Tales of the Cocktail® New Orleans 2016

When we think of the great bars of the past and present, they are known not by their decor, and certainly not by their toilets, nor even by their staff but by the cocktails created there that have stood the test of time. The signature cocktails of a bar or restaurant are what become their legacy long after last call. Some, like the Duke’s Martini, put a bar’s unique stamp on a classic and make it all their own. Some, like the Benton's Old Fashioned and the Old Cuban, help feed the fame of the bar around the world. And some become so famous, like the Tommy’s Margarita and the Bellini, that they make a bar or even a city a place of pilgrimage. A rare few, like the Bramble and the Penicillin, become so renowned that they become more famous than the bars where they were born, and become the signature of a bartender. What are the How do you go about creating a ‘signature cocktail’? Does it happen organically, or is it by design? Once you have a great drink, how do you make it stick, and how do you make it famous? When is a Signature Drink an asset to your bar, and when is it an albatross? And are we now in an age where Bartenders have Signature Drinks rather than Bars? Celebrated bartenders Naren Young of NYC’s Caffe Dante, Tom Walker lately of the American Bar and now Attaboy, together with not so celebrated bar fly Jacob Briars, will show how, when done well, a Signature Cocktail is a great way to engage guests, turn guests into regulars, drive repeat custom and put you and your bar on the cocktail map for ever.