San Antonio Cocktail Conference
San Antonio, TX
January 15-19, 2020.
Article and Photography by Stacey Lovett
The San Antonio Cocktail Conference celebrates four days of libations for industry professionals, brand representatives, and liquor aficionados from all over the country. The 2020 conference presented the 9th year of it’s carefully crafted programming to showcase the craft of top industry professionals all the while donating 100% of its profits to Houston Street Charities benefiting children – a cause everyone can toast to!
The main allure of SACC is how the city showcases it’s own history and landmarks alongside this industry it so widely supports. As a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, San Antonio undeniably embraces the vibrancy of the culinary arts and mixes its own tradition with innovations from all over. The conference not only showcases this but also invites in further advancements into the Alamo City. Opening night was held in the historic 1920s Majestic Theater in the heart of downtown San Antonio which brought together local restaurants to sample their fares in between signature crafted cocktails showcasing many of the brands represented at the conference. As the DJ set the tone for the weekend’s first party, industry professionals, influencers, bloggers, and aficionados mingled and mixed their own menus but many not without a capture for social media first to commemorate joining together to celebrate all they work to brand. While this party kicked off the official forums in the next days to come, it was preceded in the evening before by a series of paired dinners to choose among where SA hot spots featured a specific liquor brand to dine along with. From the local tiki frontrunner Hot Joy featuring Tiki Lover’s rum to the hip Pearl Brewery’s Botika and Santa Teresa to the classic downtown date night high-end hitters Bohanan’s and Biga on the Banks and their respective ryes, the nearly dozen culinary hot spots featured showcased the best the city has to offer alongside all that is poured into the bar industry within them.
Each day of the conference offered seminars for all aspects of the trade and all levels of knowledge before the day of information sessions were garnished with an unrivaled cocktail party that upheld the spirit of the industry. The cocktail education portion covered the spectrum of business ownership to bar operations with panels ranging from profit methods to distillation techniques, spirit knowledge and even diving into current trends like CBD use in crafting them. Another historic downtown landmark – the St. Anthony Hotel – hosted the bulk of the conference, offering up it’s own Waldorf on the Prairie as the setting for Friday’s headliner event where even more drinks flowed throughout the luxury New York Edwardian meets Texas décor alongside music and more food. Saturday, the party moved to the historic La Villita where the Assembly Hall was transformed into the greatest show, of industry talent at least, on Earth for Cocktails Under the Big Top – a circus-themed closing night extravaganza. Prior to this ‘cherry on top’ event, the organized Tasting Suites provided a guided window of sampling opportunities from both big and boutique brands as well as the opportunity to visit with their representatives.
This annual conference has gained quite a glamorous reputation over the course of its presence in San Antonio – and with good reason. It brings together not only the best of the best who lend their knowledge and artistry to a trade that is the foundation of our social spirit but pairs it with a city that pours its own heart and soul into the preservation of over 300 years of its own culture, not watering down that essence but building upon it welcoming innovation and growth.
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