New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
The Wonder of the Cocktail: Foxwoods tries a new tasting event
Foxwoods Resort Casino’s inaugural spirits and cocktail tasting event, which continues through Friday, June 22, is called The Wonder of the Cocktail, which works its “The Wonder of It All” slogan into an event name.
The three-day celebration, which began Wednesday, offers guests, as well as food and beverage professionals, the opportunity to taste spirits and wines with global experts, attend master class seminars, and meet some of Connecticut’s top chefs.
Christina Clifton, Foxwoods vice president of food and beverage, said she had an idea based on events based around cocktails she had observed in other places.
“And I thought it would be perfect for Foxwoods, because most of the time these events are held in cities and they have multiple venues around a city. And we are a city,” she said, chuckling, “under one roof (with) 9 million square feet so I thought it might be a perfect event to have here where we showcase not only all the different spirits (but) our different venues.”
Clifton said the casino is partnering with Brescome Barton to provide such brands as Remy Martin, Campari and McCallum for tastings. For food, such inhouse brands as Cedars and Vue 24 will be joined by the likes of partner eatery Red Lantern and (outside eatery) The Cook and the Bear for the Thursday Dine-Around event.
Clifton said Foxwoods is expecting more than just
industry folks, of course.
“What I thought of was that I could integrate all three components we have on property as far as guests (go) — industry people (mixologists/chefs) and then the general public that comes to Foxwoods frequently and also the player development sector, like our the gaming patrons.”
Clifton said the weekday schedule is to allow industry folks, who often work on weekends, to attend.
She said the new event will add to the already-attractive experiences on the Foxwoods property.
“There is not an event like this in the Northeast,” Clifton said. “So having the inaugural event like this at Foxwoods, it is now our event that we can present every year and will attract people from across the nation ... to come here and experience this.”
While there are one- or two-day wine and beer festivals, this one’s different because it’s three days and includes seminars ($55) to learn about different spirits and cocktails, Clifton said, showcasing “different styles and trends in the mixology world” in a place where there are 2,200 hotel rooms for visitors to stay the night.
Servers will talk about the composition of the cocktail and at the dine-around, and each chef will be paired with a mixologist for cocktails that will match their cuisine. Top events include:
A Chef Dine Around Tasting Thursday in the same ballroom from 6-10 p.m. Thursday. $75.
A pool party with cocktails and some food Friday from 1 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fox Tower Pool. $35
The Grand Tasting Friday night from 7-10 in the Grand Ballroom. $125.