I spent the better part of last week in New Orleans for the sixth annual Tales of the Cocktail. I was a newbie to Tales and to NOLA and I left both the city and the event feeling like I never wanted it to end. It was an episode in my career when I honestly felt like my job rocks. To discover a new city that has so much to offer and to be at an event that’s both a blast and educational to boot is the perfect trip for me.

Mixologists and bartenders have always revealed themselves to be a sturdy and rowdy lot with a wicked sense of humor. So can you imagine getting a couple thousand of the best bartenders from New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, Sydney and more into one hotel? It was a riot. Rumor was flying by Day Two about the two bartenders that got arrested the previous night and I think most averaged 6am bedtimes. I played the old lady and got myself off to sleep at a reasonable 1 to 2 am every night, while the following morning I’d attend morning seminars that were scanty and the afternoon seminars would be heaving with a hungover crowd catching a hair of the dog and sharing in spirits geek culture.

Seminars were taking place all day, everyday and many of them clashed. I had to pick and choose according to what I could possibly write about so I missed some fabulous seminars but my favorites among the ones I did make it to were: To Have and Have Not (Hemmingway and cocktails), Juniperlooza (a gin seminar run my Ryan Magarian, Simon Ford, Desmond Payne), Three Amigos (even though they did run out of cocktails and I felt stiffed) and finally the very brilliant punch seminar called The Flowing Bowl (presented by Allen Katz, Phil Ward of Death & Co. and my favorite spirits writer, David Wonderich). Punch is a great tradition and there are some truly delicious but potent classic recipes out there. For the purposes of Tales David chose an old recipe called the Bombay Government Punch – a heady mix of arrack, cognac, lime juice, simple syrup and black tea.

As for NOLA: I fell in love. Ok, I spent almost all my time in the French Quarter and saw very little of the city but what I did encounter made an impression. When you steer clear of Bourbon Street, the French Quarter has a lot of historical charm. I think it’s beautiful that they’ve managed to keep tradition intact. I did venture uptown to Magazine Street to check out the cool shops and boutiques and to have a very mediocre dessert at the overrated Sucre.

The food in NOLA is O.T.T. (over the top). It takes the most decadent rich French and Spanish roots cuisine and then multiplies the size and ingredients by ten. Case in point would be the dinner I had at the fabulous Arnaud’s, a classic New Orleans institution, where I had two whole quails stuffed with foie gras and wrapped in bacon. I dined with a fun LA-based writer who hit her wall halfway through the meal. I think I hit mine after the Bananas Foster – a sick dessert that can only send you over the edge. Having said all that I appreciate the NOLA mix of Cajun and Creole food. And the cocktails in the city can be great, as my French 75 (made with cognac) at Arnaud’s proved.

The very best meal had to be at Couchon where it was all about the pig. I shared bourdin noir, deep fried pig’s ears and whole roasted pig with a great group of writers and the editor of Cheers magazine. It was the first night and I thought, “goddamn I’m going to be all broken out and have an arse like the back of a bus by the time I leave.” Somehow that didn’t happen, I think the Louisiana heat does wonders. You somehow sweat all the bad stuff out and I came back to NYC looking better than I have in years. No wonder I want to go back to the Big Easy!

I actually have a travel assignment on New Orleans so I’m heading back to the city to explore more. This time I’m dragging JR with me. So he can eat all the beignets while I stare in remorse. We are also going to get a dose of reality by looking into the state of things in areas of New Orleans that remain devastated after Katrina. It’ll be a hard one to do but a necessity.

Last Monday night kicked off like it was a Friday night at the Flatiron Lounge. Tales of the Cocktails threw a shindig to announce the nominees of this year’s TOC competitions. The entrance was surrounded by a group of costume dressed, rowdy bartenders, puffing on Camel Lights. It was like being back at college, except this lot had just come from a cocktail croquette event sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin and they has started boozing it up since the morning. By the time I got to Flatiron Lounge it was 6 in the evening. I was sober and probably in the minority (story of my life, the minority thing I mean, not sobriety).

Spirits industry professionals know how to let loose. They’re so damn easy going, they almost always have a wicked sense of humor and they like to drink – a lot. Industry cocktail parties couldn’t be more different to most wine events. Conversations at the latter cover the likes of pH and controlled fermentation, while the former involves bragging about how much they put away at lunch.

TOC throw an annual cocktail competition and this year’s theme was punch. The winning recipe called the Punch and Judy, created by mixologist Charlotte Voissey, was served. Her concoction of cognac, rum, gin, curacao, pineapple juice, lime juice, agave nectar and bitters was a bit heavy handed for my taste. What happened to punch being a five-ingredient drink? Then again she was limited to Martell VSOP, not isn’t exactly the best spirit for inspiration.

After making a hasty exit from a slobbering bartender that felt the need to kiss my ear every time he whispered into it, I hurried over to Bar Milano and back into civilization. The new bar-restaurant from the brothers that gave us ino, inoteca and Lupa is in an ugly neighborhood – Murray Hill – for PR reasons they are calling it Gramercy. Bar Milano is a great crowd pleaser that offers something for fans of Northern Italian wine, good food and great cocktails. Celebrity mixologist, Tony Abou Ganim, is a partner in the new venture and he has created a lovely cocktail list. It’s not as showy or geeky as the new wave of mixology hangouts; it’s more old school and classy.

The herbal 323 is served straight up in a cocktail glass and consists of rosemary infused gin, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar (the latest trendy ingredient in cocktails), fresh basil and strawberries. The Milano is an appetizing aperitivo, made from Campari, Cointreau, blood orange puree, lemon juice and seltzer. I had to get the Corpse Reviver #2 and I loved it. Perfect for fans of anise, the cocktail consists of Junipero Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blonde, Lucid Absinthe and lemon juice. It was mildly lethal yet amazingly balanced.

The chow doesn’t disappoint either. A neat potato cake with a perfectly crisp top layer, sandwiching a runny egg — all perched with just enough caviar to get a taste of salty mineral was pure delight. The porcini risotto was a tad too salty and over the top with flavor but the monkfish entrée was seriously good. This was trash fish that tasted more like halibut, it was so tender, juicy and moist. It came with a decadent slither of foie gras and a slice of caramelized pear. To balance out the intensity of the dish the chef thoughtfully provides a side of sauerkraut cabbage. Double yum.