In conjunction with the Tales of the Cocktail event kicking off yesterday in New Orleans, our friend Gilbert (Jo-bear) decided to write up a post commemorating the drinks of New Orleans and an adventurous evening.

There is no secret that people come to New Orleans to enjoy the nightlife, and with so many delicious drinks and establishments in which to drink them, that it can get a little overwhelming.  For that reason, I decided that I would enjoy an evening of drinking some of New Orleans’ greatest cocktails at some of the places known for making them.  My background research consisted of a little internet search and asking my friends, “Where do you get a good _______(insert drink name here)?”  Thus the tour was born.

To be sure, I am not a cocktail aficionado of any sort, although I do enjoy a drink now and then, and these are my recollections from the night many months ago.  Some of the cocktails that I imbibed that day were maiden voyages, some I have had before.  Nevertheless, I will still relate my opinions of them here.

When speaking of New Orleans cocktails, the conversation begins with the Sazerac.  Often thought of as the first cocktail, it was invented byAntoine Amédée Peychaud and is named after the Sazerac Coffee House.  Originally, it was a cognac based cocktail, but today is made with rye whiskey.  Anyway, we started our tour with a Sazerac at Drago’s in Metarie.  I’d heard they make a good one and it’s close to our house; also the charbroiled oysters are worth their own article.  I enjoyed the sazerac thoroughly, and would recommend it to anyone that likes rye whiskey or shots of Red Snapper.

Following our meal and cocktail number one, we headed to the Bridge Lounge on Magazine St. for one of their specialties, the Mojito.  It was one of the better ones that I’ve tasted in my short lifetime- not too sweet, not to sour, and extremely refreshing.

Next, we headed to Café Degas in Mid City, to throw in some more locational diversity before we headed to the Quarter.  Here we enjoyed a French 75, but not really that much.  There are various interpretations of this one, most involving gin, but we ordered the one with cognac.  I am not a huge fan, so I can’t recommend it, but it’s a quaint place nevertheless.

Now, off to the Quarter and the Napolean House on Chartres St. for a Pimm’s Cup.  I have  had many Pimm’s Cups there on previous occasions, and they are delicious, especially in the summer. Unfortunately, Napoleon House is more of a daytime place and they were closed, so we headed to Arnaud’s.

Arnaud’s is an establishment well known for its drink making. I decided to go with the Ramos Gin Fizz, which apparently was the Kingfisher’s favorite drink.  This drink dates back to the late 1800′s in New Orleans.  The drink itself can be a little risky, though, because of the egg whites, but I was indeed in good hands.  It was foamy and creamy, but moderately refreshing (that’s what she said).  The bar was not crowded, so we got some good advice on our next stop…

The Hotel Monteleone on Royal St. is popular for it’s Carousel Piano Bar.  We decided to sample the Vieux Carre, another rye whiskey based gem.  It was invented at the Carousel and I enjoyed it also.  I vaguely recall it being quite stiff, but still tasty.

Next, to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, where we weathered a Hurricane, but this one was a pleasure.  It tasted very fresh and not too sweet, as opposed to hurricanes at some other places.  It was maybe the best hurricane I ever had, but I may have been a little bit drunk by this time.  Upon finishing the hurricane, it turned out that I was kind of drunk, so the tour ended there, as we hailed a cab and took it to the house.

I hope that you are now inspired to grab some classic cocktails.  If you get a hankerin’ for any of these interesting cocktails, you have a place to start.  Please discuss.

Recipes

Vieux Carre

  • 1 teaspoon Benedictine
  • dash of Peychaud’s bitters
  • dash of Angostura bitters
  • 1/3 part rye whiskey
  • 1/3 part cognac
  • 1/3 part vermouth

Ramos Gin Fizz

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 oz heavy cream
  • 1 egg white
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar
  • couple of drops orange flower water

Sazerac

  • 2 oz rye whiskey
  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup
  • 2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • absinthe
  • lemon twist

Pimm’s Cup

  • 1 1/4 oz Pimm’s #1
  • 3 oz lemonade
  • top with 7up
  • garnish with a cucumber slice