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A New Class Steps Into One of Hospitality's Most Competitive Training Grounds Every year, bartenders from around the world send in applications hoping for a shot at one of the most respected training programs in the drinks business. Most don't make it. The ones who do spend a week in New Orleans w

The World's Premier Drinks Conference Is Back New Orleans has never needed much of an excuse to throw a party, but when Tales of the Cocktail rolls into town every July, it becomes something else entirely. The 24th annual Tales of the Cocktail is set for July 19 through 24, 2026, headquartered o

The bartender competition that refuses to die has returned — and it brought a 9-foot game master with it There are bartender competitions, and then there is Cocktail Fights. One involves careful judging, quiet deliberation, and polished presentations. The other involves a towering costumed figure

There's a familiar frustration that comes with wanting a solid cocktail somewhere other than a bar or your own kitchen. Hauling bottles, mixing tools, and the right ingredients to a tailgate, a beach, or a buddy's backyard has never exactly been simple. The Cocktail Collection thinks it has the ans

Louisville's April Tradition Is Back, and It's Bigger Than Ever Every April, Louisville transforms. The city that gave the world bourbon, the Kentucky Derby, and one of the most recognizable cocktails in American history shifts into a higher gear — and for the 13th consecutive year, Mint Julep Mon

The Spirited Awards Just Proved It For two decades, the drinks world has looked to the Spirited Awards to tell it who's doing things right. This year, the conversation has shifted in ways that would have surprised even the most well-traveled bar enthusiast a decade ago. The Middle East and Africa

A Spirit From the Sugarcane Fields of North India Is Turning Heads at the Most Respected Rum Competitions on the Planet For most American drinkers, rum means the Caribbean. It means Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba. It means molasses and heat and centuries of a very specific tradition. The idea that a bott

The roar of engines and the smell of dirt have defined American flat track racing for decades. Now, there is a new element mixing into that atmosphere — craft spirits from the hills of East Tennessee. Progressive American Flat Track, the premier dirt track motorcycle racing series in North Amer

Japan doesn't mess around when it comes to whiskey. The country has built a reputation for producing some of the finest spirits in the world, and its consumers have developed what many consider the most discerning palates on the planet. They're looking for balance, complexity, and that hard-to-defi

The Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company has kicked off 2025 with something worth paying attention to. The operation, which holds the unique distinction of being the only brewery and distillery combination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, just released its Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Toasted Stout