Bars To Go boss Patrice Wilson-McHugh recently jetted to New Orleans to attend this year’s staging of the Special Events Expo. Here’s what she has to share with you, our valued Thursday Food readers.

The Special Events Expo staged in New Orleans and my mini tour of some other areas were simply a blast!

On Tuesday night, our cocktail tour began with us visiting some of the finest bars in the French Quarter and sipping on some of the most extraordinary drink mixes there. For example, the bar at Muriel’s Jackson Square featured two of its signature cocktails: The Fleur De Lis which includes Chambord, orange juice, pineapple juice and champagne, and secondly, The Pims Cup which includes Pimm’s No 1 liqueur, fresh lemon juice simple syrup soda, water and sprite.

The second bar was the chic Tujaques Bar and the drink of choice was the Tujaque’s a – combination of vodka, home-made lemonade, and a splash of cranberry juice.

Our third stop was one of my favourites. At the Courts of the Two Sisters, I thoroughly enjoyed their drink the Bayou Bash – a melange of Southern Comfort, pineapple juice, orange juice, cherry juice, grenadine and sweet and sour mix, topped with red wine.

Our fourth stop, Hermes, which is located inside Antoine’s – the oldest restaurant in the USA, founded in 1840, was definitely another favourite. The simple, yet rich mixes complemented both the atmosphere and the city’s rich history. There I happily sipped on The Streetcar: spice rum, triple sec and lemon juice. And finally, our fifth stop was the Bombay Club where I enjoyed the signature chocolate martini. After all these great mixes I slowly made my way back to the hotel for some well-deserved recuperation.

In addition to this amazing bar crawl, my trip also incorporated an events class as well as a one-of-a-kind VIP luncheon. This trip was undoubtedly every mixologist’s dream.