Spark
Since New Orleans' international cocktail festival begins its 25th rendition on July 19, we sat down with Charlotte Voisey, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation's executive director, to talk about what to expect in that week of seminars, tastings, networking, and special events.
WYA: The executive director role starts way before July. How was your first year as executive director? Do any particular memories stand out?
CV: [It was a] fantastic year. Joining the Tales team was instantly rewarding and a learning experience. Tales is a small but mighty team. I've attended Tales since 2006 and now stepped behind the curtain to see how it works. The highlight of the year was absolutely Tales itself and seeing many more facets of the foundation and the conference.
WYA: Are there any tips for first time attendees or words of encouragement for any newer industry members considering attending?
CV: Definitely come is the first tip. It's always worth it—whether the first time or the 20th. Map out your schedule. What are your priorities? What seminars do you want to attend? Who do you want to meet? How might you meet them? Leave time for socializing and for serendipity with the wonderful city of New Orleans. With so much happening, planning your days is the best advice.
WYA: Is anything changing? Any new programming or features?
CV: Programming will largely look familiar, but the beauty of Tales is the content is always new. New educational topics, new grants. Something uniquely 2026 is our first day is the FIFA World Cup final. Luckily, Diageo, one of our big sponsors, also sponsors the World Cup, so they will likely have something fun happening. Tales is an international event, so it will be exciting to have that overlap of internationality. We're hoping to have bartenders from those two countries attend also.
WYA: Is anything going away? Any features or tech differences changing?
CV: The ticketing system has evolved, hopefully seamlessly. We have a new format of cocktail workshops that are hands-on experiences that overlap with the education. Direct lessons from an industry leader. How to stir a martini from one of the greats, as an example.
WYA: Let's talk numbers. Do we have an idea of attendance, seminars, CAPS (cocktail apprenticeship program mentees), brand partners?
CV: Usually over 25,000 attendees. CAPS will always be around the 70 number. [There will be:] 60 seminars from over 400 submissions, around 290 brand partners, and there will be over 400 events happening Tales week.
WYA: Is the venue the same? The Ritz and French Quarter radiating outwards?
CV: Yep. Exactly. The Ritz-Carlton remains our headquarters for educational seminars and other events, but events spread out, too.
WYA: The Spirited Dinners (where brands partner with local restaurants for food and cocktail pairings) are back as well?
CV: Yes, spirited dinners are back, so are some happy hours, guest shifts, etc.
WYA: And the Spirited Awards? Same venue? Any new categories?
CV: [We're] super excited to have those back at the Fillmore. A few updates to the ceremony itself. The mission remains the same—celebrate excellence across the globe. We invite the top four nominees for each category to be with us for winner announcements. [There are] no new categories this year.
WYA: We've noticed a change to the nominees announcements.
CV: Nominees are from eight regions—five in the US and three internationally. We announce the top 10 on social media but are trying to announce in-person moving forward with the key figures from that region. I was in Ghana in April for that reason. We're hoping, if not next year, then in future years, we can do all regional nominee announcements onsite.
WYA: Anything you're personally excited for this year?
CV: Honestly, seeing everybody. There's so much planning, so many detail-oriented things that people never see. It can get stressful, but it's completely worth it when you see people start checking in. The community feeling, togetherness, reunion. The collective feeling is my favorite part when we come back to Tales.
WYA: This year is "Spark." Who comes up with the theme, and why that?
CV: We come to the theme as a team and ensure it's not just one person's perspective. So many things are sparked at Tales: friendship, inspiration, innovation, and ideas for a new bar or menu. You can be inspired by something that another city is doing for mentorship. Tales doesn't always provide all the answers, but it does provide the spark people need to make their teams and communities and bars better. We honor that this year.
WYA: What are the Tales on Tour locations for 2026?
CV: Five cities, all within the U.S. this year. Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles have all happened. Washington, D.C., is in September, and closing out with Miami in October.
WYA: Thoughts on Tales's unique history with New Orleans?
CV: Tales is not Tales without New Orleans. We take a mini version of our education and social moments and move that on tour. Programming and education is great everywhere, but New Orleans is a massive part of Tales, not just its backdrop. New Orleans people make it what it is for us and for everyone that visits. New Orleans will always be the home of Tales. "On Tour," we just extract some highlights and localize them.
WYA: Anything else to highlight about this year in particular?
CV: The seminar slate is exciting. We focus a good bit on community. The "Flavors of Immigration" seminar is back and about the incredible contributions of immigrants to the beverage community worldwide but especially in the USA. We take a topic relevant to every industry and specify it to ours. Those contributions aren't new. They're consistent and they're important to us, and we're including that this year.
