The photos are starting to come in, and here’s a few of ours to give people something to look forward to in 2012.

For more of ours, head over to Cocktailia and check out the cocktailcamp tag on Flickr to see what other people have shared.

Getting There

The Gerding Theater web site already has everything you need to know to get here by car or public transit, including local parking options. So I’ll just link to them here: Directions and parking info.

We encourage everyone to drink responsibly, so avail yourself of Portland’s great public transit if you can.

Food and Drink

Well, drink is the whole point, right? If you’ve been following along on the Cocktail Camp blog, you already know about the morning, lunchtime, and afternoon cocktail bars and social hours. Here’s a brief reminder:

• 10:30 – Lillet Meet and greet
• 1:00 – Northwest Distillery lunchtime social hour
• 3:00 – House Spirits afternoon social hour

Each cocktail hour will actually run for 90 minutes and will each feature two cocktails and a punch showcasing some of the sponsors’ products. Six drink tickets are included with your entry price and if that’s not enough, additional tickets are available for only $2 each (cocktails are half-sized, so don’t worry about having to skip some).

With all that going on, you’ll definitely need to eat something. Food will be available from the Armory Cafe, which will be open all day for everything from coffee and pastries to sandwiches, salads, and plenty of non-alcoholic drinks.

Social Media

We love social media! Everyone is encouraged to live-blog, live-tweet, or whatever else they want throughout the day.

• Use the #ccpdx hashtag on Twitter
• Tag your Flickr photos cocktailcamp and cocktailcamppdx
• Add your photos to the Cocktail Camp Facebook page

And if you post your writeups or photos anywhere else, tell @CocktailCamp via Twitter and we’ll make sure everyone else sees them. And be sure to follow us!

Afterparty

After last year’s Cocktail Camp, a bunch of us met up at Clyde Common for a sort of unofficial afterparty. That was almost as much fun as the event itself, so let’s do it again this year. They don’t know we’re coming, so we won’t have reserved tables or anything, but it’ll be early enough that fitting in shouldn’t be a problem. See you there?

Thank you

Finally, be sure to introduce yourself to the Cocktail Camp staff on Sunday. We love meeting the people who make this all possible. We couldn’t do it without you.

Like with the event itself, we went a little bigger and better this year. The Cocktail Camp 2011 programs are full of beautiful photography, information about our speakers and sponsors, and recipes for most of the cocktails and punches you’ll be drinking at the event. They’re like little mini-magazines you’ll want to keep around for a long time to come. And they are, of course, included free in your admission price.

These wouldn’t have been possible without the great work and generous support of Bridgetown Printing. Seriously, these guys are awesome.

You can see a few more photos in our Cocktail Camp 2011 photoset on Flickr.

Our afternoon social hour signals a change of pace for the remainder of the day. At the bar, you’ll be trying two cocktails and a punch from House Spirits Distillery, featuring their famous Aviation Gin and Krogstad Aquavit. Kyle Webster will be taking a break from the bar at St. Jack in order to serve these up for you as you prepare for our afternoon sessions.

Here’s what he has lined up for you:

33rd State – Krogstad Aquavit, Imbue vermouth, grapefruit, simple syrup. Served up.

Stuyvesant – Aviation Gin, Combier, lime, Bonal Gentian, Peychaud’s bitters. Served up.

Midnight Sun punch – Krogstad Aquavit, grapefruit, raspberry gum syrup, Angostura bitters

The afternoon discussions move into the direction of helping you apply the things you’ve been learning the first half of the day. Next up is Yes, You Can Entertain, in which David Shenaut and Jacqueline Patterson show you how to plan your own cocktail parties. And once you’re ready to get started, put a final flourish on your cocktail menu with some DIY Sodas, Syrups, and Bitters. Jennifer Colliau and Columbine Quillen will wrap up the day showing you how to do just this. These back-to-back DIY talks will leave you inspired and prepare you to really wow your guests (just don’t forget to invite us!).

Today is the last day for early ticket sales. Prices go up on April first (no joke, I’m afraid). If you don’t have yours yet, buy your tickets now!

Our lunchtime cocktail bar and social hour is sponsors by Northwest Distillery and will be featuring cocktails developed and poured by Nathan Gerdes, who you met in the aforementioned Art of Tasting discussion and may also know from your visits to great Portland bars such as Hotel Fifty, Thatch Tiki Bar, or the now-closed Alu. Or maybe you remember him from Cocktail Camp 2010 where he taught us the importance of water in cocktails, from choosing your ice to knowing when to shake or stir.

This time around he’ll be mixing up two cocktails and a punch showcasing some of Northwest Distillery’s products. Here’s what they’ve got on the menu:

North West Andesine – Liquid Vodka, Imbue Vermouth, Dolin Rouge Vermouth, lemon chamomile simple syrup, and a rinse of Kubler Absinthe, served up and garnished with lemon.

