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San Antonio Cocktail Conference showcases Texas talent; begs for unified state front
Experts from Texas and beyond assembled in San Antonio during the last weekend of January for the state’s first celebration of all things cocktail — the San Antonio Cocktail Conference.
Over the course of the whirlwind weekend, national industry veterans presented on topics such as forgotten gin cocktails, ice technique and yoga for bartenders. National bitters company Fee Brothers hosted a drink mixing competition, and several rowdy events took place at host bars Bohanan’s, Ocho Lounge at Hotel Havana and Soho Wine and Martini Lounge, ensuring all attendees were properly introduced to authentic Lone Star cocktails.
Austin turned out a strong presence at the festival, with many locals presenting on the landscape of Texas booze, and a number of local spirits producers offered samples of their products in the official tasting room.
Beyond the classroom, a hoard of Austin bartenders showed off their skills behind the bar at Esquire Tavern at the Saturday night closing party. Among the highlights were the carbonated cocktail from former Bar Congress bar manager Adam Bryan (below), an elegant combination of Old Tom Gin, Cocchi Americano and Celery Bitters. Drinkers also got a sneak peek at the talents of Jessica Sanders, co-owner of the upcoming drink.well. American Pub on North Loop, who whipped up a sassy combination of Tito’s Vodka, pineapple, raspberry liqueur and Tenneyson Absinthe.
Despite a few administrative hiccups (no ticket takers at seminar doors was the standout issue), the conference attracted some of the largest names in the cocktail industry and progressed at a comfortable pace — there was no need to rush between seminars, and not enough conflicting events to force people to choose one or the other.
Part of the allure of national cocktail events such as Tales of the Cocktail and Portland Cocktail Week is the notion that in addition to the seminars and events, participants get a chance to explore the host city and discover what local bars have to offer in the way of craft cocktails. New Orleans, New York City, Portland and San Francisco have arguably the best cocktail scenes in the country, with heaps of historic bars that have served cocktails for hundreds of years. It would take several trips to appropriately absorb any of those cities’ complete offerings.
For San Antonio, only a very small handful of bars appeared to boast craft cocktails.
The standout was the Esquire Tavern. Established in 1933, the saloon-like bar re-opened last spring after a four-year hiatus. It has an exceptionally long bar and a distinctly gruff Texas character. Pair the decor (a curious array of taxidermy and vintage light fixtures) with the exceptional cocktail program, and you have arguably one of the top cocktail bars in Texas. (Of note: Master Barman Jeret Pen a was recently honored with a “Rising Star” award from starchefs.com for being a “natural ambassador with an unnatural amount of talent.”)
The second host bar, Bohanan’s Restaurant and Bar, offered a fine selection of classic and contemporary tipples, arranged by drink style, and Ocho Lounge at Hotel Havana also offered a quality array of Latin drinks (notably created by Ben Craven of Perla’s in Austin). The third host bar, Soho Wine and Martini Bar, put forth a shocking array of cocktails involving whipped cream and several ambiguously named concoctions like the Pork N’ Fork — not exactly craft in the traditional sense.
The significant lack of options for places to find craft drinks outside the official conference begged the question that has nagged at me (and others — I heard the question posed many times during the weekend) since the announcement of the event: Why host a cocktail conference in a city where cocktails are not woven into the fabric of the local drinking scene as they are in other cities in the state?
It’s like hosting a culinary conference in a city where chain restaurants dominate the dining landscape. Imagine flying to a city to for a conference on interior Mexican food, and outside the classroom, there’s a James Beard Award winning restaurant on the corner, and then miles and miles of fast food joints. Sure, you probably learned a lot during the seminars, but the rest of the visit was likely a disappointment.
If we want to support the notion that everything is in fact bigger in Texas, why not expand on the cocktail conference concept and combine forces to host a collaborative Texas Cocktail Week? The approach could be two-pronged. First, instead of placing the focus on only one location (Mark Bohanan described one of the main goals of the San Antonio Cocktail Conference as “to showcase the vibrant cultural, art and dining scene of Downtown San Antonio,”), Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas could each have representatives at seminars and bartending talent at official events.
Second, the week could take place in a host city with a stronger cocktail infrastructure, so attendees can get a tangible feel for the local cocktail culture outside of the classroom. For example, in Austin, multiple cocktail bars in the downtown area have attracted national acclaim over the past few years, Dallas’ craft cocktail bar scene is currently exploding, according to Jason Kosmas of Employee’s Only in New York and Beverage Director for Marquee Grill in Dallas, and Houston has one of the most highly respected cocktail bars in the country - Anvil Bar and Refuge. Why snub the rest of the state, when each city has something different to add to the big picture?
Since each hub would argue that their cocktail scene has more to offer, perhaps the ideal situation would be to have the event rotate through each city by year, so that attendees can experience the differences between each scene. In that case, folks might return each year to discover what the next big cocktail city in Texas has to offer.
The bottom line is, if cities join forces with the goal of celebrating the craft of the cocktail, the rest of the country will see exactly how Texas does cocktails both in the classroom and where it really counts — at the bar.
**Photo of Adam Bryan at the Esquire Tavern shot by Bobby Arispe. Photo of the Piloto Borracho from Esquire Tavern by Emma Janzen AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Cocktails
Comments
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By Travis
February 7, 2012 12:04 PM | Link to this
While craft beer is my usual poison of choice, writing assignments for various local and national publications have caused me to explore the cocktail side of San Antonio. Yes, Austin is a great city for many things(not including downtown parking), but San Antonio is often denigrated at the hands of proud Austinites. While Ocho, Esquire and Soho were the focal points of the conference, visitors must not have ventured out much if they thought that’s all there is. Several downtown hotel bars have very good cocktail programs as do a number of restaurants in the downtown area and near downtown areas like Southtown, Alamo Heights and Olmos Park. And just as every good bar in Austin isn’t downtown, San Antonio boasts a number of creative and classic cocktail bars from freestanding establishments to one-of-kind resort hotel bars stretching from far Northwest to North Central San Antonio in the Hill Country. Take a closer look with a local as your guide and you’ll find a much different picture. Salud!
