Beyond the Bar®

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Beyond the Bar® is the physical and creative space for Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s global community to explore themes beyond traditional spirits education. 

The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Beyond the Bar ® initiative is woven throughout TOTCF programming, including philanthropy & development, policy & advocacy, wellness workshops, webinars, and Tales of the Cocktail seminars and activations. Beyond the Bar® is the place to advocate for and support the complex issues that face the spirits industry. The program facilitates dialogue and inspires thinking around the industry’s pressing topics, from social justice to lifestyle, health, and substance use. The Foundation annually produces dedicated Beyond the Bar programming at Tales of the Cocktail®, including seminars, workshops, and service projects. Year-round, resources on these topics created by drinks industry professionals are available online, including webinars on YouTube and editorials on the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s website.

BEYOND THE BAR ACTIVATIONS

WORKSHOPS

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Wellness Workshops and Fitness activations are an integral part of the Tales of the Cocktail experience.

These activations include yoga, massages, wellness workshops, roundtable discussions, Ben’s Friends meetings, bystander intervention, harassment prevention training, and safe spaces to take a break and set intentions. Past workshops have included:

PHYSICAL HEALTH 

Building Community through the Body

Bartender Boxing

Yoga with the Healthtender 

Healing and Longevity Stretching 

Breath Work

Daily Group Runs

And more

MENTAL HEALTH 

Wellness on the Road

Mindfulness

Working in the Industry as a Neurodivergent

Financial Wellness

How the Drinks Industry Sleeps

Healthy Pour Wellness Workshop

And more

HARASSMENT PREVENTION

Green Dot Bystander Intervention to Stop Harassment 

Safe Bars presents: Dealing with difficult patrons: de-escalation skills for the pandemic and beyond

And more

SUBSTANCE USE and SOBRIETY

Revive.Survive.Overdose Prevention Community Training 

Pin Project

Ben’s Friends Meetings

Focus on Health

The Odyssey House 

And more

NETWORKING NOOK

Networking Nook Sessions offer safe and productive networking for specialized groups to connect and learn at Tales of the Cocktail. Past Networking Nooks have included: 

  • First-Time Tales Attendees 
  • Parenting in the Industry
  • Journalists and Bartenders
  • Women in Whiskey 
  • Lessons in Distribution for Producers and Buyers
  • Embracing Neurodiversity
  • Non-alc Meet Up

Interested in hosting a Networking Nook at Tales? Email [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

SERVICE PROJECTS

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is dedicated to serving our communities. Each year during our conference, we host a Day of Service for attendees to give back to New Orleans. Attendees can participate in a day of service activity alongside staff and committees. Projects have included beach clean-up, home rebuilding, meal prep, and rain barrel painting. TOTC2025 Day of Service registration will open in May 2025.

 

BEYOND THE BAR LOUNGE

The Beyond the Bar Lounge offers a safe place to relax and unwind during Tales of the Cocktail. The Lounge is part of the Wellness Week package and is available for all ticket holders throughout the week. The space serves non-alcoholic beverages and is built out by sponsors for attendees to enjoy.

BEYOND THE BAR YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMMING

Complimentary year-round education and resources are provided to support the industry: Heritage Editorials, Industry Pop-ups, Policy & Advocacy, and Philanthropy and Development. 

The Second Annual Halfway to Tales, free education for New Orleans hospitality members, will be held on January 27, 2025–at Latrobes on Royal, located at 403 Royal Street in New Orleans–in partnership with Moët Hennessy. New Orleans bartenders and spirits industry members are invited to attend this free afternoon of education and a town hall for the New Orleans drinks industry. The event will include two seminars beginning at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Following the seminars, at 3:00 p.m., the New Orleans drinks industry is invited to attend a happy hour with the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation.

BEYOND THE BAR EDITORIALS 

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Editorials are rooted in celebrating diverse cultures and traditions, cocktail techniques, and spirits education. These editorials include cocktail recipes, cocktail photography, and personality features. New in 2025 will include “Futures” and “Technique” focused editorials, looking to the future of the industry & learning new skills to advance the industry.

Past Beyond the Bar Editorials

Chanta Hunter: Celebrating Black History Month: From A Bartender to The Bartender

Allison Parc: Celebrating Women’s History Month: Women & Whisk(e)y: Have We Progressed?

