Tales of the Cocktail® New Orleans 2016

As long as there have been cocktails, nutmeg has been making them smell better. This seminar studies the wondrous weapon of mass aromatization enjoying a second wind in mixology. It is one of the earliest drink ingredients, pre-dating the American cocktail with its application in English punch. Nutmeg then made the transatlantic journey to be included in Sangarees and Flips, folded into Tom & Jerrys, and eventually grated atop modern Tiki cocktails. What most regard as shriveled seeds primarily used by bakers, nutmeg has a fantastic and world altering history. Come and learn the history and applications of nutmeg and why it has remained a key, but often overlooked, ingredient in cocktails. Discover the biology of nutmeg, why this seed spawned a spice war that would build and crumble empires, the medicinal and culinary uses for nutmeg in different cultures, and hear from Jack McGarry, Peter Vestinos and Charlotte Voisey on modern sources and suppliers of nutmeg, proper storage, and application on the bar-top. Said to cure incurable diseases like the plague and dysentery, claimed to preserve meats better than salt and valued for increasing the male libido, nutmeg was once worth well beyond its weight in gold. Taste three cocktails designed to demonstrate the aroma and flavor powers that nutmeg brings to a drink and take away instantly useful information as well as a gift from our sponsor, the spirits portfolio of William Grant & Sons.