Wonder of the Cocktail shakes up the spirits festival formula by factoring accessibility, approachability, and New England pragmatism
story and photos by Elyse Glickman
Every film industry professional and movie buff knows of the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Both evolved from humble origins into big, splashy media events covered by media outlets the world over. And although many everyday fans follow the goings-on to see what the stars are wearing and to spot new trends, few actually attend. In many respects, the venerable Tales of the Cocktail has become the equivalent of such film festivals, but in the cocktail world.
The increased exclusivity of “Tales” inspired Christina Clifton, director of food and beverage at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT, to develop The Wonders of The Cocktail—a cocktail and spirits festival that takes the glamour and excitement of the international cocktail culture and brings it to everyday consumers and trade from New England. Just like a well-planned regional or local film festival, a uniquely Northeastern take on it would allow more consumers to enjoy their favorite star brands while enabling bartenders, chefs, and reps to connect with them directly.
“We have great partners in the Northeast, and they were open to doing a festival with a different feel and flavor,” said Clifton, who in addition to duties at Foxwoods Resort is also the founder of hospitality group FishFork, as well as a veteran food and beverage executive at Las Vegas’ ARIA Resort and Casino and Mirage Resort and Casino.
“It took several months to pull it together in 2018, and I worked with only one distributor to get it off the ground, Clifton continued. “Thanks to word of mouth, we were able to get even more people on board for 2019. This year, attendees will experience what our local distributors have to offer, along with more variety during the closing night’s Grand Tasting and some really creative cocktail and food matchups at the Sip-Savor Swagger event.”
She realized her best strategy was to think big conceptually—as she did during her years in Las Vegas—but scale it to suit the region’s demographics in terms of the trade and consumer groups.
“We wanted to do something more than import new people to Foxwoods and make it known for everything beyond gaming,” she said. “There are people living in the region who don’t know the wide variety of (hospitality) offerings we have here. We want this to become national in scope as Tales did in the beginning. While I like the idea of it growing to those kinds of numbers, I wanted Wonders to remain an experience on a more intimate scale, especially as New England is a very different place from New Orleans. We want the cocktails people will try during the festival to showcase ingredients from our local purveyors with the distinctive flavors of the area, especially as cocktail culture is constantly changing.”
According to Clifton, participating bartenders and industry pros leading the workshops and tastings embraced the opportunity to interact directly with attendees rather than operate behind a proverbial velvet rope. While she and her Foxwoods colleagues hope to bring in higher-profile mixologists and add bartending competitions in future years, they voiced their shared desire for Wonder to remain true to its New England origins.
“In our business, life is a party, and who doesn’t like a party?” asked Foxwoods Executive Chef Edward Allen. “From a business standpoint, meanwhile, this presents us a great opportunity for us to work with distributors and vendors who are just as passionate about their products as we are about the food. When you bring all of that together when putting together an event like this, it’s about creating something experiential that engages average people—our customers—to not only enjoy what we have to offer but also experiment and have fun at home with what they sample.”
Chef Edwards also likes the fact that Wonders focuses on inclusivity rather than exclusivity, allowing resort regulars and others living in the region to be a part of the spirits festival experience. “While the festival introduces them to a variety of new releases from favorite brands and artisanal spirits, it gives them an opportunity to try food and cocktails from a lot of local businesses highlight what makes New England cuisine unique,” he remarked. “The event is tailored for people living in this area, and as we discovered last year, it draws them in meriting this year’s festival. However, I would like to see people come in from elsewhere. New England has a lot to offer as a food destination, though it may not be as obvious as other areas.”
The third annual Wonder of the Cocktail will be held June 17-19, 2020. To learn more and for details on next year’s event, visit foxwoods.com/cocktail