Kevin Diedrich: Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: My Own Self-Discovery

Chelsea Gregoire: Celebrating Pride Month: The Progress We Dream Of, The Pride We Fight For

Tiffanie Barriere: Celebrating Juneteenth: The Power of the Red Drink

Camille Austin: Celebrating Latin Heritage Month:”Ven, te invito un trago”

Chockie Tom: Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: A Balance of Worlds

Kapri Robinson: Celebrating Black History Month: Back To The Future: Analyzing Our Growth In The Past To Be Better For The Future

Tess Posthumus: Celebrating Women’s History Month

Alexis Belton: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Month : We Must Sleep Before We Can Dream

Chris Cabrera: Celebrating Pride Month: UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOU

Erika Flowers: Celebrating Juneteenth: When You Know Better, Do Better

Roberto Núñez Moreno: Celebrating Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month: Los Latinos; The Secret Ingredient

Danielle Goldtooth: Celebrating Indigenous Heritage Month: Focus on the Food

Celebrating Black History Month with Beats, Bars & Bourbon

Celebrating Women's History Month with the Women of the Cocktail Apprentice Program Leadership Team

Caer Maiko: Celebrating Asian & Pacific American Heritage Month: Unapologetically Normal

Daddy Long Legs: Celebrating Pride Month: Say It Louder for the People in the Back

Keyatta Mincey-Parker: Celebrating Heritage Through Hospitality: Building Stronger Communities in the Cocktail Industry

Jesus Verde: Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month: From Zero to One

Roxanne Fernandez Tiburolobo: Celebrating Indigenous Heritage Month: Visibly Invisible: We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For

Matt Molino: Futures Editorial: A Social Prescription – Leaning On Our Leaders

WEBINAR ARCHIVE

FULL HANDS IN / FULL HANDS OUT

Tales of the Cocktail’s free educational webinar series, Full Hands In / Full Hands Out, is derived from a service industry term, “full hands in,” which embodies the feeling of “all hands on deck.” This inclusive free webinar series term began in 2020 to bring the voices of all service-related communities (bars, restaurants, etc) together to assist in the relief efforts for COVID-19. It has since grown to include a variety of topics and themes.

If you would like to watch past episodes, please see the full list below:

Full Hands In / Full Hands Out Webinar Archive

Lessons from the European Drinks Industry

Building and Maintaining Community In Isolation

Healthy Coping Mechanisms

The Power of Philanthropy and Mentorship with the Founders of Speed Rack

Puerto Rico Edition 

Taxes in Crisis

New Orleans Gives Back

Recovery and Next Steps for Bar Owners

Agave Saves the World

Black. Queer. And Still Here. 

Cheers to Black-Owned Spirits

Level Up!  Career and Finance Savvy From The Pros

CAP Community Series - Batching Part I: Batching 101

Across Oceans: AAPI Intersections in Hospitality

CAP Community Series - Batching Part II: Batching 201 Organizing & Executing

Rainbow Panel; Being You in F&B

CAP Community Series - Personal Growth Part I: From Bartender to Brand presented by Courvoisier

HECHOS en MEXICO!

CAP Community Series - Personal Growth Part II: Re-Visioning Your Role in the Hospitality Industry presented by Don Q

CAP Community Series - Future CAP Part I: Cocktail Apprentice Program 101 Q&A presented by Johnnie Walker

Future CAP Part II: CAP 2022 Recruitment presented by Tequila Fortaleza

Future CAP Part III:  Red Coat 2022 Reminders  presented by Perrier

How Can We Bring Humanity Back Into Hospitality? presented by Focus on Health

Retention & Prioritization of Staff With Business Development presented by Focus on Health

From "How?" to "Hired!": Advancement Strategies in the Hospitality Industry

Negotiate like a Pro, Presented by Lush Life

Finances On The Rocks. Straight Up Money Matters for Hospitality Professionals

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Below are additional resources from past grant recipients, partners, and organizations that focus on helping the hospitality industry. 

Another Round Another Rally 

Another Round Another Rally is a nonprofit financial and educational resource for the hospitality industry. Their goal is to provide current and future leaders access to the tools they can utilize in order to create innovatie, dynamic workplace where equity and inclusion allow marginalized populations the space and safety to advance and thrive. These tools include reimbursement grants and immersive educational scholarships to further the education of historically excluded voices in the community, and supply emergency assistance to those employed in restaurants, bars, and hotels who have fallen on unexpected hardship.

Focus on Health 

Focus on Health is dedicated to enriching the lives of hospitality professionals through wellness, education, and community support. Their diverse range of services reflects our commitment to fostering a healthier, happier industry.

Giving Kitchen 

Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. They focus on building a food service community where crisis is met with compassion and care.

Healthy Pour 

Healthy Pour is a boutique coaching and consulting firm dedicated to enhancing the world’s relationship with work by fostering environments that prioritize well-being, productivity, and fulfillment. They believe that a healthy workplace is the foundation of a successful and sustainable business.

Oyster Sunday 

At Oyster Sunday, we are committed to supporting independent hospitality businesses with free consultations to ensure you have another resource in your corner. We created OS Benefits—an affordable, practical solution for small businesses to support their teams’ whole health and well-being.

Safe Bars 

Safe Bars mission is to create safe, equitable, and welcoming alcohol-serving hospitality spaces. They use active bystander intervention, de-escalation, and allyship strategies to empower the staff of bars, restaurants, hotels, breweries, distilleries, clubs, event venues, suppliers, distributors, and brands to stop sexual aggression and other forms of gender-based violence in their work environments.


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