Dave and I are heading off to the Big Easy this weekend for a cocktail conference. Last time I was in New Orleans I was doing my small part in the rebuilding effort with a group from my church. I say “small part” because it was a pretty overwhelming scene and our efforts bordered on moot.

Honestly, looking back six months later, I’m sure the experience was far more rewarding for me than for the people I was helping. I hope that doesn’t sound too selfish, because really it’s meant to be a tribute to the inspirational, seemingly unbreakable spirit I witnessed in the people of the Gulf coast, many of whom are still recovering from Katrina.

Anyway, this stands to be a wholly different experience. Although I probably won’t have any crazy drunken party stories to tell (not my style), I’m pretty sure we will return with some hot new recipes you cocktail nuts may be interested in, straight from some of the foremost ‘mixologists’ in the cocktail industry. With any luck we’ll score some new ingredients to pass along to you as well. Check back in the coming weeks for a report on what we learned down in Cajun country.

To follow up quickly on my last post: if you read it you may have gathered I’m a big fan of the classic pitcher (as big a fan as one can be of a plastic beverage holder). However, there have been some advances in pitcher technology that you should know about. Check out this nifty little invention. A simple principle goes a long way here, as the Polar Pitcher uses a separate ice compartment to keep your beverage ice cold. Fill it, leave it and forget about room-temperature drinks. My contempt for lukewarm beverages knows no boundaries. If you feel the same way, this is the pitcher for you.