Cocktails and Art

An illustration of Chris Gall's that was featured in the ArtsEye press release.

This post may appear to be slightly anomalous, as I'm highlighting an event that, sadly, I won't be able to actually attend myself. So why am I taking the time to write about an Opening Reception at an art gallery in Tucson, Arizona that is taking place tomorrow night?

For those of you who may not know, I used to live in Tucson - I went to college there and hung around for a little while afterwards before moving to the greater Hartford area. And I still like to think that the piece of my heart that I fondly left there is still involved in the unique culture and happenings within the city. So when I received a pitch that the ArtsEye gallery was hosting an Opening Cocktail Reception to exhibit Chris Gall's illustrations from the new "The PDT Cocktail Book", I had to share the news. Both illustrator Gall and author Jim Meehan are expected be on site on Saturday, December 3rd to sign copies of the book. And I would only expect that delicious cocktails will be prepared, also, to accompany the artwork on the walls!

The combination of artwork and cocktails is one that I am noticing gaining momentum over the last six months or so. I was able to, in Miami this summer, attend the Miami Arts District "Art Walk" - a monthly event - where Mandarine Napoleon cocktails were served at The Workshop gallery space. I also wrote a while ago about the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators and their series "Drawing Under the Influence". The combination has also been mentioned in conversations I've had for events in the 2012 calendar year.

Mandarine Napoleon, again, is further cementing the relationship between cocktails and art by participating next week in Art Basel, one of the most prestigious art shows around the world. If you are in Miami, you should consider checking out the events in which the brand will be participating. 



Have a drink for me, Tucson. Cheers!

What a Treat!

Usually I'm on the "sender" end when it comes to packaging and shipping spirits samples. But seriously, how nice is this?

Photo as taken from my Instagram account.

Chris, aka DJ HawaiianShirt, of the blog Spirited Remix was so kind as to let me play "recipient" for a change and sent me some samples of his own creation. For my tasting pleasure (well, and the rest of the office crew, too) we've got the DJ's Composite Apple Spirit and a sample of the DJ's Coffee Time Homemade Coffee Bitters.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to put these to use. Thank you again, Chris!

Oy gevelt! Now THAT was a storm!

CT, NJ and other non urban areas around NY and Boston got absolutely nailed by a weekend storm. Our office is closed for the duration but all of our folks are OK. Laura made it in to join Jeff and me on Monday morning to find an office with no power and no heat. That's Laura organizing the Wine and Spirit handbooks with gloves on. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Happy Halloween!

Somehow we have found ourselves at the end of October and Connecticut is already bracing for its first Nor'Easter for the winter ahead, with up to a foot of snow anticipated in the day ahead. But that surely won't deter many of us from celebrating Halloween this weekend in a most traditional fashion.

My October column is now up at Bar None Drinks and I hope you'll give it a read. This month, I chose to discuss the current liquor industry trend of dessert-flavored spirits, which runs the gamut from whipped cream-flavored vodka to honey-flavored whiskey. In the spirit of all things Halloween, I chose to feature a new product to the market, Caramel Apple Liqueur. Seriously, this stuff has a nose that just wafts with aromas of the classic Halloween treat and fall favorite.

Cheers and have a very happy Halloween!! 

More Upcoming Events

Tomorrow is looking to be quite a busy day on the road, as October is now in full motion!

First, I'll be starting my morning early, along with my coworker Laura, as we head to the Hartford Business Journal's "Social Media Summit". The agenda for the Farmington-based event looks to be a jam-packed schedule of different workshops, geared to business professionals of varying levels of experience in Social Media. The event will be capped with a Keynote on "The Power of Social Media Communities", delivered by Amanda Nelson, Community Manager for Radian6.

After that, I'll be making my way down to New York City for a not-to-be-missed spirits and wine tasting event, The Ultimate Blast! The Ultimate Blast is assembled by the team at Ultimate Beverage Challenge, an emerging set of spirits, cocktails, and wine evaluations developed by founder F. Paul Pacult. I must say, the list of participating brands and celebrity book signings appears to be never-ending; the Ultimate Blast will include over 100 cocktails prepared by esteemed mixologists, 300 spirits and 120 wines! The Dizzy Fizz herself, Selena Ricks-Good, offers this preview of the event at her column over at CBS New York online.


Some other events of note before the month is out include next week's VinItaly US Tour, where you'll find BAT's own Steve Raye sitting on a Social Media seminar during the New York tour stop. Portland Cocktail Week is also slated for October 20-23; I'm disappointed I won't be headed to the Left Coast for the event this year so you'll have to suffice with last year's preview instead. 

What other alcohol-industry events are slated on your schedule for the rest of October? Leave us a comment and let us know what you're up to in the beverage alcohol world! 

Cheers!