#thirstboston

(Photo: Thirst Boston)

Last weekend, the city got its drink on at Thirst Boston, a gathering of “bartenders, industry icons and beverage connoisseurs from Boston and beyond” to celebrate the art of drink. There were lengthy discussions on whiskey, seminars on rum and tequila, pop-up shops, competitions, and all the cocktails you could possibly enjoy.

Thirst is like Christmas to bartenders (since, in all likelihood, they’re working on Christmas) and barhoppers alike, and you couldn't so much as glance at your social media feeds without a mention of the festivities or a photo of someone’s 14th drink.

(Photo: Twitter)

It all began with that thing… you know, The Thing - the opening night gala, where, as Russell House Tavern’s Fred Yarm describes it, “high-class elegance meets low-brow cocktail shenanigans.” Our own TJ Connelly manned the decks, appearing as a tuxedo-clad merman surrounded by the glow of a purple seashell.

(Photo: Natasha Moustache Photography)

"Nothing beats the moment the when the doors finally opened at The Thing," said Sean Frederick of Citizen. "Full credit goes to Will Thompson and his crew, who once again worked around the clock to pull off a kick-ass party that was every bit as grand as the venue. I've had the honor of bartending this party three years in a row, and plan on doing so until my arms fall off."

After The Thing were the after parties at Citizen and The Hawthorne, and things progressed into the night as you might imagine.

The cocktail education (the best kind of education) began on Saturday morning, with Music & Cocktails, a jaunt through the history of rum, Cocktails in the Movies, and the merits of aperitifs… with the rest of the day including innovations in American whiskey, vermouth preparation, an infusion workshop, entrepreneurship in the spirits industry, and much more.

We asked Yarm about his favorite part of the weekend:

“One of the most valuable talks of the weekend was ‘The Three Phases of Hospitality,’ where Andy Seymour, Joaquin Simo, Jon Santer, and Sean Kenyon walked us through the variety of ways of calming our guests and anticipating their needs through bar and menu layout, making reading a part of daily routine for conversation topics, and building respect and warmth with the people you work with. As Sean Kenyon said, ‘Service has steps, while hospitality has soul -- it comes from the heart.’”

(Photo: Twitter)

Of course, there were parties throughout the weekend to enjoy in between learnin’, too. The Patrick Swayze-inspired Roadhouse shindig boasted  “everything you love about the American dive bar complete with BBQ and poor lighting,” the Blender Bender competition armed each contestant with a Vitamix to see who could make the best tiki drinks, and pop-up shops and bars from Boston and beyond peppered halls of the Fairmont Copley Hotel.

Both Frederick and Yarm noted Thirst's pop-up theme as their favorite part of the weekend, Yarm going for the New York City bar Amor y Amargo's event at Silvertone, where he "got a flavor of bartender's Sother Teague's recipes and the gist of the bar program there.”

As for Citizen's lead bartender, it was the State Lines popup featuring eight bars from Portland, ME, and Providence that stood out, and not just for its "awesomely-absurd midday carnival" vibe.

"The cocktail scenes in both cities have been bubbling underneath the surface for years now, and they're finally garnering the attention they deserve," he said.

Thirst's cocktail aficionado attendees have presumably tasted an outstanding drink or two in their day, but when asked if there was a cocktail consumed this weekend that was knock-you-on-your-ass fantastic, local legend Brother Cleve was behind one of them, of course.

"Brother Cleve pulled me aside Saturday morning between seminars and proffered a bottle of his Mexicali Rose, a carbonated concoction of mezcal, blanc vermouth, strawberry-fennel syrup, cinnamon, and bitters. Incredible, and a great reminder that an ordinary cocktail that's been bottled is merely novel. An extraordinary one is a revelation," Frederick told me. "But the most shockingly-delicious taste of the weekend came courtesy of The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club's Andrew Volk: a fizzy combination of Allen's Coffee Brandy and Moxie, delivered from a keg. Is that a cocktail? I don't know. But it was stupid good! Andrew, please know that I'll be stealing this idea immediately."

What was YOUR favorite part of Thirst Boston? Tweet us @onthebar and let us know!

Visit Fred Yarm’s blog for a more in-depth look at Thirst Boston’s events from last weekend.