Tales of the Cocktail Returns to New Orleans This Summer
Tales of the Cocktail by Cory James Photo
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation‘s popular annual conference returns Tuesday, July 19 – Sunday, July 24, 2026, to the Ritz-Carlton, providing festival-goers with six action-packed days of tastings, special events, and scheduled seminars. This is a perfect chance for spirit enthusiasts from all over the world to create and exchange ideas and techniques in the cocktail world.
Developed for any and all spirit enthusiasts and professionals, Tales of the Cocktail gets the whole city involved with a variety of special events and celebrations throughout the week. Regardless of whether you are a bartender, bar owner, distiller, mixologist, tastemaker, or just a passionate lover of food and drink, Tales of the Cocktail is an event you will not want to miss.
Centered around the theme Spark, the 2026 conference highlights the belief that every major movement starts with a single moment of inspiration, idea, or connection. The event celebrates the creativity and small actions that drive meaningful progress throughout the cocktail industry and beyond. Tickets go on sale on World Cocktail Day, May 16, 2026.
Celebrating History With Every Sip
Some of the world’s most famous cocktails were invented in this city: the Sazerac, Brandy Milk Punch, and Ramos Gin Fizz, to name a few. This festival started as a walking tour of historic New Orleans cocktail bars, and now, celebrating 24 years in 2026, it attracts thousands of people from all over the world with dozens of events hosted over just six days.
The festival features multiple seminars and tastings, and if you’ve ever wanted to explore the “spirited” side of New Orleans (drinks, not ghosts), there are multiple tours, happy hours, tastings, seminars, book signings, bartender contests, networking, and more.
Tales of the Cocktail by Cory James Photo
More Than Just Drinks
Tales of the Cocktail highlights the important connection between two of our favorite subjects – food and drink – and to that end, the Spirited Dinner series will feature special cocktail and food menus at restaurants across the city. The Tales’ signature annual blowout, the “best of” Spirited Awards, will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Tales of the Cocktail by Cory James Photo
Get Your Tickets
Please note that tickets for special events are sold individually, so you can build your own itinerary. You can also get day and week passes. The prix fixe tasting menus and food-pairing dinners are especially popular, and the tours and cocktail-themed parties also tend to sell out quickly, so we highly recommend getting your tickets as early as you can.
Tales of the Cocktail by Cory James Photo
What to Do and Where to Stay in the French Quarter
If you are looking for things to do in New Orleans, you will have no shortage of exciting options right at your fingertips. In addition to Tales of the Cocktail, there are many other exciting festivals and events taking place in The Big Easy in the summer, including culinary festivals.
Many of the Tales’ events are located in the French Quarter, so why not choose a historic hotel nearby? Check out these historic properties, all located in or near the French Quarter, some with charming saltwater pools.
