Tales of the Cocktail: Gettin' Tipsy with It

by Steven Lindsey photos by Rod Orta

Friday was the first day our team of professional drinkers hit the wall. As in stumbled into it walking down the hall from one of the many tasting rooms. With literally hundreds of cocktails to try, even a sip or two of each is enough to view the world at a consistent 45-degree angle. Nothing a short nap and a long visit to one of the many Hydration Stations won’t fix. Following are some pics from the last couple of days of Tales. And we’ve heard, they save the best for last. Cheers!

Food trucks, schmood trucks. Here’s a trend we wish would take off in Dallas: the Booze Truck! And the samples are free. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen in Dallas.

The secret to staying sober longer, the Hydration Station, of course! Ounce for ounce, if you drink water to match your alcohol intake, you’re much less likely to end up face down in a gutter on Bourbon Street. (Although you may be caught in a corner peeing on a fire hydrant from all the liquids in your body.)

The official PANTS of the Cocktail.

People lined up for one of 40 stations set up for the Cocktails Around the World. The event came complete with a passport to keep track of your alcoholic travels. Our final tally: 31.

Even in tasting portions, each cocktail is handcrafted to order. This one features Kaffir Lime leaves and Star Anise.

Performance artists at the 250 Years of Bombay event at the House of Blues. This is the second powder-wig performance by a gin company we’ve seen this week. Somebody in New Orleans is making a killing on powdered wig sales.

At the 10 Cane Rum Tasting Room, we had our first-ever Cuba Libre with just a “splash” of Coca-Cola. We think that was the beginning of the end for us that day. But we soon bounced back.

A group of ladies enjoying their cocktails in one of the Friday afternoon tasting rooms.

Ricard Anise Liqueur, a French company, turned an entire block of Royal Street into a Pétanque court (similar to Bocce ball). Gotta love a sport where you can play while holding your cocktail.

A young lady with Ricard Anise Liqueur begged to be on CraveDFW.com. Nice to have fans.

Saturday morning began with a Red Dawn cocktail from Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. It’s a rum equivalent of a Bloody Mary and came garnished with bacon, perfect for brunch. Or after sending the kids off to school for the day.

We admit it. Writing about food and cocktails comes with its own unique set of perks. Like admission to the swag room filled with samples of hundreds of brands. Our bags weighed about 50 pounds each by the time we left.

Lest you think we don’t eat healthy at Tales, this salad station is a reminder that veggies don’t all have to come from Bloody Marys. But as you can see, the Tales of the Cocktail Salad table was not that well attended.

Ed: We wish to thank Steven Lindsey and his photo-journalist companion Rod Orta as they took one for the team with this incredibly rough assignment in New Orleans, battling the extreme heat and humidity. Their dedication to the craft of great cocktails is evident by the hundreds of parties they waded through to bring you this story today. We look forward to their final wrap up.