Liquor is never hard to find in New Orleans. During Tales of the Cocktail, July 21–25, it was hard to avoid. From morning until night at this gathering of bartenders, writers, liquor-industry insiders and enthusiastic imbibers, a glass of something intoxicating was always on offer. The lobby of the 19th-century Hotel Monteleone, HQ for Tales, was wilder than Mardi Gras with madness both planned (Brazilian dancing girls, little people in muscle suits) and unplanned (tattooed bartenders rubbing shoulders with a contingent of fresh-faced Lutheran volunteers).

You can view the winners of the event’s Spirited Awards at the bottom of this post (spoiler alert: NYC brought it), but read on for a look at some of the upcoming drink trends we can expect, if these Tales are anything to go by.

Back to the Future: Chef Ryan Clift and bartender Matthew Bax of Singapore’s Tippling Club arrived in New Orleans with only half their bag of molecular tricks. U.S. Customs had confiscated several of their high-tech ingredients. They still pulled off a carbonated cherry, a freeze-dried foam in champagne and an absinthe fog that floated atop a Sazerac cocktail. “We don’t need to all be making pre-Prohibition cocktails,” said Bax. But most radical was how they synchronize pairings of up to 20 drinks and tasting portions. The bartenders at Tippling Club work in the kitchen alongside the cooks.

Widening the Whiskey Net: Capitalizing on the cocktail world’s fascination with all things Japanese, Suntory shared its elegant 12-year-old Hibiki whiskey, which arrived in the U.S. only last year. Paul Pacult, of “Spirit Journal” and the BAR training program, noted in one seminar that Irish whiskey has been the fastest growing spirits category for the last decade. Jameson’s master distiller Barry Crockett hopes to keep that trend going with more full-bodied pure-pot-still whiskeys, like the new 15-year-old Redbreast, to compete with small-batch bourbons and single-malt scotches.

Moonshine, Bartender Brands and Spluge-Worthy Rum: Moonshine is going market-fresh with Midnight Moon’s line of soon-to-be-released unaged corn whiskeys infused with cherries, raspberries and strawberries. Adam Seger (Chicago’s Nacional 27) and Joe McCanta (London’s Saf) collaborated on the hibiscus- and ginger-infused liqueur Hum, which points to a future of bartender-created spirits. Finally, one of the most unusual new offerings was Black Tot rum, the remains of the last rum ration distributed to British sailors in 1970. At more than $1,000 a bottle, let’s hope no one mixes it with Coke.

Power in the Proof: The global cocktail trend has been fueled by the rediscovery of classic, pre-Prohibition recipes. But why are many of them, at least as written in the old books, so bland? Many of today’s liquors are watered down. Audrey Saunders (New York’s Pegu Club) noted that bartenders are seeking out more spirits that are 100 proof and beyond, which used to be the norm. “It’s not about using higher proof to get bombed,” she said. “There is concentrated flavor in higher proof.”

– Todd Price

The winners of this year’s Spirited Awards:

World’s Best Drink Selection

Bar Lebensstern in Cafe Einstein, Berlin

Best American Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar

Mayahuel, New York City

World’s Best Hotel Bar

The Connaught Bar, The Connaught Hotel, London

American Bartender of the Year

Murray Stenson, Zig Zag Cafe, Seattle

International Bartender of the Year

Agostino Perrone, The Connaught Hotel, London

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

Best Cocktail Writing

CLASS magazine

Best New Product

Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

Death & Co, New York City

Best Bar Mentor

Dale DeGroff

Best American Brand Ambassador

Charlotte Voisey, William Grant & Sons Portfolio

Best International Brand Ambassador

John Gakuru, Sagatiba

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award

Brian Rea