I attended WordCamp Portland last weekend, a technical “unconference” for WordPress users and developers, and the subject of cocktails came up. It all started when one of the conference organizers mentioned that she holds the number one Google search result slot for the phrase “best mojito”. This naturally led to talk of recipes and a “Mojito Smackdown”, where we could determine who actually makes the best one. This conversation quickly turned to whiskey and a “Manhattan Smackdown” and at that point we decided we needed to host our own conference.

Enter Cocktail Camp

Out of this conversation came Cocktail Camp, an social event for those interested in craft mixology, both at home and professionally, and a discussion of mixing techniques, specialty ingredients, and the other mixological arts.

What’s an unconference?

An unconference is an ad-hoc, participant-driven conference centered around a specific theme or purpose. It features workshop-style events whose content is provided by participants. Sessions are determined in the morning, usually by discussion among the attendees, and then attended by whoever is interested in the topic at hand. With no fixed schedule, everyone is free to discuss whatever interests them and the results is two-way conversation rather than the one-to-many presentations that most conferences offer. With this format, you’re pretty much guaranteed to meet interesting people and learn new things.

Interested?

Cocktail Camp is still in the very early planning stages. We’re still trying to gauge the interest to see if it’s even feasible. It’s looking good though, so hopefully we can make it happen. It will be held in Portland, Oregon.

Interested in attending or getting involved? Watch the Cocktail Camp blog for details. We’re currently brainstorming topic ideas, venues, and sponsors, feel free to join the conversation by adding your own comments as well. With your help, we can make this happen.

See you in Portland!