Bucket List: New Orleans Cocktails
Are you searching for an authentic New Orleans cocktail? Are you on the hunt for cocktails invented in New Orleans? Read on for our detailed bucket list of the best cocktails in New Orleans and the stories behind them.
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You Have to Try These New Orleans Cocktails
People have always flocked to New Orleans for the food, music, unique blend of cultures, parades... and the adult beverages.
While to-go cocktails and styrofoam-encased frozen drinks can be found literally on every street corner these days, did you know that the Big Easy's reputation for inventing slinging delicious craft cocktails stretches back well before the Prohibition era?
Get ready to delve into some of New Orleans’ must-try boozy beverages and the history behind them! Cheers!
Sazerac
This wouldn’t be much of a piece on New Orleans cocktails if it didn’t mention the sazerac right out of the gate!
Arguably the most famous New Orleans cocktail, the sazerac is a delightfully boozy blend of rye whiskey, absinthe (or herbsaint), rich simple syrup (sugar to water ratio, two to one), and Peychaud's Bitters.
The devilishly strong concoction is the brainchild of apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud circa the late 1830s. According to Eater, “[The sazerac] was then popularized at Sazerac Coffee House, a saloon on Exchange Place in the French Quarter. The drink and eventually its primary source were named for the brand of Cognac that favored the drink, Sazerac de Forge et Fils.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Hurricane
With all the styrofoam cups and touristy hoopla surrounding the Hurricane, it can be hard to remember this notorious New Orleans cocktail actually dates back to the 1940s. History (or rumor) has it that Benson "Pat" O’Brien and Charlie Cantrell invented the sweet, boozy beverage when their "liquor distributor would only sell them other booze if they agreed to take 50 cases of rum they didn't want."
Thus, the powerful blend of rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice was born, and it's been a French Quarter staple beloved among tourists (and causing fierce hangovers) ever since.
Pimm’s Cup
Did you know that one of the Pimm's Cup, one of the most iconic New Orleans cocktails, is actually a British creation? James Pimm, the owner of a popular London oyster bar, created the gin-based cocktail sometime between 1823 and 1840. That first version of the Pimm's Cup featured gin, quinine, and various herbs. It was also billed as a digestive aid.
The drink soon took off and later rose to fame in the Big Easy in the 1940s, thanks to the Napolean House's refreshing take on the British original and sweltering NOLA summers. A New Orleans Pimm's Cup contains gin, lemonade, Seven Up, and a cucumber garnish, and it's significantly lower in alcohol than some of the Crescent City's more infamous libations, like the Sazerac or Hurricane.
Absinthe Frappé
Any cocktail that received the stamp of approval from Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde is a must-try, especially when the base spirit is absinthe.
Did you know absinthe’s nickname is the green fairy because it purportedly can cause hallucinations? Whether because of or despite this fact, absinthe became wildly popular in New Orleans in 1846.
In 1874, mixologist Cayetano Ferrer created the Absinthe Frappe, one of New Orleans' signature cocktails, from a mix of herbsaint, anisette, and soda water over ice with a sprig of mint.
Vieux Carre
The Vieux Carre was invented in the 1930s by Walter Bergeron, who named it for the "old square" in the French Quarter. At the time, Bergeron was employed by the Monteleone Hotel, which is now home to the Carousel Bar, one of New Orlean's most notorious cocktail bars. The Vieux Carre is equal parts rye whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth with two types of bitters, so by the time you've finished one, it'll be hard to tell if it's the Carousel Bar that's spinning!
Daiquiri
Upon hitting Bourbon Street for the first time (decades ago; I'm old), I couldn't help but wonder, "What's up with New Orleans and all the daiquiris?"
Daiquiris are easily of the most popular New Orleans cocktails, due in part to the intense heat and humidity, and in part because of lax open container laws and the prevalence of drive-thru daiquiri spots. Even if you're not much of a frozen drink aficionado, ice is a survival tool during a NOLA summer.
New Orleans daiquiris took hold in the 1970s after the invention of the frozen margarita machine, but they bear slight resemblance to the Cuban cocktails from which they borrow their name. While a Cuban cocktail is a blend of rum, citrus, and sugar, the New Orleans daiquiri is basically any sort of sweet, frozen alcoholic beverage.
Brandy Crusta
New Orleans crushed it when it came to pre-Prohibition cocktails, and the Brandy Crusta is another NOLA signature that's stood the test of time.
Bartender Joseph Santini invented the Brandy Crusta at Jewel of the South sometime during the mid-1800s. The balanced blend of brandy, maraschino liqueur, curaçao, fresh lemon juice, and bitters with a sugared rim is also thought to be the precursor to the equally popular Sidecar cocktail.
Ramos Gin Fizz
What’s a Ramos Gin Fizz, and why is it a must-try New Orleans cocktail? The Ramos Gin Fizz is Charles “Carl” Ramos’s creative take on the classic gin fizz, which he invented at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans back in 1888. This beloved NOLA beverage combines gin, citrus, simple syrup, egg white, heavy cream, orange flower water, and club soda, and legend has it,
“Ramos employed a chain of “shaker men” in his bar to meet the constant demand from locals and tourists, who had become enamored with the labor-intensive cocktail. Supposedly, each drink was shaken for between 12 and 15 minutes, which we can all agree is a lot of minutes.”
Brandy Milk Punch
Interesting fact: there are two types of brandy milk punch in this world. The oldest involves straining curdled milk out of your drink. Thanks, but no thanks.
The other, a tasty mix of milk and spirits, has been a New Orleans signature since the 18th century. A New Orleans brandy milk punch frequently contains "whole milk, ground nutmeg, a sweetening agent (either simple syrup or powdered sugar), brandy, or bourbon, and sometimes a splash of heavy cream and a touch of vanilla extract."
New Orleans French 75
The first time I ordered a French 75 in New Orleans, I was dumbfounded when the bartender asked if I would prefer gin or cognac. The classic French 75, named for a type of cannon, features gin, champagne, sugar, and lemon juice.
In New Orleans, however, they jazz up the French 75 by swapping gin for cognac. This delightful French 75 can be found throughout the Big Easy, but Arnaud's French 75 Bar certainly put it on the map and remains a must-visit destination.
Grasshopper
My favorite kind of grasshopper is the one created by Philibert Guichet, not the scary kind that launches itself unexpectedly out of tall grass.
Philibert Guichet was the drink-slinging genius who came up with the Grasshopper in 1918 for a cocktail competition in New York City. Though the concoction of white and dark crème de cacao, brandy, green and white crème de menthe, and heavy whipping cream placed second in that cocktail competition, it placed first in the hearts of Guichet’s native New Orleans, and the cocktail has been a mainstay at Tujague’s and other craft cocktail bars ever since.
Café Brulot Diabolique
While Starbucks may have popularized the flavor of burnt coffee in modern times, New Orleans has been sipping on Café Brulot Diabolique or "Devilishly Burned Coffee" since the late 1880s. Jules Alciatore, the son of Antoine's Restaurant's owner, was purportedly "inspired by French bon vivants who would drown a sugar cube in Cognac and place it over an open flame before extinguishing it in a cup of hot coffee."
The flaming libation (yes, it's served alight) is a popular menu item at New Orleans hotspots such as Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Arnaud's, among others. Be ready for a fiery tableside show when you order this blend of chicory coffee, brandy, triple sec, sugar, and cinnamon!
What are your favorite New Orleans cocktails and bars in New Orleans? Leave ‘em in the comments below!
