Every July, the cocktail and spirits world descends upon New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail. This was my 9^th year of madness, fun, learning and friends, and it was spectacular. My pet projects at Tales are the Mind Body Spirit(s) bartender wellness program and The Liquid Muse Red Carpet Spirited Awards Winners video. See FULL LIST OF WINNERS. It takes a team of 110 worldwide judges and the Tales team months to wade through thousands of nominees. I was the Voting Coordinator for the Spirited Awards, this year, and got a close-up view of the tedious process. This is taken very seriously as the awards hold a lot of weight in the industry.This was my 7^th year doing the video, and this year I worked with 4^th Row Films (of Hey Bartender fame). We had soooo many wonderful moments on the red carpet, as you will see here. It is a true honor to get to be among the first to congratulate bar friends, from around the globe, in the touching moments after they walk off stage. Congratulations to all the nominees and, especially, the winners. Bravo, everyone! Click on photo, below, to play the video (link HERE too)...