrusy & pungent deliciousness from one the hardest working Slovaks in the bar industry of Europe. The cocktail could only be described as having a stampede of unicorns with electric hooves run across your tongue as you orgasm.
Verde e Blu by Martin Hudak
30ml Rutte Celery Gin
30ml Lime Juice
1bsp Sugar Syrup
50ml Italics Rosolio de Bergamotto
Green jalapeño
Another fantastic touch of Dutch came from the steadfast viking from Norway. Throwing his drink shaker to shaker with more grace than an Italian model at peak fashion week he gave us a tantalising cocktail that rounded off all the malty goodness of the Genever base with some fruity yet vibrant flavours. It's as if someone had captured hardcore techno in a glass, deceptively approachable!
Dutch Courage by Chris Grotvedt
45 ml Rutte Old Simon
20 ml Apricot Brandy
10 ml 1847 Oloroso Sherry
10 ml Lemon Juice
10 ml Sugar Syrup
2 dashes Cardamom Bitters
Rinse of Absinthe
Drinks aside we feel you can't have dinner without a show & when the star of the stage is none other than the man, the myth & the legend known as Christian Delpech you buckle down & get ready to rumble! It's one thing when you get a bunch of cocktail bartenders into a building but its something completely else when every bottle throw gives you that uncomfortable feeling between your legs as you anticipate a wipe out of the backbar.
As we were fan-girling out & giggling to each other we knew all good things come to an end. Tales of the Cocktail in 2017 was our busiest & biggest one yet, it is hard to describe in words the atmosphere in New Orleans unless you're present. Every year is unique & the memories irreplaceable for us at Cocktails For You so for those that couldn't be there check out the photos from the event below:
For more photos of our shenanigans check out our Facebook