Could New Orleans be considered the cradle of cocktail civilization? If you ask a New Orleanians — and more than a few cocktail aficionados — the answer is yes.
The city’s laissez-faire culture and cocktail attitude created just the right milieu for drinks such as the Grasshopper to be invented, Café Brûlot to be perfected, and the French 75 to be elevated to another level.
Here is a list of more than 11 classic New Orleans cocktails — and a shot — that were either originally concocted in the city or claimed by the city as its own.
Author’s note: I have listed restaurants where these cocktails are among their signature drinks; that said, don’t hesitate to try them elsewhere. (The exception is the Café Brûlot, where there is specific equipment needed to make it. Plus flames.)
Absinthe Frappé
A refreshing combination of absinthe, syrup and soda water with crushed ice and garnished with mint, don’t let the specter of the green fairy (absinthe) scare you away. The hallucinogenic property of absinthe is like green fairies — a fairy tale, so to speak (though too much of any alcohol will bring on visions of a sort at some point.)
The Absinthe Frappé was invented in 1874 by Absinthe Room owner and bartender Cayetano Ferrér, which makes sense as New Orleans was known as the absinthe capital of the United States during the 19th century.
Some bars replace the absinthe with Ojen, which was first produced in Spain. It also has an anise flavor, but it is sweeter and has less alcohol by volume than absinthe.
Ojen, for those in the know, is also a Carnival tradition when it is served over ice with a dash of Peychaud’s bitters.
Ojen ceased production in the 1990s. Cedric Martin of Martin Wine Cellar bought the remaining Ojen stock, and it lasted for about two decades, just about when the Sazerac Company decided to reverse-engineer it to create its own Ojen, releasing it as Legendre Ojen in 2016.
Where to find it: Peychaud’s, in the Celestine Hotel, 727 Toulouse St., thecelestinenola/peychauds
Brandy Crusta
Not only does this cocktail stand out due to the sugar-rimmed glass it’s served in, but also for its place in New Orleans culinary and cocktail history.
And it started with a lemon.
The fruit first arrived in New Orleans from Palermo in the 1830s, and by 1884, it was the third-most valuable imported commodity, behind coffee and sugar.
Who could imagine New Orleans cuisine — or cocktails — without lemons?
As it turned out, Italian immigrant Joseph Santini, who worked at the St. Louis Hotel, was experimenting with lemons in cocktails and created the Brandy Crusta.
After this, “the lemon-juice floodgates opened, and gin sours, rum soups, brandy sours and eventually whiskey sours became a nationwide phenomenon,” according to “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em,” by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake
The cocktail consists of brandy, Cointreau, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, some recipes have Angostura bitters, and is finished with sugar around the rim and a lemon twist.
It is also regarded as the forerunner of the Sidecar.
Where to find it: Jewel of the South, 1026 St. Louis St., jewelnola.com
Café Brûlot
While some popular stories say this flaming coffee cocktail — also known as Café Brûlot Diabloque — was invented by pirate Jean Lafitte, there is no direct evidence of him lighting the alcohol on fire in the swamps nor on the deck of one of his ships.
That said, who’s to say he didn’t enjoy something similar.
The base of the drink — brandy, orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, for example), cloves, cinnamon, sugar, orange and lemon peels — has its roots where Armagnac, France’s oldest brandy, is made in Gascony. The brûlot is made during the distillation period, known as “La Flame de l’Armagnac,” which runs mid-October to generally the end of January. This is when producers invite friends and the public to partake of the liquor after it’s been newly distilled. The Armaganac is not served straight up; each of the producers has a secret recipe of fruits and spices, such as cloves and cinnamon, which is stirred aflame, then served to guests.
Now the how, when and where the brûlot made the jump to the United States — and New Orleans, in particular — is still up for conjecture, as well as when the coffee was added to it.
In the late 1880s, Jules Alciatore of Antoine’s is credited with pairing the flaming brandy base with hot coffee — or as some say, the New Orleans version of the drink. Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder Antoine Alciatore, trained as a chef in France, which at that time saw a popularity with coffee cocktails, so he could have seen something similar during his training.
