Countdown to Tales of the Cocktail 2008

Did you know that the Sazerac was designated Official Cocktail of New Orleans earlier this week? I never really contemplated whether or not New Orleans had an official cocktail, but I was kind of surprised to find out that it wasn't already considering it is the cocktail's hometown and all that. I don't really understand all the civic intricacies of designating anything an official something, nor do I know each individual city's history of official things so I shouldn't be the one to talk.

Anyhow, there's going to be an event celebrating this new designation for Antoine Amédée Peychaud's contribution to the annals of beverage history...ON THE DAY I ARRIVE IN NEW ORLEANS. According to the media alert, complimentary Sazeracs and Sazerac cupcakes (I have several ideas of what the latter might actually entail, but all conclude with me eating them) for everyone starting 2 p.m. The organizers do not play. Considering that there are events kicking off around 9-10:30 a.m. almost everyday of Tales of the Cocktail, it's more indicative than something of an anomaly.

With a little less than a week before I head down to New Orleans, all the emails I've been getting regarding Tales of the Cocktail finally has me facing the fact that I need to try and organize my schedule. I've been pushing this off because it combines two things I do not enjoy. Organization and planning ahead. And for those of you reading this blog regularly, that's two more things I've revealed about myself on this blog that makes me sound like not that much of a winner.

It's not that I can't do said things, it's just they're on a list of many "Things I Do Not Enjoy That Just Happen To Also Be Things You Need to Do To Live an Adult Life in Modern Society." Like filling out forms for example. It can take me an hour to fill out a one-page form because I'll stop every two boxes and go wander off and do something else before coming back to it. If you want to include the time it takes for me to work up the gumption to actually go and fill out the form after I first receive it, I average about four days to a page.

There are plenty of seminars and events going on. I do have some events that I really want attend, but I haven't really even begun to figure out where time conflicts exist and things of that nature. For example, I just realized that "How to view Beer as an Ingredient" is happening at the same time with 'Jerry's Kids: The life, drinks and legacy of Jerry Thomas." Both things I would love to attend. And do I even have time to go on the New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour?

This is exactly why for the past couple of weeks whenever I've been asked whether or not I'm going to Tales my answer has been, "Yes...and I'm a little scared."

I guess "intimidated" would be a better word than "scared" because any interaction usually goes like this:

Person X: "Are you going to Tales?"
Me: "Yep!"
Person X: "It's going to be awesome.......but, oh ho ho ho..."
Me: "What?"
Person X: [Insert some reference to drinking way too much than is humanly healthy, or not getting to your hotel room until 4 am]

This event is work. And not to say there won't be other people working at this event as well, I mean, this is work for me in that I have to do things like remember details accurately. Remember them at all for that matter. Last I checked copious amounts of alcohol and brain activity did not come together unless for some kind of awesome disastrous story your friends told you after the fact that might as well have happened to someone else because you might have been there physically, but in no way mentally was that the same person as you. Or in one story a friend told me of an acquaintance of his, realizing you somehow transported a Col. Sanders statue from the front of a local KFC to the roof of your building in your inebriated state.

I'm taking much of this in stride. First off, no matter how you cut it this will be an awesome event as well as learning experience. I still feel like just a kid in many ways about this whole cocktail business and I'm going to run myself ragged running around to different events and get me some education. And it's a little ridiculous to be worried about an event celebrating cocktails because of course there will be drinking. At the same time I'm reminding myself that it's not like I will be forced to drink a lot (right??) and everyone's got their own pace that they'll follow. And really, it's a great opportunity to celebrate cocktails, enjoy some quality drinks and meet some new people and finally talk to some of those whom I've only talked to via phone or email.

It seems like The Museum of the American Cocktail won't be opening until the 21st. I hope there's some way to take a gander at the place before it officially opens.