Pop up Pop Shop!

In June, a pop up bar called The Pop Shop, debuted at the newly opened St. Lawrence in the French Quarter. The invitation promised homage to classic 1950s soda shops, while also exploring the current trend of carbonating cocktails.

The Pop Up restaurant trend has prompted
local bartending professionals to adapt
the concept to Pop Up cocktail bars.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Steve Yamado, of R’evolution and one of the talents behind the Alchemy Lounge, along with his business partner Sam Kane of Victory Bar. In keeping with the soda shop theme, Yamado donned a white paper hat, black bow tie and white short sleeved oxford.

There were six bottled soda cocktails and each one was delicious in its own right. Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 made the bottled 7-UP, which was described as a truly modern mojito. Highly ironic given that Hannah hates mojitos, not for their taste, but the sound of the word mojito. Despite his dislike for the word, Hannah made a delicious and refreshing one.

"The concept for the Pop Shop was a fun and creative idea," said Ann Tuennerman, founder of Tales of the Cocktail, a five-day spirits festival which kicks off July 25 in New Orleans. "It's great to see young, talented bartending professionals making a statement in the craft cocktail community."

Another drink was the Grape Soda, which was made with bourbon, sweet vermouth, grape syrup and lime.

“The idea to do a pop up cocktail bar was in following with the pop up restaurant trend, which is becoming more popular in New Orleans,” said Kane. “We hope to get guests that may not have necessarily visited a craft cocktail bar.”

Creativity is synonomous with Tales of the Cocktail,
which celebrates its 10th Anniversary during the
kick off, July 25 in New Orleans.

Yamado and Kane’s Alchemy Lounge has been popping up in neighborhood restaurants from time to time and the word is spread through Facebook invites and from person to person in the know.

“Ultimately, I’d love to have my own bar, with my own liquor license and have the ability to order whatever liqueurs I want to serve,” said Yamado. “But for today, I’m enjoying working at R’evolution and doing the Alchemy Lounge project at private parties and special events.”

Tales of the Cocktail offers countless educational seminars aimed to inform and inspire industry professionals, bartending professionals and restaurateurs through a track of seminars including: From Cocktail Napkin to Cocktail Bar: Open your own bar; The Ups and Downs of Running Multiple Venues; Building a World Class Bar Team and many others.