Golden State of Cocktails Mixes Interactive Fun

Overall, probably the most interactive fun I’ve had was at Golden State of Cocktails 2014. Held inside the Los Angeles Times building, the event housed multiple panels occurring simultaneously while a modest exhibit floor and tasting rooms were set up for enjoyment. And not only for the tastebuds.

Pama Liqueur set up a “Make your Own Sangria” station where you could cut up your own fruits and vegetables, and they’d jar everything up with their delicious Pomegranate liqueur. It was amazing. Another session had teams vying for the best cognac-based concoction. My team was addled by my being a dumb journalist. But it was incredibly fun.

Golden State of Cocktails caters to the professionals, those wanting to pick up new techniques, new ways of thinking. Restaurant owners get advice from renowned entrepreneurs and experts on how to maximize customer engagement and satisfaction. And of course, profits.

There’s also nighttime activities as well like bar crawls and special tasting events. On tap for 2015 is a special event Sunday the 25^th at the Spare Room in Hollywood for some bowling and hosted drinks with Heering Coffee Liqueur. Monday the happening place is Good Times at Davey Wayne’s for the Finger Lickin'!" with The Bon Vivants event—fried chicken and cocktails! Jagermeister will hold a late night party at No Vacancy while Beam Suntory will host several Dinner series.

This year they’ll be at the LA Athletic Club. All day on the 27^th, you can “Make Your Own Bottled Smoky Cocktails with Polyscience and Envy Wine Group.” You had me at “Make.”

On the 27^th expect such illuminating panels as “To Comp or Not to Comp: The Art of the Buyback” conducted by Plymouth Gin; The Truth About Vermouth put on by Bacardi; and “From Bartender to Bar Owner” where Beam Suntory brings together notables who made the transition to owner and has them discuss what worked and what didn’t along their journey.

I’m interested in attending Angel’s Envy’s session “Blend Your Own Personal Masterpiece” where attendees will learn the art and science behind whiskey tasting and the importance of blending. That might mean I’ll have to miss Absolut Vodka’s Drag Happy Hour—wigs provided—that will feature the spirits industry’s first LGBT organization, G.L.A.S.S. I’m also intrigued by a seminar on cold-pressed juices in cocktails by Brown-Forman.

But there’s so much to choose from.

And that’s only one day.

On the 28^th, more interactive fun where attendees can “Make Barrel-Aged Cocktails with Heaven Hill Distillery.” I think this was one of the experiences I missed out on last year. 

There’s a seminar on Sake and how to implement that into your menu. Several Bacardi Skills labs will be held as well as BNIC’s “Crafting Cognac Cocktails” where attendees will get a chance to experiment with a “variety of flavors and cognac marques to create a list of new cocktails based on the seasonality of selected ingredients.” Sound like so much fun! Also interesting is a session on water conservation practices that can lead to “better cocktails, better customer service, and a better community.” A mid-day Bacardi Skills lab puts attendees to the test as attendees will display their pouring and throwing techniques to see how much they waste with advice from the Bacardi Training Team on how skills can be improved. To observe that would be fun in itself.

The 29^th includes the third day of educational fun. I’m interested in the Bee’s Knees which will illustrate the differences between varieties of honey and how selection can make for the perfect cocktail. There’s also a session of Pharmacology-based Flavor-Pairing which unfortunately is already booked full. That opens the possibility to go to Beam Suntory’s session on Southern drinking culture. Anchor Distilling’s seminar on Wormwood is also open for the choosing.

Over the three days of seminars, there’s so much offered up. It’s up to you to take it all in.