If networking is key to the drinks industry, Tales of the Cocktail is key to networking and thus one of the most important events in the calendar. The annual frolic of seminars, competitions, themed dinners and tastings (formal and informal), will be in its 12th edition when the show kicks off in New Orleans on July 16-20.

For brands the big attraction is the droves of bartenders who make the pilgrimage and, under their watchful, perhaps bleary, eyes, brands will offer a glimpse of their latest products (more on this later).

Seminars are also a draw, some highlights of which are listed here. For a new event, Tales is partnering with Bacardi to present the three-part series Raising the Bar – Better Bar Management, on Wednesday, July 16.

According to Tales: “No matter how many years you’ve been in business, attendees will learn new techniques for successfully managing a bar, including recruitment, training, retention, marketing, menu planning, innovation and much more.”

BYOB (Bring Your Own Barrel) is also new this year on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 17.00 at the Hotel Monteleone. Distillers from around the world let attendees inside their barrels, “sharing the intimate details of the spirits”. Through sampling, distillers will address the effect that ageing techniques have on flavour.

Seminars – the highlights

Wednesday 16

10.00-11.00 How to Go Broke: Opening a Distillery, by Aviation gin & New York Distilling Company, at La Nouvelle Ballroom East, Hotel Monteleone.

10.30-17.00 Raising the Bar – Better Bar Management by Bacardi USA at Grand Ballroom South, Royal Sonesta.

15.30-17.00 Women Behind Bars: Barmaid to Bartender by Beefeater gin & Plymouthgin, at Grand Ballroom North, Royal Sonesta.

Thursday 17

10.00-11.30 Class to Glass: Education Beyond the Bar by Barsmarts & Pisco Porton at La Nouvelle Ballroom West, Hotel Monteleone.

15.00-16.30 Flick of the wrist - The art of the throw by Monkey Shoulder and Beefeater gin, at Riverview Room, Hotel Monteleone.

Friday 18

10.30-12.00 The Art of Eau de Vie (fruit brandies) by Schladerer at Acadia-Madewood, Royal Sonesta.

15.00-16.00 Absinthe Cocktail Lab by Golden Moon Distillery, Lucid absinthe, Jade Liqueurs & Redux absinthe at Riverview Room, Hotel Monteleone

Saturday 19

10.00-11.30 Heads & Tales… It’s a Toss Up! by Hennessy, Highland Park 18 & New York Distilling Company at Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone.

13.00-14.30 White Lyan’s Usquebaugh Tales, by Dewars at Grand Ballroom North, Royal Sonesta.

Brand activity highlights

Disaronno and Tia Maria have organised From Italy Through New Orleans Spirited Dinner, on Thursday 17, 18.00-22.00 at Hotel Mazarin La Lousianne Room. The meal will consist of four courses paired with three Disaronno cocktails and one Tia Maria cocktail. 75 tickets are available.

The two brands go it alone for events, too. Tia Maria will run food-pairing event Flavours of Jamaica Snack Stand, on Wednesday 16, 12.00-13.30, at Hotel Monteleone. Disaronno will be present for BYOB, featuring its Disaronno barrel aged, tequila cocktail and orange bitters. The goal is to show the versatility and mixability of Disaronno.

Cognac Reviseur will be showcasing its range both neat and in cocktails at The Four Seasons of Cognac, BNIC Tasting Room, July 16, 15.00-17.00, in Orleans Room, Hotel Monteleone. Domaines Francis Abécassis wants to showcase to bartenders the suitability of the brand’s VS expression to mixing. Elodie Abécassis, CEO of Cognac Reviseur, ABK6 and Leyrat will be present at Tales of the Cocktails for the first time.

Drambuie is the sponsor of the third annual Tales on Tap competition, the largest draft cocktail contest in America, it is claimed. The event takes place Friday 18, 15.00-17.00 in the Royal Ballrooms C&D at the Hotel Monteleone.

Adam Robinson from Rum Club in Portland, Oregon, Joey Vargas from American Whiskey in Manhattan, and Jake Bliven from Ironside Fish & Oyster and The Davis in Chula Vista, California, will pit their draft cocktails against each other for the chance of being named Tales on Tap champion and win $5,000.

“Draft cocktails is a trend that’s here to stay,” said Ann Tuennerman, co-founder of Tales of the Cocktail. “It just made sense for us to celebrate those who are mastering the draft.”

Judges include Tom Fischer of Bourbon Blog, Jonathan Howard, beverage manager at American Whiskey and 2012 Drambuie Tales on Tap winner, and Drambuie US brand ambassador Anthony Caporale, who said: “Bartenders are really starting to appreciate the benefits of serving draft cocktails, including faster service times, increased consistency, and greater cost control. Our three finalists nailed the spirit of the draft service, creating recipes that showcase the unique properties of this mixing style.”

De Kuyper is making a push at this year’s Tales with its brand Mandarine Napoléon, a blend of 10-year aged cognac and mandarins.

Three events are planned, the first of which is the second edition of Annual Imperial Battle of the Sexes, which takes place Wednesday, 15.00-17.00. According to the liqueur brand the battle’s man vs woman tussle is “in the spirit of Napoleon’s epic battles” and will see eight of the best male and best female bartenders from around the US paired to compete and create their signature Mandarine Napoléon cocktail. Guests will try the cocktails with New Orleans-style cuisine made with Mandarine Napoléon. Onlookers will decide which gender is winner. Each team will battle for a cash prize donated to their charity of choice. The winning team will also vote for the losers’ ‘consequences’, which are “sure to be embarrassing”, the brand warns.

Next up for the Mandarine Napoléon is Dynamic Duos, which will take place at the 200-year-old New Orleans landmark Napoleon House on Saturday 19 from 14.00-23.00.

Bartending will be Marc de Kuyper, the eldest of the 11th generation of De Kuyper Royal Distillers and president of the Miami-based division of the family business. Joining him behind the bar is co-founder of 86 Spirits Co and Employees Only, Dushan Zaric. De Kuyper and Zaric will pour a “happy hour menu featuring unique, signature and classic Mandarine Napoléon cocktails”. Marc de Kuyper told DI: “I have never been behind a bar to make cocktails before so it should be funny.”

Mandarine Napoléon’s third event is the Pig & Punch by hospitality firm the Bon Vivants, on Saturday 19 from 12.00-18.00 in Washington Square Park. According to the team behind the event “calling Pig & Punch a party hardly does it justice”. Now in its fifth year, the festival is filled with “pork, punch, music, games, and friends”. T-Shirts are $30 and come with food and drink. All proceeds go to New Orleans KIPP schools. To date, the event has raised more than $80,000.

William Grant & Sons will host a range of seminars, tastings and cocktail events through its team of US brand ambassadors. Seminars will cover the rise of thrown cocktails and a ‘deconstruction’ of the scotch category as well as trade-focused sessions covering the importance of physical conditioning for endurance and longevity in the liquor business and tips to prevent over-serving, avoid liability issues and diffuse confrontation in the bar.

William Grant & Sons portfolio ambassador Charlotte Voisey will host several seminars, including an exploration of the multifaceted role of vodka in mixology and a look into spirit-focused bars and sommeliers.

The group will celebrate author of The Gentleman’s Companion, Charles H Baker Jr, with a party at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

The annual event, spearheaded by creative director St John Frizzell, is expected to attract more than 1,000 spirits industry professionals, mixologists and guests. The party draws inspiration from “the stories Baker shared and the legendary parties he threw”.