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Home , Fizz (cocktail), French 75 (cocktail), French Quarter, Grasshopper (cocktail), Hurricane (cocktail), Paradise (cocktail)

CITY LIFE Slick new drinking dens, booze festivals and a mixology museum are stepping things up in America’s capital. WORDS: Jonathan Thomson PHOTOGRAPHS: Susanne Kremer & James Breeden

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ver the years, plenty of plaintiffs drinks historian and author, as well as the Mardi Gras // New have toasted victories on the steps owner of the Drink & Learn tour company O of the Supreme Court, but — is at pains to point out between her Orleans hosts the few like this. captivating tales of rum and rebellion. “Congratulations, you made it!” says “We’ve been a celebrated destination for biggest Mardi Gras Elizabeth Pearce, our tour guide, as we stand drinking, partying and generally having celebrations in the in a slightly sloshed semicircle near the a good time since the early 18th century,” entrance. “If you look across the , you’ll she says, as we drain our sazeracs and sway US, with parties and see the exact spot where apothecary Antoine down the court steps together. “The French Peychaud first mixed his famous bitters, ruled Louisiana back then, and they had a parades lasting for and the cocktail began. Now grab certain laissez-faire attitude to the rules two weeks before the the green container in your bag, and let’s all here in New Orleans, which created a psyche drink a sazerac in his honour.” that’s still alive and well today. We’re a port grand bead-spangled This is our third delicious, cooling city too, of course, which means all kinds cocktail on a sweltering summer afternoon of different influences — and all kinds of finale on Shrove in New Orleans, as we wind towards the different spirits — were arriving from all Tuesday, centred on denouement of The Cocktail Tour, which over the world, all of the time. Particularly zigzags through the city’s hectic French every type and taste of rum, from places the French Quarter Quarter. Over the past couple of hours, we’ve like Jamaica, the Bahamas and Barbados. explored the historic, labyrinthine lanes People used to joke that New Orleans was the at the heart of this city, with their squeeze Caribbean’s northernmost city.” of Creole townhouses, hidden courtyards Throw in the invention of the first ice- and cast-iron balconies with intricate, making machine right here in Louisiana’s filigree detailing — walking with increasing biggest city, plus the presence of innovators confidence as we slip each pre-prepared like Peychaud — ready to mix ‘restorative’ drink from our ingenious, tool belt-style herbal bitters with booze to help the CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Streetcar cocktail carriers. To be frank, we look like medicine go down — and you have the on Canal Street, a a bevy of boozy builders — all we need is a perfect environment for the birth of one of thoroughfare; , the few screwdrivers to complete the look — but the world’s finest cocktail scenes. raucous heart of the French Quarter; nobody seems to mind in the slightest. After Now that legacy has a new focal point Kiah Darion, general manager of Bar Marilou, serves a la luz cocktail through all, this is the Big Easy, famously America’s — a magnificent new temple to the art of a hatch in the wall of the ‘speakeasy’ most laid-back city. cocktail-making, located on the edge of the room; neon sign on Bourbon Street But New Orleans isn’t just renowned for its French Quarter: Sazerac House. advertising po’ boy sandwiches relaxed attitude; it’s also the spiritual home A palatial, three-story edifice, the grand, PREVIOUS PAGES: Early evening revelry of the cocktail, a fact that Elizabeth — a airy museum, on the corner of Canal and on Bourbon Street

