SACC and HeartGift Foundation
San Antonio Cocktail Conference and HeartGift Foundation
Couple a successful and prominent San Antonio restaurant and bar with a local non-profit that provides lifesaving heart surgery to children in other countries and you have the San Antonio Cocktail Conference.
San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2012 brought together an impressive list of dedicated experts in the fields of classic cocktails, liquors and more. Mixologists, cocktail aficionados, bar owners, locals, novices, bartenders and visitors alike, all converged in the Lone Star State for four days overflowing with cocktail culture education and good old-fashioned fun.
The 2012 event was presented by Bohanan’s, SoHo Wine & Martini Bar, Ocho Lounge at Hotel Havana, The Esquire Tavern and Rio San Antonio Cruises, and was modeled on the wildly successful Manhattan Cocktail Classic and New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail Event. With 27 classes, 31 presenters, five parties, a yoga class and a contest, the San Antonio Cocktail Conference was chock-full of tastings, seminars and events, all designed to showcase cocktail culture.
Proceeds from the conference benefited HeartGift—a group of surgeons, pediatric cardiologists, medical personnel, volunteers and host families dedicated to providing lifesaving heart surgery to disadvantaged children in developing countries where specialized treatment is scarce or nonexistent. Since its establishment in 2000, HeartGift has helped more than 140 children in 22 countries on five continents.
Conference Concept and Background
Chef Mark Bohanan opened his internationally-known restaurant, Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood, on historic Houston Street nearly 10 years ago. Since then, he has made a name for himself in the community as an extraordinary chef and innovative promoter of Downtown San Antonio.
As part of that dedication and love for the city, Bohanan took on the task of creating, planning and executing the first-ever San Antonio Cocktail Conference, which was held in early 2012. The event featured educational seminars, classes, tastings and more, with expert bartenders flying in from across the United States and even as far away as Australia. As the leader and innovator of the San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Bohanan’s goal was to remind locals of what is available to them right in their own backyards, show tourists why San Antonio is a major destination for both the leisure and business traveler, and showcase the art of classic cocktails.
Conference Details
The inaugural San Antonio Cocktail Conference was held from Jan. 26 – 29, 2012. The schedule of events was as follows:
• Thursday, Jan. 26
- Opening Night Soiree
7 p.m. – Midnight
Bohanan’s Restaurant & Bar
• Friday, Jan. 27
- Classes throughout the day at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel beginning at 11 a.m.
- Tasting rooms at Sheraton Gunter Hotel open from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- $5 cocktails in Bohanan’s Courtyard from noon – 7 p.m.
- Friday Night Soiree
7 p.m. – Midnight
Party at SoHo, downtown’s original Craft Cocktail Bar and Ocho Lounge at Havana Hotel; complimentary Rio Taxi between two parties provided to ticket holders by Rio San Antonio Cruises
• Saturday, Jan. 28
- Classes throughout the day at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel beginning at 10 a.m.
- Tasting rooms at Sheraton Gunter Hotel open from 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- $5 cocktails in Bohanan’s Courtyard from noon – 7 p.m.
- Saturday Night Soiree
7 p.m. – Midnight
The Esquire Tavern
• Sunday, Jan. 29
- CINCO Vodka Bloody Mary Brunch
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sheraton Gunter Hotel
The Results Speak for Themselves
On Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, Chef Mark Bohanan presented a check for $57,000 to HeartGift San Antonio to support two lifesaving surgeries for children from disadvantaged countries seeking heart surgeries at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital.
During the celebration held in the main lobby of Santa Rosa Hospital, attendees celebrated HeartGift surgery recipient’s Wang Nan’s fourth birthday—a birthday she may not have seen had it not been for the funds raised through the first-annual Cocktail Conference.
“The inaugural San Antonio Cocktail Conference was a bigger success than any of us could have imagined,” said Chef Mark Bohanan. “This donation simply would not have been possible without the countless number of supporters, partners, presenters and attendees that made this a reality. We are thrilled to provide such a significant contribution to HeartGift on behalf of the conference, knowing that it will save the lives of two children in need.”
The second child arrives in March 2012 for his HeartGift surgery thanks to the Cocktail Conference funds. Antushka—the youngest HeartGift patient to date, at only six months old—will travel from Mongolia with his mother.
Every child chosen by HeartGift San Antonio receives state-of-the-art pediatric surgery from doctors Dr. John Calhoon and Dr. Adil Husain and their medical staff free of charge.
“HeartGift gives our community the opportunity to personally affect the life of a child who can't get the specialized medical care they need in their home country,” said Executive Director Cathy Siegel. “Our patients come from all over the world, but I am proud to say they are taken care of right here in San Antonio. Our supporters’ dollars go directly to helping these children, and our volunteers can directly participate in the child's care.”
Planning for San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2013
Plans are well underway for the next San Antonio Cocktail Conference which will be held from January 17 – 20, 2013. With the vision to make the second conference even bigger, better and raise more money for HeartGift to save the lives of children in need, Cocktail Conference 2013 is sure to be a thrilling success.
Goals for San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2013 include partnering with additional crafted cocktail venue sites, featuring more seminars that are larger in scale, expanding the tasting rooms and brand offerings, having more participants and larger prizes for the cocktail contest, and hosting pop-up bars to showcase rising Texas bartender talents.