There is also evidence of a brûlot variation during this time: in Lafcadio Hearn’s book “Creole Cook Book” (1885), the Grand Brulé a la Boulanger (brandy, kirsch, maraschino liqueur, cinnamon and allspice) did not include coffee and sometimes included green tea and champagne
A menu from Antoine’s from 1881 had a Café Cognac on it, but it is unknown what exactly went into it — and whether it was the predecessor of Café Brûlot?
Alciatore also designed the distinctive devil-emblazoned, demitasse-style cups and saucers the drink is served in, as well as the bowl in which it’s made (the ones with the devil as the stand.)
Where to find it: The grande dames of New Orleans restaurants: Antoine’s (713 St. Louis St., antoines.com), Arnaud’s (813 Bienviile St., arnaudsrestaurant.com), Broussard’s (819 Conti St., broussards.com), Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave., commanderspalace.com) and Galatoire’s (209 Bourbon St., galatoires.com). In December, it is made at the Gilded Perch in the ParkView Hotel (7004 St. Charles Ave., parkviewguesthouse.com).
Grasshopper
This frothy bright green concoction of crème de menthe, white crème de cacao and heavy cream is having a moment as the favored drink of Kristen Wiig’s character on Apple TV+’s “Palm Royale.”
Dreamed up by Tujague’s owner Philibert Guichet in 1918 for a cocktail competition in New York City, it wasn’t until the 1950s (and post-Prohibition) that this traditional after-dinner drink took off and remained popular though the 1960s (when “Palm Royale” is set) and the 1970s, before tapering off.
Let a Grasshopper renaissance start anew!
By the way, Guichet’s Grasshopper won second-place in the competition.
Where to find it: Tujague’s, 429 Decatur St., tujaguesrestaurant.com
Hurricane
Have you truly visited (or lived) in New Orleans if you haven’t been to Pat O’Brien’s and had a Hurricane? (The answer is no.)
Sipping on a Hurricane is a rite of passage for visitors of all sorts: tourists, those who just celebrated their 21st birthday, or just want to find out what makes this cocktail so special.
The combination of light rum, dark rum, lime juice, passion fruit juice, orange juice and grenadine served in the distinctive souvenir Hurricane-lamp shaped glass (hence, its name) has proven irresistible since it was invented in the 1940s, when the bar, in order to get scarce whiskey from distributors, was told it needed to purchase quantities of Caribbean rum, which was plentiful. The general manager, George Oechsner Jr., worked with staff to figure out a drink — and voila Pat O’Brien’s signature drink hit French Quarter bar scene.
Where to find it: Pat O’Brien’s, 718 St. Peter St., patobriens.com
La Louisiane (or Cocktail à La Louisiane)
The namesake cocktail of the restaurant, which opened in 1881, La Louisiane first appeared in “Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em,”a 1937 book by Stanley Clisby Arthur.
Then it disappeared from most cocktail menus, except at the restaurant. But this combination of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters garnished with a maraschino cherry — think of it as a sweet Manhattan, or a kissing cousin of the Vieux Carré — was meant to be rediscovered by a wider audience.
La Louisiane, the restaurant, may be no more — it closed in 2005— but its drink lives on at the 21st Amendment Bar at La Louisiane, the location of the former restaurant. The 21st Amendment, enacted by Congress on Dec. 5, 1933, ended Prohibition.
Where to find it: 21st Amendment at La Louisiane, 725 Iberville St., 21stamendmentlalouisiane.com
Obituary Cocktail
Post-Prohibition, the bohemian French Quarter was in bloom. Enter Tom Caplinger, Mary Collins and Harold Barthel, who in 1933 collaborated on Café Lafitte, originally located in Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. Their establishment attracted everyone from artists to heiresses, as well as literary notable Tennessee Williams.
It was in this heady atmosphere that the Obituary Cocktail — the potent combination of gin, vermouth and absinthe — tempted cafe society.
The building was sold in 1953, but the bar’s owners moved down the block and gave their establishment a new name, Cafe Lafitte in Exile. It ultimately became the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the U.S.
Where to find it: Cafe Lafitte in Exile, 901 Bourbon St., lafittes.com
Ramos Gin Fizz
A complex cocktail that is worth the time and care to make it, the Ramos Gin Fizz made its presence known in 1888 by Henry Charles “Carl” Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon.
Gin (preferably a London Dry, but Ramos most likely used an Old Tom at the time), simple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, orange flower water, soda water, heavy cream and egg white somehow combine to a frothy, citrusy cocktail.
Besides its interesting combination of ingredients, its legend was cemented by the rumored 12 to 15 minutes the cocktail needed to be shaken before being served. It is said that Ramos, during a busy Carnival, would bring in 30 bartenders who would spend their time shaking the cocktail to keep up with the demand.
Today’s bartenders have mastered the shake to anywhere between 45 seconds to two minutes and 30 seconds.
Where to find it: Cure, 4905 Freret St., curenola.com
Roffignac
While some mayors of New Orleans remain forgotten among the general public, for cocktail enthusiasts the 10th mayor of the city, Count Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac, is memorable.
The Roffignac is a mixture of Armagnac (some recipes use cognac, others use whiskey), raspberry shrub (raspberries, cold water, white sugar and white vinegar) with soda water and fresh raspberries.
As with many New Orleans cocktails (or cocktails in general), there are a number of theories of when it was concocted — most say before 1874 with Roffignac, who passed away in 1846, involved in its creation or was the inspiration for it; others say it was named after a cognac brand.
The drink was popularized at Mannessier’s Confectionery (closed in 1914) and became the house cocktail of Maylie’s Restaurant, a well-known Creole-French restaurant founded in 1876 and closed in 1986.
It fell out of favor and was briefly forgotten, but it should be comforting to Roffignac’s ghost that this combination of remains refreshing and has found new life at local bars and beyond.
Where to find it: Chandelier Bar, Four Seasons Hotel, 2 Canal St., fourseasons.com/neworleans
Sazerac
After the Hurricane, the Sazerac is the cocktail probably most associated with New Orleans. It was, after all, named by the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2008 as “the official cocktail of the City of New Orleans.”
It was created sometime in the 1850s as one of many cocktails made by bartenders at the Sazerac Coffee House — in the 19th century, coffee houses were often another name for a saloon — using Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac, which it imported, hence, the drink’s name.
While the original recipe was Cognac (brandy), simple syrup and Peychaud’s bitters, the “first” official recipe of the cocktail has absinthe added to it, which was used until 1912 when the liqueur was banned in the United States. In its place, Herbsaint, which was invented in New Orleans by J. Marion Legendre and Reginald Parker, was (and still often is) used in its place.
There were other changes in the cocktail, as well. Rye whiskey, made in the United States, started making an appearance in the late 19th century (around 1885 or so) in place of the brandy when Cognac as well as other liquors from Europe became scarce because of a phylloxera epidemic that killed the grapes.
Where to find it: Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel,130 Roosevelt Way, therooseveltneworleans.com; Sazerac House, 101 Magazine St., sazerachouse.com
Vieux Carré
Rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine liqueur, aromatic bitters and garnished with a maraschino cherry or lemon twist is what makes up the Vieux Carré cocktail, which coincidentally was initially created in the city’s Vieux Carré, of course.
Walter Bergeron, a bartender at the Hotel Monteleone’s Swan bar, which was transformed into the Carousel Bar, dreamed up the cocktail in the 1930s.
Where to find it: Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., hotelmonteleone.com
Wait, They Weren’t Created In New Orleans?
Cocktails associated with New Orleans but have origins elsewhere.
Brandy Milk Punch
Sometimes described as a “boozy milkshake,” the milk punch’s roots are in merry old England.
But it was in the South, New Orleans in particular, that the brandy milk punch came into its own as no jazz brunch or Mardi Gras morning is complete unless it starts with this eye-opener of brandy, whole milk (or cream), vanilla extract and simple syrup over ice and topped with freshly grated nutmeg.
Where to find it: Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave., commanderspalace.com
French 75
There is an eternal debate of what makes a good French 75: some say gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar; others say brandy instead of gin is the way to go.
Its origin story starts in World War I in France, and this potent cocktail was named after a powerful new weapon, a Canon de 75 modéle 1897, known colloquially as the Soixante-Quinze,aka the French 75 — the kick of the drink being that of the field gun.
Early recipes had it consisting of gin, apple jack brandy (some used Calvados) and grenadine. Others used absinthe; champagne was added later.
Arnaud’s kicked off its Crescent City renaissance in 2003, when it renamed its Grill Bar the French 75, and the eponymous drink — using brandy (actually Cognac) instead of gin — was served.
In the gin vs. brandy debate, let your tastebuds be your guide — just remember, the drink will still be strong.
Where to find it: Arnaud’s, 813 Bienville St., arnaudsrestaurant.com
Pimm’s Cup
This favorite at the Napoleon House was actually invented sometime in the mid-1800s in London by bartender and oyster bar owner James Pimm. His combination for Pimm’s No. 1 — gin, herbs and liqueur — was created to aid in the digestion of oysters.
The Napoleon House got into the action in the 1940s, and its version of a Pimm’s Cup adds house-made lemonade and a splash of lemon-lime soda to Pimm’s No. 1 and is garnished with a cucumber slice.
Where to find it: Napoleon House, 500 Chartres St., napoleon house.com
Infamous New Orleans Cocktails
When you think of Bourbon Street (or the French Quarter in general) and drinking, these are the cocktails (in addition to the Hurricane) people imbibe before making questionable decisions.
Flaming Dr. Pepper Shot
Many youths — and the young-at-heart — have wandered into the Gold Mine Saloon to partake of the Flaming Dr. Pepper Shot: it starts with shot glass in which amaretto is topped with 151-proof rum (layered, so the two don’t mix), then lit on fire and dropped in a mug of beer. (The flame goes out.) The result is a drink that tastes like Dr. Pepper soda, but with a stronger kick.
There are two claims to the origin of this drink. One is that it was invented by Luke Cemino at the Ptarmigan Club in Bryan, Texas, in the mid-to-late 1970s. As the club was near Texas A&M University, it’s said that the drink’s popularity spread throughout the United States when students traveled or by those visiting the bar brought the concoction home.
The Gold Mine Salon, though, says hold my flame: in 1986, while helping his mother run the Gold Mine Saloon, Dave Brinks created a “shot” menu, including one that tasted like his favorite drink, Dr. Pepper. Despite the dueling theories, New Orleanians know the Gold Mine is where this drink’s flame was first lit!
Where to find it: Gold Mine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., facebook.com/goldminesaloon
Hand Grenade
This drink exploded onto the New Orleans cocktail scene when Tropical Isle, which opened its doors in 1984, created a bright green melon-flavored drink — its precise ingredients remain a secret —served in the bar’s signature green Hand Grenade cup.
Where to find it: Tropical Isle, 600 Bourbon St., tropicalisle.com (the bar has other establishments, so go to the site to see where)
Voodoo Daiquiri
Also known as “purple drank,” this high-octane purple-hued daiquiri is known to put a spell on tipplers and can only be found at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, named after the pirate Jean Lafitte.
What’s in it besides ice? The recipe is a secret, but rumor has it that its Everclear and bourbon are among the ingredients that fuel this spirited drink.
Where to find it: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. 941 Bourbon St., lafittesblacksmithshop.com
About the author:
Sue Strachan is the writer of “The Café Brûlot,” and the upcoming “The Obituary Cocktail,” both from LSU Press.
Want to learn more about cocktails? Check out the LSU Press Iconic New Orleans Cocktail book series (as of September 2024):
- “The Absinthe Frappé” by Marielle Songy
- “The Café Brûlot” by Sue Strachan
- “The French 75” by John Maxwell Hamilton
- “The Roffignac” by Robert F. Moss
- “The Sazerac” by Tim McNally
- “The Vieux Carré” by John DeMers
Upcoming books in the series include: “The Brandy Milk Punch” by Sharon Keating and Christi Keating Sumich and “The Obituary Cocktail” by Sue Strachan.
Another great book about New Orleans cocktails is:
• “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em” by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake.