English Violet – Lavishmint Vodka, lemon chamomile simple syrup, Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette, served up with an edible violet.

St Helens Punch – Liquid Vodka, Cock and Bull Ginger Beer, maraschino, lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, and allspice dram.

Our first social hour of the afternoon runs from 1:00 until 2:30, with the next discussion not starting until 2:00, so you’ve got plenty of time to sample the drinks and get to know some of your fellow cocktail enthusiasts.

And don’t forget, we’re now doing six drink tickets instead of four, so your decisions will be a little easier.

Cocktail Camp tickets are still on sale but are only available at the $40 starting price until this Friday. Buy your tickets now!

The first of those reasons is our morning social hour and meet & greet, generously sponsored by Lillet. Jackie Patterson will be joining us from San Francisco to serve up some lightweight brunch cocktails to get the day started. Each of our bars throughout the day will be serving two different cocktails plus a punch.

Here’s a taste of what you can expect when you arrive in the morning:

Mont Blanc – Lillet Blanc, Solerno, Gran Classico Bitter, Fever Tree Bitter Lemon Soda. Served over ice.

Bordeaux Sunrise – Lillet Blanc, Lillet Rouge, fresh orange juice, Small Hand Foods Grenadine, sparkling wine. Served over ice.

Royal Brunch Punch – Earl Grey, Lillet Blanc, Hendrick’s Gin, Solerno, fresh meyer lemon juice, orange marmalade, soda.

At this point I’ll also mention that we’ve increased the number of drink tickets from four to six in order to ensure you get a chance to sample a couple things from each of our bars.

Doors open at 10:30am and the bar will be ready. We’ll take a short break from serving at 11:00 for some introductions as The Art of Tasting gets started, and then resume serving until noon, giving you ample time to try a couple of these.

And don’t forget to catch Jackie’s own discussion later in the day as she’s joined by Beaker & Flask’s David Shenaut to talk about entertaining and hosting your own cocktail parties.

Sound good? Buy your Cocktail Camp tickets now, while you still can!

This year’s tickets are going fast though, so you don’t want to wait too long. The early sale price of $40 will be good until April 1, at which time time admission goes up to $50. If there are any left.

So don’t put it off — Buy your Cocktail Camp tickets now. You’ll be glad you did!

Once again, here are some of the things we’ve got lined up for you:

• Meet & Greet with brunch cocktails by Lillet
• The Art of Tasting Beer and Spirits
• Beer cocktails: Why Have One When You Can Have Both?
• Northwest Distillery Social Hour and cocktail bar
• New American Whiskey
• House Spirits Social Hour and cocktail bar
• Yes, You Can Entertain!
• DIY Sodas, Syrups, and Bitters

Your ticket price covers your attendance to all of the day’s discussion panels, plus four drink tickets for the three cocktail bars that will be open throughout the day. Each bar will be serving two cocktails and a punch showcasing their spirits and talent.

Cocktail Camp 2011 will be held on Sunday, April 10, from 10:30 – 5:00.

Gerding Theater at the Armory
128 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon

Buy your Cocktail Camp tickets now!

• The Art of Tasting Beer and Spirits
• Beer cocktails: Why Have One When You Can Have Both?
• New American Whiskey
• Yes, You Can Entertain!
• DIY Sodas, Syrups, and Bitters

Each topic will feature a panel of experts and lots of Q&A, so bring your questions and your curiosity.

In addition to all that, the day will feature three cocktail bar social hours, hosted by our generous sponsors. Lillet, Northwest Distillery, and House Spirits Distillery will be showing their stuff by each preparing two cocktails and a punch for Cocktail Camp attendees. Tickets are all-inclusive, so be sure to bring your thirst as well – You won’t want to miss these!

Tickets are going on sale Wednesday, March 9. Last year sold out quickly, so don’t miss your chance this year!

This next Cocktail Camp will take place on Sunday, April 10, at the Gerding Theater (aka, “the Armory”) at 128 NW 11th Ave at Davis. Last year’s event was held at New Deal Distillery and everyone there was really great, but there are some fundamental OLCC problems with holding events like this at a distillery, all of which are going away this time around. So we’ll have a bar this year and we’re working on some other treats as well.

Another benefit of the change of venue is the Armory’s proximity to tons of lunch options and, of course, Teardrop Lounge and Clyde Common a short walk to the north and south, respectively. (Just don’t forget to come back after lunch!)

We’re now taking presentation proposals, so if you’ve got something you’d like to talk about, let us know!

Tickets and further information will be available soon. Watch this space for details.

Gerding Theater photo by James Perkins.