On the road: Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Dinners

Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans’ preeminent celebration of all things boozy, is touted as the event for industry professionals. This five-day extravaganza, July 16-20, is usually a draw for liquor representatives, distributors and distillers as well as cocktail makers and enthusiasts from around the globe.

For the rest of us who aren’t industry movers and shakers, there are the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Dinners. At these events scattered around New Orleans, original cocktails are carefully crafted—sometimes borrowing ingredients from the kitchen—to mimic or contrast the cuisine, creating a layering of flavors not necessarily achievable at a typical wine dinner.

This year, Tales of the Cocktail has once again facilitated a diverse selection of dinners that highlights the culinary landscape of New Orleans.

With so many participating restaurants to choose from, I long ago devised a method to help me narrow it down. As a general rule, I first bypass all restaurants at which I’ve attending a Spirited Dinner in past years. Fortunately, each year brings a host of never-before-utilized restaurants, bars, hotels and event spaces. Next I skim the food menus. I usually begin looking as soon as the event website releases that year’s offerings. If the restaurant hasn’t divulged their menu, they won’t make the cut. If the menu is available, I look for any dish or drink my friends and I would find less than desirable. Lastly, the hard part begins: choosing the final three, which get sent to one of my regular Tales of the Cocktail companions for input. It’s an exhaustive process, but when that one perfect dinner is chosen, the rewards can be tremendous.

This year, I quickly zeroed in on what looked to be the perfect dinner: a Wagyu and Whiskey dinner on Chartres Street. This one broke many of my rules, but it featured the most delicious and sought-after steak in the world paired with my favorite liquor. Of course, before I had even finished reading the menu, it sold out. Back to the drawing board I went to narrow down the choices to the (next) most perfect dinner: Peruvian Tiki Gods.

Presented by the pisco brand Barsol Pisco and hosted by Tiki Tolteca (which officially reopens July 12) above Felipe’s restaurant, Chef Dana Honn of Carmo and barman Nathan Dalton join forces with Diego Loret de Mola, Barsol owner and master distiller. These crackerjacks are crafting five courses of exotic dishes paired with pisco-infused, tiki-centric adult beverages. If past Spirited Dinners are any indication, high jinks will surely ensue.

Visit the Spirited Dinners page to review the available restaurants and their menus. But don’t delay: these immensely popular events are selling out fast. —Monique Evans