Tales of the Cocktail is proud to partner with Cointreau Orange Liqueur for the 6th consecutive year for the Cocktail Apprentice Program (CAP). Forty-one individuals were selected to join 19 returning apprentices from around the world to participate during this summer’s Tales of the Cocktail with some of the world’s most respected mixologists. These 60 apprentices were selected on the bases of craft, expertise, and experience.
“We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with Tales of the Cocktail and to again be so involved in the Cocktail Apprentice Program” says Alfred Cointreau, sixth generation of the Cointreau family. “It’s exciting to see the passion that goes into these individuals honing their craft. Cointreau has a long history of supporting and educating the trade, and I’m proud to continue this tradition through the CAP program.”
First year apprentice, Amanda Wan, says, “It's been my dream to go to Tales of the Cocktail ever since I started learning about cocktails and seven years later it's coming true with a whole lot of meaning – where I'm going ‘behind the scenes’ to learn what makes this influential event so amazing, and meet some of the people who have been behind it all these years! It is events like Tales of the Cocktail that elevate the level of professionalism in the drinks industry, awarding, and recognizing the most gifted individuals, teams and showcasing their work, our industry, to the rest of the world.”
The Tales of the Cocktail Apprentice Program was developed in 2008 to give talented bartenders the opportunity to apprentice with skilled veterans and hone their craft. Working directly with presenters during the highly sought after seminars, the program gives participants an opportunity to work on large scale events while learning first-hand about their craft’s history and it’s new directions. Apprentices continue to take these skills to new achievements in their home bars and personal work post-Tales of the Cocktail. The team camaraderie and dynamics they learn and foster during this week have also become some of the most valuable tools that Apprentices carry on with them.
There was an outstanding number of applicants this year and they come all over from Wyoming to Singapore. The apprentices represent from 19 different states and nine countries. They were selected based on recipe submissions, teamwork, and experience level within the industry. The team was designed to ensure a balance between both lifelong bartenders and those newer to the industry. This new group of apprentices will bring great diversity and experience to the 2013 Tales of the Cocktail.
After serving at this year’s festivities, Tales of the Cocktail apprentices will be eligible for the Cocktail Apprentice Scholarship Program. In 2010, Tales of the Cocktail founded a $30,000 annual scholarship program developed exclusively for former cocktail apprentices to pursue additional learning opportunities. Following an extensive multi-step selection process former apprentices are chosen to receive funding for projects ranging from expanding career experiences to educating the cocktail community.
2013 Cocktail Apprentice Team:
- Michael Anderson, The Seelbach Hilton, Louisville, Kentucky
- Sara Arment, Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Zahra Bates, Coles Red Bar, Los Angeles
- Daniel Biber, Capitol Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Ranjini Bose, Kin Shop, Brooklyn
- Lindsay Brown, The Gibson, Washington
- Nathan Burdette, Crop Bistro & Bar, Cleveland, Ohio
- Karah Carmack, The Esquire Tavern, San Antonio, Texas
- Tommasco Cicala, Tre Pini Restaurant, San Martino d’Argri, Basalicata, Italy
- Nick Crutchfield, Commonwealth and Skybar, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Nathan Dalton, Felipe’s Taqueria, New Orleans
- Jacyara de Oliveira, Perennial Virant, Chicago
- Logan Demo, Mouton: Cocktail Bar, Columbus, Ohio
- Mike Doyle, Pool District, Las Vegas
- Shaun Dunn, Normad and Eleven Madison Park, New York
- Thomas Egerton, Supperclub, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
- Jason Endress, Harvard and Highland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Karen Fu, PDT, Brooklyn
- Samuel Gauthier, Merchant, Madison, Wisconsin
- Will Groves, Legume Bistro and Butterjoint, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Lacy Hawkins, Luc Lac, Portland, Oregon
- Dawn Heidemann, Fly Bar and Restaurant, Tampa, Florida
- John Henderson, Tavern Road Scholars Boston Bistro, Boston
- Uby Khawaja, Scofflaw, Chicago
- Oron Lerner, Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Christina Maffei, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- John Nugent, Brick & Mortar and Silvertone, Boston
- Nathan O’Neil, Milk and Honey, London
- Gino Pellarin, The NoMad Hotel, New York
- Elizabeth Powell, Liberty Bar, Seattle
- Tim Rita, Monkeypod Kitchen Ko Olina, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Meagan Schmoll, The Rose, Jackson, Wyoming
- Charles Schumacher, Northside Social, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Lauren Steele, Hook and Ladder, Sacramento, California
- Angel Teta, Raven and Rose, Portland, Oregon
- Patrick Thomas, Vintage Cocktail Club, Dublin, Ireland
- Mike Treffehn, The Franklin, Philadelphia
- Natasha Velez, Ruth Chris, Isla Verde, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Amanda Wan, Genting Club, Resorts World Genting, Petaling Jaya Sel, Malaysia
- Hannah Waters, 28 Hong Kong Street, Singapore
- Steve Yamada, Tivoli and Lee, New Orleans