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Magazine , contains all manner of The man behind this extraordinary Easy does it // interactive exhibits exploring the beloved (and multi-award-winning), cavernous bar rye whiskey sazerac itself — which became — vaulted of ceiling and vaunted of New Orleans has no the official cocktail of New Orleans by reputation — is local entrepreneur and state decree in 2008 — as well as the city’s lifelong New Orleanian, Neal Bodenheimer. shortage of nicknames, revered bar culture. Lifesize, hologrammatic “There’s an entire category of but stories abound as bartenders help you to select cocktails, while that originated right here in New Orleans, interactive displays allow you to delve deeper including the sazerac, the , the la to how it earned its — sampling flavours and smells to create louisiane, the and the your perfect blend. Meanwhile, there are — and that gives us a completely unique status best-known moniker, demonstrations to observe — and tastings to among American cities,” says Neal. “We’ve ‘The Big Easy’. One enjoy — on every floor, a working distillery always had this deep-rooted appreciation of to explore and a reconstructed apothecary spirits, fortified wines and cocktails, and after theory is that it came to visit, actively blending and using Katrina, that all came back with a vengeance. Peychaud’s famous bitters (still seemingly Cocktail culture became an integral part from The Big Easy, the foundation of half the cocktails in this of the city’s attempt to rediscover its own a former music hall, city) using his original secret recipe from identity, and that makes a lot of sense, because the 1830s. cocktails unite us in a very real way. They’re and soon began to be The museum is a game-changing addition a simple luxury we can gift to ourselves and to New Orleans, and a major milestone in to each other, in good times and in bad. And used to refer to the city an ongoing resurgence of cocktail culture that’s a belief we built Cure upon.” here, in the aftermath of 2005’s devastating Cure proved an effective shot in the arm as a whole, thanks to . for Freret, which was desolate and down on its ‘gentle pace of life its uppers a decade ago but is now a bustling LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL corridor boasting 15 booming bars and and lax morals’, as If you ask those in the know which restaurants that attracts a stylish evening establishment was the trailblazer for the crowd of well-heeled young professionals. one newspaper put it city’s current cocktail renaissance, the Then Neal went a step further, founding an in 1887 majority will point you towards a renovated international festival, Tales of the Cocktail. former fire station in Uptown, about a Held each July at bars, hotels and event 15-minute drive south west of the boisterous venues, and serving also as the world’s largest LEFT: Coffee shop Café du Monde first French Quarter. Here, in the eight-block cocktail conference, it attracts thousands opened in 1862 neighbourhood of Freret, you’ll find what of leading mixologists and industry figures, ABOVE: Café du Monde’s beignets are many consider another bona fide sanctuary further cementing the city’s status as the famous city-wide and are best served of mixology: Cure. world’s cocktail capital. with a café au lait

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FROM LEFT: Saint Louis in Jackson Square, French Quarter; Dominican musician Fermín Ceballos performs at the rooftop bar of the Ace Hotel New Orleans

