Tales of the Cocktail® New Orleans 2016

Never have the assortment of tasty pleasures within the world's most exotic spirit been in such a phase of epic discovery, wild proportions and of cult-like following! With all this excitement, methodology and technology, many questions have arisen to hot debate. Does size really matter? Is a big still better than a small one? How many people does it take to run a small versus large operation and what are the differences in stills and processes used? How does a large operation/process compare to a smaller one? Is "craft" a guy with a beard and a leather apron, or a $2m investment in a quality-control system? How do individually distilled and blended botanical distillates compare to those steeped, or vapor infused in single recipes, or those blended in various forms and stages? Is one botanical better than 50? Why use fewer or more? Let's find out. What are the most important botanicals in gins and what supporting roles do they play in a closed system? How much do we really understand about this complex scientific process? Where do distillers source their GNS and what types of grain bases provide the best canvas to suit the different variations of botanical flavors and expressions? Why do established brands opt for innovation and seasonal offerings? And what of all these experimental gins? Did they start out with a flavor profile or a drink strategy in mind to fulfill and work backwards from there? What's better, contract distilling or your own distillery? Or a bit of both? This is definitely going to be revealing and a not to miss discussion. Join industry icons Nik Fordham (Master distiller, Bombay gins), Allen Katz (distiller, Perry's Tot and Dorothy Parker gins), Jake Burger (brand owner, Portobello Road gin), Gary Hayward, Mike Enright and your host Raj Nagra, as we taste and experience their fine gins whilst hearing opinions on the current affairs of the gin category and the boundaries of new gins and contemporary classic styles.