Tales of the Cocktail® New Orleans 2016

Join Chef Rick Bayless for an exploration into the heart of Mexican flavor. Rick, award-winning chef (7 Beard awards, Top Chef Masters winner, others) and long-time Public Television host, is one of the most knowledgeable chefs when it comes to regional Mexican flavors. Together with Ivan Saldaña, expert in plant biology and spirit producer (Ancho Reyes & Montelobos) and Scott Baird, mixologist and bar owner (Trick Dog, San Francisco), they will tell the story of classic Mexican flavors—how they are created, how they came to be—culminating with the merging of the culinary world with that of cocktails. Given Rick’s depth of knowledge and much-lauded cuisine, we expect to offer attendees an amazing taste experience. Mexico´s biological and cultural diversity has created one of the most complex and sensorialy rich sources of flavors in the World. Of course, Mexico has many well-recognized offerings for any bar (Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol, Raicilla, Pox, Bacanora and so forth), but few bars and trade professionals realize the full potential Mexican chiles, herbs and spices in crafting cocktails. This seminar will explain the flavor of seven different chiles (and how coax multiple flavors from each). Then we’ll explore the use of lesser known herbs that are becoming available in the United States (epazote, culantro, hoja santa) plus the more common cilantro, chamomile and Mexican oregano, and take a quick look at the spice achiote. For all of these, we’ll demonstrate how different preparatory techniques create different flavors from each ingredient. Next, we’ll discuss the collaboration between the kitchen and the bar—a variety of infusion techniques and cocktail flavorings—allowing us to capture the full botanical potential of each ingredient. And, of course, we’ll end up with what we think are truly great cocktails with true Mexican spirit.