The New York Cocktail Expo was held on Sunday, September 20th.
It was advertised as a cocktail competition and awards event with various craft spirit brands and local bartenders serving a signature cocktail.
The event was first held on April 2019 in Rockville Center Long Island for spirit and cocktail enthusiasts and for bartenders, restaurants and bar owner to get some inspiration for their cocktail program.
The last time I attended this event, and actually the last time they held the event was pre lockdown in 2019. That event had three floors filled with spirit vendors and a live cocktail competition.
When I arrived for the evening session and I walked into the room, I was very surprised to see how Spartan the room was and how few vendors there were. I took a quick check of the rest of the venue and found the second floor empty of vendors and the third floor “Rum Room” was as Spartan as the main floor. I don’t think they even had a cocktail competition, surprisingly considering all of the bars and the bartenders who staff them in this city.
A couple of standout sprits was tequila from Esperanto which had a nice selection of artisanal tequila and the rums from Dos Maderas which are rum distilled in the Caribbean and then aged in Spain.
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