During New Orleans’ tenth annual Tales of the Cocktail—a celebration that began July 25 and will last until July 29—over 20,000 bartenders, booze makers, spirits journalists, and libation enthusiasts have gathered in the Big Easy for five days of seminars, tasting sessions, competitions, lunches, and dinners. But although this may sound like a typical cocktail festival, the party involves more than just eating and drinking. This past Tuesday, a group of 70 Tales attendees volunteered to spend the day scrubbing, painting, organizing, and cleaning the KIPP Renaissance High School in East New Orleans. For the third year in a row, the Bon Vivants, a San Francisco-based events and bartending team, has put together this charity event as a means of giving back to New Orleans, a city they have come to love over the past ten years through Tales of the Cocktail. In addition to putting in the manual labor, the Bon Vivants are also giving back by doing what they do best: throwing a party.
 

Known as the Pig & Punch, this party will involve, as the name suggests, a lot of pig roasting and punch drinking. “This year we’ve got nine whole pigs in Caja Chinas, six trash cans filled with craft punch, lawn games, kickball, some other funny tricks, and epic music ripping all afternoon,” says Bon Vivants co-founder Scott Baird. But the party goes beyond simply living up to the expectations surrounding its name. “Pig & Punch is not about cocktails, it is about fun and memories and charity,” Baird explains. “All the money raised through the sales of this year’s awesome Pig & Punch shirt will be donated to the New Orleans KIPP Charter Schools—a national network of schools that we have worked with a couple of times in years past.”

In 2010, the first year of the Pig & Punch, they raised $1,600 for the schools. A year later, they reached $6,000. And with the size and scope of this year’s event demanding a double order of pigs to roast, the KIPPS Charter Schools really stand to benefit from this bartending benevolence.

If you would like to attend, simply head to Washington Square Park on Saturday, July 28. The party runs from noon until 5 p.m., and the recommended donation of $30 gets you a t-shirt and free food and drink throughout the day. All of the punch recipes are from top bartenders and liquor brands from around the country. So enjoy giving back to the community while savoring a well-balanced cocktail, complete with fresh juice and fruit, tea infusions, and premium spirits. Just be prepared to have it served to you from a garbage can (don’t worry, it’s lined!). As they say in New Orleans, le bon temp roule.

Check out the highlights from last year's event (from Lush Life Productions):