My second day of the Cocktail Classic was all about the Industry Invitational, a series of lectures, workshops, and seminars for people “in the industry” – e.g. bartenders, distillers, and journalists.
First stop: “The Art of Ice and Tastes of Ginger Beer”
Betsy Andrews and Camper English discussed the role of ice in drinks, and demonstrated how to carve it for a cocktail:
I missed most of the ginger beer discussion (running late), but they noted that ginger beer has a classic cocktail for every major spirit:
- Vodka – Moscow Mule
- Rum – Dark & Stormy
- Cognac – Horse’s Neck
- Tequila – El Diablo
- Gin – Foghorn or Gin Buck
- Bourbon – Kentucky Buck (relatively recent, but hitting classic status)
- Scotch – Presbyterian
(The event was sponsored by new magazine Saveur Drink. They had some preview copies available, and I’m really excited about it.)
Then I wandered off to a tasting room, where many, many different liquor companies wanted me to try their products. It wound up like this:
