Replicate These NOLA-Invented Cocktails
New Orleans is home to a number of popular cocktails, and even if you don’t want to go out right now, you can replicate them in the hotel room!
Sazerac
This cocktail was first created at a pharmacy on Royal Street, and then fine-tuned at the Sazerac Coffee House. The key is to use Peychaud’s Bitters, Peychaud having invented the cocktail to suit his special bitters recipe. You can use brandy, for the original recipe, or the more typical rye whiskey, which was incorporated in 1870. To make it, rinse your chilled cup with absinthe, then muddle a sugar cube and 5 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters before adding 3 ounces rye whiskey (or brandy).
Brandy Crusta
The Brandy Crusta was invented at the Jewel Of The South in the New Orleans Exchange by Joseph Santini back in 1850. It’s widely hailed as the precursor to the 1920s favorite, the Sidecar, but the original is still popular in its own right. It can take practice to get it perfect, but you get to drink all the mistakes, so it’s still a win. Rim your cup with lemon juice and sugar, and then create a long lemon peel twist that wraps around the inside of the cup from bottom to top. Shake together 2 ounces cognac, a half ounce each of lemon juice and curacao, and a quarter ounce of maraschino liquor. Add 2 dashes of bitters (Angostura is fine, but Peychaud’s also works), and strain carefully into the cup to not disturb the lemon peel.
Hurricane
Invented at Pat O’Brien’s, the Hurricane was designed to use up excess rum post-Prohibition, and has since become a popular drink during the hurricanes that plague the city. There’s a number of ingredients involved, but it’s the simplest drink to create. Just shake together 2 ounces light rum, 2 ounces dark rum, 1 ounce lime juice, 1 ounce orange juice, a half ounce passionfruit juice, a half ounce simple syrup, and a teaspoon of grenadine for bright red color. Pour over ice and garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Pimm’s Cup
Invented by the Napolean House, it’s become impossible to get through a bayou summer without a few Pimm’s cups. Additionally, it’s very easy to make. Just combine 1.25 ounces of Pimm’s No. 1 with 3 ounces of lemonade, then add ice and top with 7-Up. Garnish with a cucumber slice and enjoy on a balcony.