Art of the Cocktail is coming to Calgary

Two years ago I attended Art of the Cocktail in Victoria. The annual cocktail festival celebrates cocktail culture in B.C.’s capital while educating mixed drink enthusiasts about cocktail trends, spirits and the art of combining ingredients in a shaker. In between spirited sips I learned all about gin and I visited local distillers while enjoying Victoria in early October.

Get ready for drinks shaken and stirred as the Art of the Cocktail (AOTC) comes to Calgary April 5-7. Image courtesy AOTC.

Fast forward a couple years and festival organizers have deemed Calgary cocktail-forward enough to warrant hosting Art of the Cocktail here. Art of the Cocktail: Calgary takes place April 5-7 and promises to entertain, educate and inebriate cocktailians in Cowtown at well known lounges including the Bourbon Room, Milk Tiger, Model Milk and Raw Bar at Hotel Arts. I’ll be reporting on the festival and emerging cocktail trends for the Calgary Herald, as well as judging the Sidecar by Merlet cocktail competition alongside Tony Conigliaro and Luc Merlet on April 7.

The festival isn’t all seminars. Be sure to register for boozy events like the Three Martini Lunch at Yellow Door Bistro. Image courtesy AOTC.

Check out these events and seminars:

• The Grand Tasting on April 5 has the most mass appeal as guests are able to try old and new cocktails that feature familiar and unique spirits and liqueurs, that are paired with appetizers from local chefs.

• There’s a Mad Men-style Three Martini Lunch at Yellow Door Bistro that pairs a trio of gin martinis with three courses between noon and 1:30 p.m. on April 5 (don’t plan to drive afterwards).

• Not-to-miss seminars include The Next Trend (spoiler alert… vermouth) and, for budding home bartenders, Developing Original Drinks with Tony Conigliaro, both on April 6. If you’re ready to mix drinks with liquid nitrogen then Joshua Groom will show you how during Cocktail FX, which explores liquid molecular gastronomy, on April 7.

Art of the Cocktail Calgary is our city’s chance to showcase its emerging cocktail culture. Sounds like fun, right? Tickets are available here. See you there!