Calling All Bartenders and Chefs for Aid to New Orleans F&B Industry

Nation's Restaurants and Bars Answer Call to Aid New Orleans Food & Beverage Industry Workers and Their Families New Orleans Food & Beverage Industry Workers and Their Families

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 1, 2005The Museum of the American Cocktail, a non-profit organization, and Southern Comfort's Tales of the Cocktail have organized a "Save New Orleans Cocktail Hour" on Monday, September 12, 2005 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm to directly benefit New Orleans food & beverage industry workers who are out of work and out of funds.

Participating restaurants and bars across the nation will serve New Orleans classics like the Sazerac and French 75 for $10 per drink between the hours of 5:00pm and 7:00pm. For a list of participating establishments, visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/cocktail200/

Receipts from those purchases will be donated to a special tax-deductible relief fund established by the Museum of the American Cocktail. And all monies received will be distributed directly to the workers and their families who apply for aid.

New Orleans' bars, restaurants, and casinos are the backbone of the tourism industrythe city's largest industry. With the devastation to home and livelihood in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of the city's hospitality workers face a pressing need in the coming monthsfunds to help rebuild their lives and their futures are sorely needed. It will take months for these businesses to become operational again and even longer before visitors, who are the source of that much-needed income, return to the Crescent City.

"We're asking the nation's food and beverage industry to donate two hours of their time and drink receipts to help their New Orleans colleagues," says Ann Rogers, organizer of the New Orleans-based Southern Comfort's Tales of the Cocktail. "We hope other cities will answer the call in the coming weeks to help these men and women rebuild their lives."

Establishments can email Katrinafund@museumoftheamericancocktail.org to pledge their support and receive further information on the "Save New Orleans Cocktail Hour" program.

Individuals, establishments, and companies wishing to contribute directly to this relief fund can send their checks to Museum of the American Cocktail, 459 Columbus Avenue, Suite 201, New York NY 10024. Make checks payable to the Museum of the American Cocktail and write the phrase "Katrina Relief Fund" on the bottom left-hand corner of the check. Donations can also be made via Paypal at http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/news/pr/KatrinaFund.html