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On April 5th, 2010 I will be flying down to New Orleans to present at the Museum of the American Cocktail. The presentation will be on the influence of soda on cocktails, specifically those of New Orleans fame. Many newspaper articles from the 1800s put New Orleans in second place for soda consumption after Atlanta which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Since New Orleans was highly esteemed for their cocktail creativity it only made sense that soda drinks would gain a healthy following, especially after the introduction of the original Coca-Cola. Pharmacist in the Big Easy, dishing out plain sodas,  were not going to get much business unless they up’d their creativity, or added a little “wink-n-nudge” to their drinks. In effect, the adulteration of soda drinks with rum, gin and whisky only helped to make better cocktails. Soda drinks may have been soft in other parts of America, but not in New Orleans.

Last Friday (November 16) I headed down to Toronto for the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo with Paul from the Booze News. We arrived around 6PM and picked up our media badges and then headed straight into the action. For the most part this show was all about wine with a a number of gourmet food booths. I would have preferred more spirits, but there were a few that kept me interested. Also, there were a good number of breweries in attendance so it wasn't completely wine. There were a few highlights, which I've noted below.