Q&A with Chris Hannah, Jewel Of The South Bar

“In many ways, we’re the bearers of the of the Ol’ Man River, where the water gently INSIDER TIPS WHEN DID NEW ORLEANS’ torch now,” says Neal. “This is a festival kisses the French Quarter by Jackson Square, Top 8 COCKTAIL RESURGENCE BEGIN? that’s grown out of the new craft cocktail that Elizabeth’s cocktail tour finally ends. The locals love their sugar-dusted I’d say around 2005 or 2006, after Hurricane Katrina, when movement in New Orleans, but we now “The Mississippi informs this whole city, as beignets (square doughnuts). COCKTAIL BARS the Tales of the Cocktail have 96 countries involved and counting, does death,” she states dramatically, as we sip Head to Café du Monde, on festival really took off. The best so it’s become way, way bigger than we ever our fourth cocktail — a spicy rum hurricane Decatur Street, for the perfect bartenders from all over the dreamed. Before the pandemic, the event was — in the swollen heat of early evening. “This example — ideally served with CURE CAROUSEL BAR & LOUNGE country would travel here for bringing 15,000 visitors into the city every entire town was hacked out of a snake- coffee — to start your BEST FOR: TOP-DRAWER DRINKS BEST FOR: SPINNING TALES that — and then they started year. And we hope that we’re going to pick up infested swamp, and that breeds a certain morning with. cafedumonde.com Housed in a magnificent Edwardian former Part drinking establishment, part staying. When I first came to exactly where we left off post-Covid.” macabre mentality; if you could drop dead at fire station, Cure opened its doors in 2009, fairground ride, the Carousel Bar at New Orleans, I was floored by It’s not just Tales of the Cocktail that’s any moment, why not have another drink?” Leave at least two to three hours reigniting the Freret neighbourhood and the has been a New the amazing amount of options successfully muddled mixology and Elizabeth’s logic makes sense, particularly for The National WWII Museum. sparking New Orleans’ current cocktail Orleans staple since 1949. Its centrepiece in terms of drinks here. , either. Plenty of other festivals in a city obsessed with voodoo and It’s particularly strong on the renaissance. Still considered one of the finest is a 25-seat, circular bar built into a grand, HOW ENTWINED ARE COCKTAILS have emerged in its wake, including a winter otherworldliness, where the bayou landscape D-Day landings and the final push mixology spots in town, the cocktail menu gold-and-red merry-go-round, which takes WITH LOCAL CULTURE? counterpart, Tales of the Toddy, and Love in means the cemeteries must all be built above to Berlin. nationalww2museum.org here seeks to reinvent the classics while 15 minutes to make a complete turn. Famed Very. We’ve had more drinks The Garden, held in the stately grounds of ground, becoming grisly yet exquisite tourist rebooting long-forgotten gems. The elite for its Vieux Carré cocktail (rye whiskey, invented here than in any other the New Orleans Museum of Art. The hotel spots in their own right. Not to mention the Few drinking establishments in ‘reserve cocktails’ (referred to informally , sweet vermouth, Benedictine and city in the country. This place has industry is getting in on the act too, with a fact that one of New Orleans’ most popular the French Quarter open early, as ‘baller cocktails’) are a particular treat, bitters). The trick is to make each drink last a an old soul, and many of these raft of stylish new boutique hotels popping attractions is the Museum of Death, set on the but Erin Rose, a cosy Irish bar on particularly the 1980s , made with full two turns — and to recognise when your cocktails have old souls too. It up across town, complete with their own French Quarter’s celebrated Dauphine Street. Conti Street, serves its famous genuine vintage Plymouth Gin from this head starts spinning faster than the bar. all ties together beautifully with the architecture, the jazz and craft cocktail bars. These include the Laissez les bons temps rouler (‘let the and moreish frozen decade. curenola.com hotelmonteleone.com the unique sense of romance decadent Bar Marilou, at Maison de La Luz, good times roll’) is New Orleans’ unofficial from 10am, whether and nostalgia here. Everything in the Warehouse District; the eclectic, slogan, and that decadent, to-hell-with- you’re recovering from the night JEWEL OF THE SOUTH THE CHLOE sits together perfectly: the tiki-inspired The Elysian Bar, at Hotel Peter it attitude jumbles together many of the before or starting early on the BEST FOR: RESURRECTED CLASSICS BEST FOR: PORCH SUNDOWNERS backdrop, the soundtrack — and and Paul, in the Marigny (set in a converted city’s obsessions, including its rampant night ahead. erinrosebar.com An elegant tavern tucked into an old Lying on an oak-lined avenue in the city’s the cocktails. church complex); and the newest of them rediscovery of cocktail culture. Creole cottage in a tranquil corner of the bucolic Garden District, boutique hotel The all, the creation of adored hipster hotelier There’s an old Creole proverb you’ll often New Orleans is famed for its po’ French Quarter, Jewel of the South is a Chloe opened in October 2020. At its heart WHAT MAKES A GREAT COCKTAIL? Liz Lambert — the breezy, effortlessly cool hear in these parts too: ‘Tell me whom you boy sandwiches; an alternative treat just to sit in, never mind drink in. is an understated but outstanding cocktail The balance of ingredients: spirits that were thought about Lounge, at the Hotel Saint Vincent, love and I’ll tell you who you are’. The people Creole lunch is a hot muffuletta, The brainchild of co-owner Chris Hannah bar, where you should grab a delicious pre- before they were put together, in the Lower Garden District. here (in a city most Americans consider to be a cross between a multilayered — one of the doyens of the city’s cocktail dinner drink (ask bar manager Matt Sorbet and carefully considered All of these disparate, colourful a national treasure) truly love their cocktails, sandwich and a pizza slice. scene — its menu changes monthly, but to mix yours, but don’t let him hustle you proportions. Plus, a good neighbourhoods are laced together by a and that’s because they’re from the new Enjoy one in all of its delicious, always contains the house special, at dominoes), before moving to the rocking cocktail always needs to have a single steel ribbon — the New Orleans; the light-hearted, fun-loving gooey glory at the crusta: a refreshing blend of Cognac and chairs on the picture-perfect front porch. It’s good story to tell. — which winds and weaves itself through post-Katrina city that can’t wait to get the House in the French Quarter. citrus, garnished with peel and a a great spot to toast a New Orleans sunset in New Orleans. It’s near the gleaming banks post-Covid party started. napoleonhouse.com sugared rim. jewelnola.com true Big Easy style. thechloenola.com

