Wine and Spirits Travel

When the decision was made that I was going to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail , I spent a month going between excited and terrified. I had heard so much about this non-stop party in one of the most sinful cities in the world. When I finally did arrive and made myself through a drunken crowd to receive my credentials and my “Tales Virgin” button, all of the apprehension came flooding back. The trip to New Orleans had been uneventful. In fact, I had actually been able to catch an earlier plane. I checked into my room at Hotel Monteleone and picked up my packet. I have to admit that dazed and confused was probably the best way to describe me as I started walking the streets of New Orleans with all the liquor company trucks handing out samples and the Tales revelers in the street. My first event was an early one, the Diageo Happy Hour.  Since it was a few miles away I decided to take a cab. Unfortunately, the driver was as new to NOLA as I was and he couldn’t find

I was able to spend a lot of time on the east end of Long Island this summer, reminiscing about my childhood and checking out places new and old. Most of the trips involved overnight stays, but there was one where my friend Gail accompanied me for a marathon day of eating and drinking through Montauk and the Hamptons. The first stop of the day was in Amagansett, at the Clam Bar . Since I can’t eat seafood I was forced to watch while Gail checked out the best of this infamous stop. Everything here comes in fresh from the docks every day and it looks amazing. She started with the Local Sea Scallops, a ceviche with a lemon-lime marinade she enjoyed. Next was the dish that made them famous – the Lobster Salad Roll. Gail agreed it was worth the hype, as was the Spicy Crab & Sweet Corn and the New England Clam Chowder, before she demonstrated how to eat steamers (see video above). I was getting hungry watching the food, but there was plenty for me at Montauk’s Navy Be