In July 2019, which seems like a lifetime ago, beverage pros from around the world converged on New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference—an annual event highlighting and celebrating the best of bar culture past, present, and future. Veteran bartenders Dale DeGroff and Julie Reiner have had something to do with every step of that, and together are a walking library of modern bar culture. As DeGroff's classic book is being reissued some 18 years after its original publishing date, it seemed like a perfect time to revisit Food & Wine's conversation with these two cocktail icons—recorded in a room at the Royal Sonesta—on the topics of the late '90s and early '00s cocktail boom, what it truly means to choose a life in hospitality, and how bartenders can stick around for the long haul.

Learn more about Dale: http://www.kingcocktail.com/

Follow Julie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixtressnyc/

Buy The New Craft of the Cocktail: https://www.amazon.com/New-Craft-Cocktail-Everything-Mixologist/dp/1984823574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwdaledegroffbook0920-20&linkId=6ff393d0bd6d33ae27ae6f5399b35756&language=en_US

Attend Tales of the Cocktail: https://talesofthecocktail.org

Food & Wine Pro: https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro

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