Cocktails for a Cause Raises $2,500 for Red Cross

"The scope of the disaster in Haiti is beyond that which we've ever experienced. Given our connections within the Spirits Community and New Orleans in general, this simply seemed like a no-brainer. My only hope is that a year from now, the people of Haiti continue to weigh on us; may they too, not be forgotten," said Paul Tuennerman, Tales of the Cocktail.

The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors—across the street, across the country, and across the world—in emergencies. It was the ideal beneficiary of Cocktails for a Cause.

Our generous partners for Cocktails for a Cause were the Sazerac Company and Rhum Barbancourt. Each cocktail was chosen for the benefit because each brand has its own ties to Haiti.

Sazerac Company has direct ties to Haiti though Antoine Peychaud, who created the bitters used in New Orleans Official Cocktail, the Sazerac. In the early 1800’s, Peychaud and his family moved to New Orleans from current day Haiti, then Saint Domingo.

Rhum Barbancourt is a Haitian rum producing company, which is widely regarded as being one of the best rums produced in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We were also proud to have partnered with the LSU School of Medicine Class of 2013 who raised $250 at Cocktail for a Cause at Cure.

View photos from the event

Photography courtesy of Brian Huff of New Orleans, LA

About Tales of the Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail is an internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture held annually in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event brings together the best and brightest of the cocktail community—award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders, chefs and designers—for a five-day celebration of the history and artistry of making drinks. Each year offers a spirited series of dinners, demos, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours and parties all perfectly paired with some of the best cocktails ever made.

About the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society is a non-profit organization committed to preserving the unique culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans and the storied bars and restaurants that have contributed to the city’s world-wide culinary acclaim. This organization supports members of the hospitality industry through education and the production of events like Tales of the Cocktail and, most recently, Trails of the Cocktail, a scholarship program for emerging talent in the New Orleans cocktail industry.