By seriously?
February 7, 2012 12:41 PM | Link to this
This kind of attitude is one of the reasons why Austin is quickly becoming less and less appealing. I’ve noticed that some Austinites can’t stand it when another city does something before Austin does. Austin didn’t host Cocktail Week. San Antonio did. So what if there aren’t 50 bars in San Antonio offering craft cocktails? I live in Austin, but spend quite a bit of time in San Antonio because my significant other lives there. And quite frankly, I often prefer San Antonio to Austin, mainly because of the attitude. San Antonio doesn’t take itself too seriously, there are excellent bars and restaurants there, and the people are friendly. There’s really no need to insult San Antonio. (And lest you think I’m some old-timer lamenting the days of Old Austin, let me tell you: I am in my 30s, like indie music, cocktails, and by all accounts “hip”, if you must go there.)
By aer
February 7, 2012 1:55 PM | Link to this
This kind of attitude is one of the reasons why Austin is quickly becoming less and less appealing. I’ve noticed that some Austinites can’t stand it when another Texas city does something before Austin does. Austin didn’t host Cocktail Week. San Antonio did. So what if there aren’t 50 bars in San Antonio offering craft cocktails? There are actually more bars in San Antonio offering craft cocktails than the ones you mentioned (how could you miss Mon Ami, for example?) I live in Austin, but spend quite a bit of time in San Antonio because my significant other lives there. And quite frankly, I often prefer San Antonio to Austin, mainly because of the attitude. San Antonio doesn’t take itself too seriously, there are excellent bars and restaurants there, and the people are friendly. There’s really no need to insult San Antonio. (And lest you think I’m some old-timer lamenting the days of �old Austin�, let me tell you: I am in my 30s, like indie music, cocktails, and by all accounts “hip”, if you must go there.)
By Decent attempt
February 8, 2012 9:57 AM | Link to this
Travis -
I’m not sure if you’ve been to a conference of any genre before, but they usually occur in cities where you have to travel to get there. The point being, while San Antonio might have some interesting drinking establishments out in “Far Northwest” or “San Antonio in the Hill Country”, most conference attendees do not have a car nor want to spend half of their day traveling all around the city to get there.
You should take up your argument about the other downtown establishments up with the organizers of the conference, who were quoted as saying that they actually wanted to “showcase the vibrant cultural, art and dining scene of Downtown San Antonio,” which is a fine goal. But if Soho Wine and Martini Bar is one of their focal points, I think the denigration speaks for itself.
By falbalas
February 8, 2012 11:09 AM | Link to this
I like San Antonio a lot myself and spend a fair amount of time there, but I have to admit the writer has a point. Soho is an embarrassment, and while there may be some decent hotel and restaurants bars downtown there’s not many of the vibrant, innovative options you would expect in a town hosting a cocktail conference. A bar that can make a decent martini is nice but it’s nothing people from other cities or states are going to get excited about. Places like Esquire and Ocho are great additions to the cocktail scene, but it’s a scene that’s clearly still in its infancy. Compared to something like Tales of the Cocktail, where there are so many great establishments that there’s literally no way to experience them all, the difference is apparent.
By Lilly
February 8, 2012 1:03 PM | Link to this
I agree that Austin definitely has more of a cocktail lounge scene and would ultimately appear to be the choice to hold this conference, but the fact is they weren’t. Get over it and stop bashing San Antonio because they decided to step up and host the first cocktail conference in the state. Maybe if Austin wasn’t too preoccupied with trying to ban plastic bags they might have worked together with another city to pair up and show the rest of the country Texas knows how to make some good cocktails.
By David
February 9, 2012 8:45 AM | Link to this
Arguing that the “San Antonio” Cocktail Conference ought to be held in Austin because it has more cocktail bars is like arguing that the Tour de “France” ought to be held in Austin because it has more Lance Armstrongs…
By Charles
February 9, 2012 5:36 PM | Link to this
Where was the money from Austin, Houston or Dallas; Esquire was an industry event full of guys from Austin trying to show that they can make big boy boozy cocktails like New York, it was a joke. Austin’s bartenders attempts at showcasing their talents came up seriously short. And for the Esquire’s highlight, what help did they provide or even put forth for the benefit of the conference, please elaborate since you are in the know
By Charles
February 9, 2012 5:49 PM | Link to this
You want the conference to rotate? I would bet everything that if Austin had started the Austin Cocktail Conference their would be no way they would let the conference rotate to San Antonio. Where was the help from Austin, Houston or Dallas. I didn’t see any of them actually help the conference other than come and drink; Esquire was an industry event full of guys from Austin trying to show that they can make big boy boozy cocktails like New York and I don’t remember any of the Petraske boys being blown away. Taking campari and fernet and twisting them together is not genius, it shows that you are an ******* to the 99% of cocktail drinkers (but I forget, Austin is so hip that their taste is beyond the normal Texan). Austin’s bartenders attempts at showcasing their talents came up seriously short. And for the Esquire’s ‘highlight,’ what help did they provide or even put forth for the benefit of the conference, please elaborate since you are in the know. And so I’m not just bashing on Esquire, Soho was pitiful.