Bar & Restaurant Expo Recap

How are we seriously already in June?! It's been a couple months since this year's Bar & Restaurant Expo, and here I am finally reflecting on another amazing time. Better late than never I suppose?

Not familiar with the Bar & Restaurant Expo? It's an expo held annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center which spans two days (three if you count the key-note speakers and lectures), showcasing all the latest and greatest in the Food and Beverage industry. The sprawling show floor covers everything from restaurant equipment and furnishings, tasty food samples, the newest alcohol brands and trends, cocktail competitions, tea from around the world, and more! It really can be overwhelming, but it's so much fun!

Some of my favorites that were new to me this year included:

1845 Distilling Co. Preemption Bourbon- grain to glass whiskey out of Texas

Cazcanes Tequila- each bottle was delicious and unique. I found it really interesting that they had three variations of their Blanco tequila, each with a different age statement

Deschutes Non-Alcoholic Beers- I was blown away by how their NA IPA tasted just like the alcoholic version side by side!

Sun Cruiser Iced Tea Vodka- great summertime canned drinks. I loved combining the iced tea with the lemonade for a simple, boozy Arnold Palmer

What was also different this year is that they moved a lot of the booths (including the Japan Showcase, Tea Pavilion, Italian Showcase) upstairs, which definitely helped spread things out more and give you a little more space to walk down the aisles.

You must be in the F&B industry to be able to purchase tickets, so anyone from restaurant or bar owners, GMs, bartenders, or servers can attend. It's always a great event with so much to see, so I recommend getting a pass for both days so you can take it all in. Cheers!