I have to say that the Tales of the Cocktail experience is growing on me and I am very glad to have finally been able to make the trip. Today was spectacular and the smile has not diminished from an enlightening afternoon.

This morning we took a little side trip in New Orleans to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. It is a natural world oasis in the city and is filled with beautiful sculptures. For a break from the melee of a hectic week, I recommend this for anyone visiting New Orleans.

The cocktail inundation started with a return to the Hotel Monteleone and Melkon Khosrovian's (Modern Spirits & Tru Organic) seminar "Chemistry of the Cocktail." He is the quintessential spirit geek - meant in a very good way and I've heard that term thrown around a lot here so far - and has dissected cocktails and spirits in a way that I've never seen before. The highlight is his advice on pairing food and spirits and after tomorrow's lunch with Melkon and his wife Litty I'll have more to say. Also, I will be sharing Melkon's invaluable advice soon about pairings. As he explained in the conference, if you think wine and food go well together, imagine what a well designed cocktail can do - often it is better. When chefs are pairing they often deal with a wine that is bottled and is as it is. However, with cocktails the meal can be designed then appropriate drinks can be designed to compliment it.

To cap off the afternoon, the "must be there" seminar was "American Whiskey Legends." If you have never had the pleasure of speaking to a bourbon distiller you may not understand the cocktail of wit that is possible when you get four of them in a room together - the bourbon guys are a community that spans generations more than competition to each other. The panel was moderated by the one and only Paul Pacult, an icon in spirits tasting, and the panel was filled with "legends" including Bill Samuels (Maker's Mark), Fred Noe (Jim Beam), Tom Bulleit (Bulleit Bourbon), and Harlan Wheatley (Buffalo Trace).

With this group together the Kentucky quips came out one after another as they discussed - quite honestly - the past and future of the bourbon industry and the American influence on whiskey as a whole. Personally, it was a great pleasure seeing Samuels again after his gracious hospitality a couple years back when we toured his Kentucky distillery. Also, to put a live face to the legacy of Jim Beam after only speaking over the phone, and to discuss the new Red Stag was a gem in my day.

This is a very quick recap of Day 2 at Tales of the Cocktail and I promise there is so much more to come, not only as the week unfolds but as I digest the vast knowledge I am attempting to absorb over the coming weeks.

It has already been an event filled with excitement at Tales of the Cocktail. The French Quarter is teeming with cocktail enthusiasts and the information is flowing. I have so much to say but here's a quick (OK, semi-quick) recap of day one and more (extensive) articles will follow in the coming days and weeks.

This afternoon we had the pleasure of enjoying lunch with Martin Miller and David Bromige of Martin Miller's Gin. Our conversations were filled with musings about the past and future of gin. It started last night with a blogger reception hosted by the gin brand. There we sipped on Palin's Christmas Punch - yes, it was developed around election time this last year and named after the (soon-to-be) former governor - and it was delicious. (Sidenote: Saturday we are going to get a peak at Martin Miller's special 10th anniversary bottling!)

Part of our conversation today was regarding the reason behind introducing their Westbourne Strength and that punch was a good example. That bottling was introduced to cater to "cocktail geeks" (aka mixologists) who are creating very complex cocktails in which gin often gets lost. With the higher strength it can be mixed and still be apparent as it was in that absinthe, Zirbenz and date-filled punch I just mentioned.

Like I said, I'll have more of that lunch interview later but for now let's just say that the guys behind Martin Miller Gin are fun to talk to and got into this business because they wanted to improve the spirit. Originally they thought that if the brand didn't work out they would have had a lifetime supply of their personalized gin. Thank goodness it took off so all of us could enjoy. Read more...

Where will you find many of the world's best bartenders, the majority of the cocktail writers, experts and enthusiasts this week? In New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, of course. There will be no shortage of coverage here and all over the web and I thought that an appropriate Timeless Tipple to get things started would be the Ramos Fizz, aka New Orleans Fizz.

This cocktail is one of those classics that set the scene for the famous cocktails of New Orleans and it all began before the turn of the 20th century. That is when Henry Ramos first created the drink and it has been a hit ever since. The key to a great Ramos Fizz is two-fold:a careful use of orange flower water and a hearty shake. If you stick to the fine-tuned recipe and shake until you think your arm is going to fall off you will have one great tasting New Orleans cocktail.

We have seen a rise in popularity this year in non-alcoholic cocktails that are above average and use the same modern tastes found in many of the new liquor-based cocktails. This has led to a few bartending guides that use this as a focus. Just last month a new book was released that has this exact concept in mind. In Zero-Proof Cocktails, Liz Scott has created a collection of mocktails that are fantastic alternatives to alcoholic cocktails.

You can read my full review of Zero-Proof Cocktails here, and I recommend adding it to your drink library. If you are one of the many who avoid alcohol by choice or necessity you'll find fantastic and tasty ideas for spicing up your drinks and if you do a significant amount of entertaining you can use these recipes as alternatives to cater to your non-drinking guests. The recipes include some amazing ideas and I can hardly wait to use some of Fever Tree's new ginger beer in Scott's Ginger Beer Shandy this afternoon (simply 1:1 ginger beer and lemonade) and some of my left over pear nectar for an A-Pear-Itif (pear nectar and juice with balsamic vinegar) with the smoked salmon that is tonight's dinner.

Scott has captured a snapshot of creative non-alcoholic cocktails that are invaluable, yet equally valuable are her little tips for drinking alcohol-free without loosing the charm of a cocktail. A few of the points she reminded me of are great to keep in mind when skipping the "tipsy" side of tipples.

• Blue curacao can be found in an alcohol-free version. To find it look in the section of the liquor store that houses all the apple martini and margarita mixers which are bottled and alcohol-free (a place I usually recommend avoiding) and seek out "blue curacao syrup" not "blue curacao orange liqueur." By using this syrup you can still have those appealing blue drinks.
• Bitters are not out. While most bitters include alcohol but are used in insignificant dashes, some people cannot have any alcohol and the Stirrings brand is the popular alternative. Scott readily employs Stirrings blood orange in her mocktails.
• "Non-Alcoholic" beer and wine are not zero proof. Instead, these bottlings often contain .5% alc/volume so you will want to keep that in mind as well.