Feed favorite David Wondrich (Photo: Daniel Krieger)

Wondering where your favorite NYC barkeeps are this week? They’re staggering about the French Quarter sporting Panamanian straw hats. Annual New Orleans booze congress Tales of the Cocktail is fully underway, with seminars, parties and dinners happening all over the city. After battling Internet outages and a steady stream of intoxicants, we finally have a chance to bring you up to speed. Find some highlights (Trends! Geeks! David Wondrich!) after the jump.

Big trends: Jim Meehan (PDT) sat on a trends panel moderated by Aviation Gin founder Ryan Magarian. Our bullshit antennae buzzed when Magarian—now a consultant—discussed creating cocktail “cultures” for restaurants. But Meehan, as ever, provided some interesting grist. Among the trends to watch: mescal, quinquinas (aperitifs made with quinine), sake and soju cocktails, garnishes like white and pink pepper, and improved bar tools from Japan and Germany.

Cocktail historian and object of limitless TONY affection David Wondrich joined old-school California bartender John Burton in a discussion about the history of American saloons. The conversation hinged on Deadwood-style Wild West lore—a thrill for history fetishists like your pals at the Feed. Not as thrilling: the 30-minute addendum by H. Joseph Ehrmann that amounted to a personal slide show of the build out of his San Fran bar, Elixir.

A far more interesting self-indulgence was the vintage barware symposium held at the Museum of the American Cocktail. This was apex geekdom, with a small, insular group of mostly male collectors drooling over a display of 19th-century paraphernalia, and swapping the details of hot finds like Mickey Mantle rookie cards. What a show: Pieces from companies like Napier and Norman Bel Geddes offered stunning displays of industrial design. The highlight was a 1930s J.A. Henckels Zeppelin shaker, a triumph of efficient German construction that broke into 19 functional pieces.

We’ll be back tomorrow with mo’ highlights!