Wine and Spirits Travel

I was quickly thrown into the fire on my first day of Tales of the Cocktail and I was determined to act like less of a (Tales) virgin on day two. It's all about balancing the fun with the rest, or so I'd been told. I started with a healthy breakfast in the Reincarnation Room at the Hotel Monteleone , also known as the place many journalists went between all night partying and all day drinking.  I happen to like my sleep too much for that. With about six hours under my belt, I was the most rested in the room as I had yogurt, fruit, a muffin and a few cups of coffee and water (alternating the two works best) to get ready for the day. The Hotel Monteleone was filled with tasting rooms and I wandered through them for awhile. Lilett had a popular one, with a nice spread of fruit and cheese that included a delicious baked brie in crust. They also had some interesting cocktails to taste. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao also had a tasting room where they were promoting

February is one of my favorite months because it is the time of one of my favorite events. There is nothing that quite compares with the Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival for bringing together chefs and industry insiders.  This was my third year in a row attending and I was especially excited that I would also be covering for Ocean Drive Magazine . My flight was running a bit late, but I arrived in time to get changed for The Q. I was staying at The National Hotel for the first time and was happily surprised at the locale – right in the center of all the events. I had a very nice room with a view and best of all it was just a quick walk out the back door to the beach. It happened to be the same beach The Q was set up on, at the Delano. The Bubble Q had been my favorite event that previous years .   I had been disappointed to hear it would be cancelled, but happy to find out the new event, hosted by Moet Hennessy and called simply “The Q” would be very sim