Avant Garde Cocktails & Cedar Ridge Distillery

"Thinking outside the box."  Perhaps an overused phrase, but it's an appropriate term for Summer-Jane Bell's Seminar: "Shake Outside of the Box: Avant-Garde Cocktails".  Many great ideas were floated at this seminar. Take a listen as Brian shares his notes from this wonderful Tales of the Cocktail seminar that includes such gems as:

• Inspiration is everywhere: Take cooking classes, visit museums, collaborate with everyone from your grandmother to people outside of the industry.
• Unforgettable Experiences: The Aviary in Chicago serves an Old Fashioned "in the rocks". 
• Silent Hospitality - Do something unexpected for your guests

Take a listen to Podcast No. 221 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts / Google Play Music/ *Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!

We chat with Jeff Quint, founder and owner of Cedar Ridge Distillery in Iowa, who is making farm to glass spirits.  We caught up with Jeff at Dicky Brennen's Bourbon House in the French Quarter during Tales.  We ate some oysters, sampled some whiskey and chatted about Jeff's Journey from Accountant to Distiller.
The American Distilling Institute named Cedar Ridge (Swisher, IA) 2017 “Distillery of the Year.”

Plus, we catch up with Hazel Alvarado, as she kicks off our new First Taste Series featuring newly opened cocktail bars with a review from the media launch party for the new Oscar Wilde Bar in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan.

Book of the Week:
Beach Cocktails: Favorite Surfside Sips and Bar Snacks
Summer may be ending in a few weeks, but there's still time to up your "thirst-aid" knowledge and add a few summery cocktail recipes to your cocktail library.

Cocktail of the Week:
El Presidente

• 1 ½ oz Aged Rum Real McCoy 5 year
• ¾ Dry Vermouth
• ½ oz Orange Curacao
• Bar Spoon Grenadine
  Stir with ice.  Strain into a chilled coup glass.  Orange twist.

Toast of the Week:
(From the book Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces)

• May you have peace in you igloo, oil in your lamp and peace in your heart.