This year, the San Antonio Cocktail Conference Opening Party moved from the elegant Majestic uptown to The DoSeum. And while I missed the ambiance of the Majestic, there was a more lighthearted feel at The DoSeum—there was a circus feel with face painters, balloon artists and even a guy on stilts—that made it feel like a completely different event. And as Jessica Elizarraras of the SA Current noted, the crowd was significantly younger that in years past, which is cool because more people are experiencing the event! We had a fun time last night at the party, and here are some of my favorite pictures from the evening as taken by photographer Matthew Niemann.
To get started, my favorite cocktail of the night was a take on a Manhattan with Wild Turkey’s Russels Reserve bourbon. It was classic and straightforward, where as most of the other cocktails at the party are more sweet and fruity.
My favorite dish was the Sopa Tarasca from El Mirador—I’m glad to see that El Mirador is still bringing it with their soups and this was so good that I finished the entire thing!
Here’s a punchy Jamaican Grog from Appleton that was pretty and refreshing.
And I was blown away by Chef Alejandro Paredes’s carnitas—while he has a pop-up and catering business now, look for a new restaurant on the Southside by Roosevelt.
The best activation of the night goes to Absolut Vodka. They were promoting their Absolut Lime product and we found ourselves looking at this wall of green vegetation.
At first we were a little confused, thinking that this was just signage and we kept looking for the bar. Then hands started popping out of the square openings with different kinds of cocktails made with Absolut Lime—you had to “pick” your favorite. Super cool!
The chilaquiles from Chisme were awesome—made in the traditional style (with out eggs), I was blown away by the flavor and look forward to getting over there soon!
The Patron Margarita is classic and the brand did it right.
I was happy to see Bakery Lorraine at this year’s party and it was cool to get to chat with Jeremy, one of the owners. I really admire how much effort he and his team put into customer service, ensuring that from the moment you walk in until you’re treated right. That level of service and attention to detail was evident at the Opening Party, with an immaculately assembled tray of chocolates and macarons.
Montelobos served a smokey Mezcal cocktail and had it guarded by a rattlesnake!
You don’t have rock-n-roll without Jack Daniel’s and I was impressed by some of their top-shelf offers, like this Single Barrel Rye.
If you happened to miss this year’s Opening Party, be sure to mark it down on your calendar for next year or get a ticket for tonight’s Waldorf on the Prairie event at The Saint Anthony Hotel. Take it from me, you won’t want to miss it!
(And for all you folks following the robot revolution, expect this guy to be serving you a perfectly prepared drink in the future!)
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