Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/869846
september 2017 / the tasting panel / 25 TOTC B rands typically pull out all the stops— elaborate activations, fancy swag and surprise musical guests—for their time at Tales. The activation everyone was buzzing about this year was through a small, nonde- script door in the French Quarter leading to Absolut's House of Elyx. Although Elyx is only five years old, it has already taken the cocktail industry by storm—no small feat for vodka. It has also created its own lifestyle brand, from the now-ubiquitous copper pineapples to the pink-sequined turbans worn by both men and women at Tales. The activation itself was more than just cocktails: There was live music, a copper jewelry maker, a beauty salon and a mini-restaurant serving Swedish dishes. I sat down with an Elyx cocktail—served in a hefty but very Instagrammable copper squirrel, one of their new prototype serving vessels—to chat with Elyx's CEO Jonas Tåhlin. "This is our fourth year at Tales," Tåhlin explained. "This is where the industry is, where we can make an impact and show people what we're all about. I brought the best bartenders in the world here to make that happen." It's true an impressive inter- national roster had been assembled: Simone Caporale, Alex Kratena, Leo Robitschek and Tobey Cecchini, inventor of the modern Cosmopolitan, were all behind the stick. "I wanted to create a sense of culture out of Elyx," added Tåhlin. "It showcases our view of luxury, but it's not pretentious or minimal- istic." I asked Tåhlin about the challenges of being a vodka brand in a mixology world, where vodka is often looked down upon for its "odorless and tasteless" qualities. "Sure, you can filter any vodka five times, but that's going to filter out the flavor," he responded. "Good vodka should have a flavor, depending on what it's made from. Vodka has trended from tasteless, to over-flavored with artificial flavors, to us, where there's a good balance of subtle flavor. It's not a good spirit to hide. It's for spirit-forward drinks: a Vesper or Martini." Any chance of a flavored Elyx vodka? Tåhlin responds firmly: "Absolutely not. Why would I? We've perfected it; nothing needs to be added." Entering the House of Elyx The very popular copper squirrel was one of the many vessel prototypes Elyx tested at Tales of the Cocktail. Jonas Tåhlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx. PHOTO COURTESY OF ABSOLUT ELYX PHOTO COURTESY OF ABSOLUT ELYX