So when will the rollicking good times commence?

The 2011 Manhattan Cocktail Classic will take over this fair city from Friday, May 13th, until Tuesday May 17th.  (The festivities will likely sprawl into the wee hours of May 18th as well, so plan your vacation days accordingly.)

Splendid. Now whereabouts will all of this take place?

Despite its rather misleading name (we couldn’t resist the pun), the Manhattan Cocktail Classic is in fact a city-wide festival, sprawling across the bridges, into the other boroughs – with events taking place in innumerable bars, restaurants, art galleries, libraries, barber shops, party boats, and just about every other sort of event space that’s amenable to the copious consumption of cocktails.  A good chunk of the educational activities will be held, as always, at our beloved Astor Center, located on Lafayette and East 4th Street – but that’s just one of many many locales.  Suggestions are most heartily encouraged.

Who’s going to be talking/presenting/making fancy drinks for me?

Our all-star advisory board will once invariably be making appearances leading seminars, opening up their cocktail bars, hosting extravagant parties, etc – but beyond that we’ll have a whole slew of national and international cocktail luminaries leading the brigade.  Stay tuned for the full line-up of seminars, events, and other sordid activities.

So who should come to this? Enthusiasts? Professionals? People who are neither professional nor enthusiastic?

All of the above, so long as you’re over the age of 21 and promise not to heckle (in excess).

I’m a bartender, and a jolly good one at that. Will this be fun/enlightening/professionally rewarding for me?

In addition to providing some pretty stellar educational content, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic will afford bartenders the opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded professionals from the community. Also, if you’re not already a member of the United States Bartenders Guild, now would be a very wise time to join. USBG members will receive discounts on tickets (in addition to the wealth of benefits offered by the organization). Lastly, if you truly feel you have nothing further to learn from the likes of Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Paul Pacult, and the rest of the overwhelmingly knowledgeable spirits and cocktail gurus that comprise the advisory board, you can entertain yourself (and the rest of us onlookers) by challenging Gary Regan to a drinking contest (which you will lose, verily).

How can I find out more?

Email one or more of folks on the contact page depending on what specifically you’re looking for.