Each year, the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation partners with a domestic or international host city for Tales on Tour, a traveling conference meant to further the foundation’s mission to educate, advance, and support the industry on a global scale. These stops occur in addition to the flagship Tales of the Cocktail festival, which occurs each July in New Orleans. Prior events have included visits to Vancouver, Mexico City, and Edinburgh, and this year, Tales on Tour is heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In addition to seminars, cocktail events, and spirited dinners, Tales on Tour Puerto Rico will also include a day of service, a day of education, and “Beyond the Bar” programming that will be centered on mental health and wellness.
In many ways, Puerto Rico is a natural fit for Tales of the Cocktail. The island, which is still rebuilding after Hurricane Maria, has strong rum and hospitality industries. And it’s also home to La Factoria, a 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards finalist and all-around great cocktail bar. Those characteristics are part of what led the Foundation’s executive board to visit Puerto Rico earlier this year to meet with bar owners, spirits professionals, and tourism operators. In doing so, they found a robust cocktail scene that, given support and resources, could prove impactful in the territory’s ongoing efforts to rebuild.
“As New Orleanians, we live in a city rebuilt on hospitality in the wake of a natural disaster,” said Gary Solomon, Jr., Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. “New Orleans’ culinary scene was instrumental in New Orleans’ long road to rebuilding and financial recovery. That shared sentiment really drew us to help a sister city through a genuine lens of hospitality.”
Tales on Tour Puerto Rico will take place March 10 – 13, 2019. Old San Juan will act as the festival’s home base, with Hotel El Convento serving as the host hotel. Stay tuned for more information, including schedules and programming.
