Writer/Blogger Seminars Announced for Portland Cocktail Week

Drink.Write is a sub-conference of Portland Cocktail Week for writers, bloggers, and other interested parties, with daytime seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday October 23 and 24. 

Drink.Write is open to all writers/bloggers/bartenders, not just those who specialize in cocktails and spirits. Just RSVP in advance, please. 

Please RSVP to camperenglish@gmail.com if you’ll be attending, and let us know if you’ll be attending both days or just Tuesday or Wednesday. We just need your name, email, and affiliation/website. 

If you've already applied to Drink.Write via the Portland Cocktail Week website and received confirmation, you still need to drop me a line so we can have an accurate count. Thanks.

 

Tuesday October 23
10:30 – 11:30 AM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Ask a Master Distiller
Have questions about distillation or Irish whiskey? We’ve got the guy with the answers. Barry Crockett, Master Distiller at Jameson, knows a thing or two about distilling, having grown up in The Distiller’s Cottage at the Old Midleton Distillery in Cork before taking on the role himself. Crockett will explain how Jameson is made, using both pot- and column-distilled spirit before aging, and we’ll open up the floor to questions about the product, Irish whiskey in general, and questions about distillation. Get as nerdy as you want!
Speaker: Barry Crockett, Master Distiller of Jameson Irish Whiskey
Sponsor: Jameson Irish Whiskey


Tuesday October 23
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Tequila Intensive
You know the difference between mixto and 100% agave tequila, and between blanco, reposado, and anejo. In this seminar, Jesus Hernandez, Master Distiller for Olmeca Altos Tequila, will provide deeper information on tequila production: How does the tahona affect the flavor of the spirit and how can you know in a blind tasting? What is the difference in flavor between Highland and Lowland tequilas? How does a professional taste? We’ll start there and learn as much as we can in this action-packed seminar.
Speaker: Jesus Hernandez, Master Distiller of Olmeca Altos Tequila
Sponsor: Olmeca Altos Tequila


Tuesday October 23
1:30 – 2:30 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
From Writer to Bartender
Have you ever thought about trying your hand at bartending? This sure-to-be lively panel will be hosted by three bloggers who made the switch either full- or part-time: Blair Reynolds of B.G Reynold’s syrups and the just-opened Hale Pele in Portland; Erik Ellestad of the Savoy Stomp blog and bartender at Heaven’s Dog in San Francisco; and Matt Robold, mild-mannered programmer by day, blogger at RumDood.com, and bartender at 320 Main in Orange County and host of the Rum Society at Cana Rum Bar in Los Angeles at night. We’ll hear stories of their greatest successes and failures and get advice on convincing bar managers to give you a chance on the other side of the bar.
Speakers: Blair Reynolds, Erik Ellestad, Matt Robold
Sponsor: Four Roses Bourbon

Tuesday October 23
2:45 – 3:45 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Make Money Blogging
This seminar will focus on the many ways to earn money by blogging and using a blog as a business hub, including advertising, affiliate links, live-tweeting, running contests, self-publishing, recipe development, sending out email newsletters, teaching classes, judging contests, sponsored coverage, and much, much more! Our speaker is Camper English of Alcademics.com, who has managed to wrangle over ten thousand bucks out of his blog this year.
Speaker: Camper English
Sponsor: Perrier


Wednesday October 24
10:30 – 11:30 AM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Drink Porn 101: Know Your ISO from Your Aperture
Create beverage photography that sings, “Drink Me.” Learn how to boost your basic photo skills so your photos grab people, build buzz and drive traffic. We'll cover photo basics & terminology, learn to build a light box in a studio setting and take pictures in low-light locations (like a dark bar). We'll discuss a few tricks for creating engaging cocktail photos such as working your environment and capturing fast-moving bartenders. We’ll talk about post-production shortcuts and solutions as well as some quick guidelines on uploading and resizing imagery. The seminar, lead by professional drink photographer Jenn Farrington (Gourmet, GQ, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wine & Spirits) is catered toward people who want introductory photo tips to quickly advance the quality of imagery they’re using to represent themselves, their brands, their bars, etc. The seminar will be lead with bloggers, bartenders & brand ambassadors in mind, however it will interest all types of photo hobbyists.
Speaker: Jennifer Farrington, Photographer at Straub Collaborative
Sponsor: Montelobos Mezcal


Wednesday October 24
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Publishing Your Book
This seminar will give you the information needed to get your book idea into print, in one of three ways. Our speakers are Dave Stolte, author of the Kickstarter-funded Home Bar Basics; Frederic Yarm, author of the self-published Drink & Tell: A Boston Cocktail Book; and Natalie Bovis, who scored a two-book deal with a traditional publisher and since published a third. We’ll hear and how and why they published the way they did and open the floor to questions.
Speakers: Dave Stolte, Frederic Yarm, Natalie Bovis
Sponsor: Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Wednesday October 24
1:30 – 2:30 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Blogger to Writer: Making a Career Out of It

The luxury of blogging is that you can write what you want when you want. The advantage of getting paid for writing is, well, money. Our panelists will spill their tips and tricks on how to approach editors, what type of stories sell best, and how to use your blog to get paid gigs. Speakers are Greg Harned, who writes for Serious Eats and The Hooch Life; Lou Bustamonte, writer for Wine & Spirits, Tasting Table, and the SF Weekly; and Paul Clarke, a contributing editor to Imbibe magazine and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Speakers: Paul Clarke; Lou Bustamonte, Greg Harned
Sponsor: Sake One

Wednesday October 24
2:45 – 3:45 PM
The Kennedy School Gymnasium
Writers and PR: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
This seminar will be a conversation between writers/bloggers and public relations professionals, with an emphasis on how we can improve our relationships and get the most out of each other. We’ll address pet peeves and what we’re doing wrong (in each others’ opinions), find out what we most want from each other, and brainstorm ways to achieve those goals. This one is gonna be goooood. Panelists are Laura Baddish of The Baddish Group, Camper English of Alcademics, Daniel Djang from ThirstyInLA.com, and another PR professional TBA.
Speakers: Laura Baddish, Camper English, Daniel Djang, TBA
Sponsor: Four Roses Bourbon

 

Bartenders attending Portland Cocktail Week are welcome to attend Drink.Write seminars - I'm sure a few of you want to publish a cocktail book or learn about photography.

The Kennedy School is a great place to get work done. You’re busy and might need to sneak out of sessions to do work for part of the day – that’s totally cool with us! The Kennedy School has free wifi, and several bars and restaurants in which to work and eat.

Do you have friends who you think might be interested in Drink.Write? We’re open to all interested parties aged 21 and older. (This is to attend seminars only, not the parties at night.) We think these sessions will be of interest not only to cocktail writers, but to food, wine, beer, and entertainment writers, all bloggers, and some to bartenders as well.

Please just let us know if you’re attending and which day(s)- we need to make sure to have enough drinks! RSVP to camperenglish@gmail.com We just need your name, email, and affiliation/website.

We hope to see you soon in Portland.