AFWF 2016

We were welcomed back to Atlanta Food & Wine Festival with much enthusiasm. Not only were we there to represent South Carolina Parks Recreation & Tourism and their new app but also participate in all the festivities. Stella Artois and Lexus were major sponsors, so we were looking forward to their interactive brand displays.

Thursday Night, we convened at American Spirit Works for the opening tasting event. We prepared cocktails featuring a South Carolina handcrafted beer, soda, mixer and spirit. Bartenders from other states like Louisiana represented their pride by preparing signature cocktail like the classic Sazerac. Live music encouraged attendees to move about the space to sample the South. Outside the venue, Bulleit Bourbon set up a mobile bar area along with custom lounge trailer.

Saturday afternoon we shared our experiences on the Satisfy Your Thirst tour to a sold out audience. Over the course of 10 days, we tasted our way through from the lowcountry all the way to the upstate sampling handcrafted juice, soda, vodka, moonshine and more, all made in South Carolina.

Our guide, a recently created and released smartphone app that charts every beverage provider in South Carolina. We had the privilege of meeting the creators of some of the brands, all with a unique story to share.

We paid homage to their commitment to excellence by crafting three cocktails to represent our journey. We used Hooch, Six & Twenty, Firefly Vodka, Blenheim Ginger Ale, Bittermilk cocktail mixer and beer from River Rat Brewing. Each showcasing a different aspect of the tour and of our state.

In between events and trips to the tasting tents, we visited the ‘in city” vineyard built just for the festival – It’s the first of is kind, in the United States! We popped into the BevCon pre-conference VIP party and shared exquisite shots of Tequila with master distiller German Gonzalez in the lobby of the Loews hotel! AFWF brings out the best in Southern food and beverage together.

Before departing on Sunday, we had cocktails and conversation with Mashaun Simon of NBCBLK. We shared our experience as black women in the culinary industry. We impressed upon him the amount of exposure and support we garner from participating in festival like AFWF. 

Link to full article here:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-chefs-mixologists-inspiring-next-generation-n587581

Perfect way to finish a full weekend of culture and culinary adventures.

 

 

 

THANK YOU

www.scptr.com
www.discoversc.com
www.atlantafoodandwine.com
www.nbcblk.com
www.fireflyspirits.com
www.fireflydistillery.com
Katie Marie Photography

Los Muertos

Day of celebration to honor loved one lost – Dia de los Muertos. This Mexican holiday represents vibrancy and love. November 1st and 2nd is a  time for family and friends to gather for festive food, drinks and dancing. Marigolds have long been used in ceremonies and rituals to pray respect to the deceased. We used handmade marigold flower crowns and marigold scented candles to pay homage to the Mexican tradition.

 

We invited our friends and family to join us at Apartment A to have a Sauza Tequila cocktail we created to celebrate the occasion. Our cocktail reminds us of the best parts of life: adventure, opportunity and love. We served the “Last Dance” from a Mikasa pitcher as everyone enjoyed tacos and danced to bachata.

Below are a few of the other cocktails we created using Sauza Tequila, Menage a Trois Berry Vodka, Cocktail Crate Syrups and Hooch limeade soda.

Megavirus

Sauza Blanco Tequila – Six & Twenty Cream Whiskey – b’Lure Blue Hibicus extract – Lemon Juice – Cocktail Crate Ginger Bee syrup

 

Rebirth

Sauza Reposado Tequila – Sage Liqueur – Rose Extract – Lime Juice – Tonic Water – Black Lava salt rim

The Ritual

Crown Royal Vanilla – Amaro Montenegro – Menage a Trois Berry Vodka – Hooch Limeade Soda – Wild Hibiscus Syrup

THANK YOU

www.sauzatequila.com
www.b-lure.com
www.cocktailcrate.com
www.oandohooch.com
www.amaromontenegro.com
www.crownroyal.com
www.sixandtwentydistillery.com
www.apartmentachs.com
www.creechsfloristinc.com

Holiday Mix

The Holiday Season is upon us. Let’s celebrate with an evening of amazing food, great music, delicious drinking and lots of dancing! Come enjoy  Southern food prepared by Charleston area chefs.  and Beverages will be provided by local and regional craft  breweries and distilleries while enjoying the company of new and old friends.

Live music and dj. Showcase of local artisans.

Ticket includes access to food and beverage tasting tables.
Food from Carolima’s, Chef Washington on Lavender Lounge, Chef JA Moore of Summers Corner, TR Creations, Hannibals and others.
Tastings from Hooch, Snafu Brewing, Bell’s Brewing and more.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a non-profit organization.

holidaymix.brownpapertickets.com
#EatDrinkMix

Euphoria Greenville 2016

 

Greenville, SC is quickly becoming a top tourist destination in South Carolina. With a growing food and beverage scene in addition to breweries like Thomas Creek Brewing, a food could have a field day. Euphoria Greenville is a four-day Fall festival that celebrates food, wine and music. Attendees have an assortment of curated seminars, music events and a lively culinary stage.

The tasting tents are full of local and regional chefs offering samples from their menus.

Taneka and I performed on the culinary stage on day 3 of Euphoria. We told the thirsty audience a bit about our business, the cocktail we created and gave a few tips for the home bartender.

 

We also co-hosted a craft cocktail class with the head bartender at American Grocery, Kirk Ingram. We prepared four custom cocktails as Kirk gave a brief history on mixology culture and the inspiration behind his craft cocktails. Our sold-out class had several questions and beaming feedback on the drinks.

 

My favorite event of Euphoria has to be the VIP party at Aloft. The open bar featured surprisingly yummy signature cocktails and there was wall-to-wall buffet including a build-your-own-taco bar!

The band was rocking and guest danced until the last song ended. Events like this give us the opportunity to meet others in the industry. We bumped into a Remy Martin representative, a regional sales manager for a major hotel chain and award-winning journalist.

Euphoria had a feel like no other festival we’ve attended. All the organizers were relaxed and professional. There easygoing attitude helped us enjoyed the festivities and Lexus Greenville made sure we arrived to all the events safely. Not to mention, our media bags were packed to the top with swag including a full-sized apron, a gourmet salt rack, and chocolate macaroons! Our calendars are already marked for Euphoria Greenville 2017.