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ESSENTIALS

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Getting there & around British Airways is the only airline flying direct between London and New Orleans, with six flights a week during peak season. ba.com Average flight time: 9.5h. It’s easy to cover the French Quarter on foot, but if you’re planning to visit the city’s other neighbourhoods, it’s wise to use an Uber or Lyft account (especially if you’re drinking cocktails). Alternatively, anyone can ride the public streetcar with an exact fare of $1.25 Head bartender Brooke Flaherty mixes a drink (90p) each way, or you can buy an at Erin Rose, an Irish bar in the French Quarter official Jazzy Pass, which allows unlimited rides for one, three or five days. These can be bought at local convenience stores or via the New BAR PEYCHAUD’S Orleans Regional Transit Authority’s app. norta.com/fares-passes BEST FOR: OLD-WORLD CHARM BEST FOR: OUTDOOR DRINKING Oozing historical elegance, drinkers flock This sleek, stylish establishment — the When to go to this refined establishment — part of latest French Quarter cocktail bar — from February-May is the best time to visit feted French restaurant Arnaud’s — for the team behind Cure is situated in the New Orleans — coinciding with many of its eponymous signature French 75 former home of Antoine Peychaud, the its biggest festivals (including Mardi cocktail: a delicate blend of Cognac and father of the sazerac. Just a few yards from Gras) and before the heavy humidity of Champagne. The whole place, right down the bacchanalian bombardment of Bourbon summer. Alternatively, September and to the bar staff in their immaculate, Street, its hidden, fountain-adorned November are excellent bets — you’ll white tuxedos, feels like throwback to a courtyard (part of the Maison de Ville hotel) still get the heat but none of the sophisticated Parisian brasserie of the feels like a genuine oasis. The cocktails heaviness. Whenever you visit, always pack an umbrella; only the foolhardy bet 1930s. Meanwhile, the bar is also home — conceived by award-winning mixologist against southern Louisiana showers. to a little-known secret: upstairs is a Nick Jarrett — are of the understated quirky museum of ornate Mardi Gras blockbuster variety. Perhaps start off with a Where to stay gowns, collected over the past century. peychaud’s fizz, a deliciously refreshing twist Doubles at The Chloe from $247 (£178), arnaudsrestaurant.com on a Pimm’s cup. maisondeville.com room only. thechloenola.com Doubles at The Roosevelt New Orleans HOT TIN THE SAZERAC RESTAURANT from $155 (£112), room only. therooseveltneworleans.com BEST FOR: SHOWSTOPPING VIEWS BEST FOR: SOLO DRINKERS The Hot Tin rooftop bar boasts one The list of distinguished names who’ve More info of the most astonishing skyline enjoyed drinks at the bar of The Roosevelt neworleans.com views you’ll find anywhere in New New Orleans’ The Sazerac Restaurant over drinkandlearn.com Orleans. Situated atop the stylish the decades — from Orson Welles and John talesofthecocktail.org Pontchartrain Hotel in the Garden District, Wayne to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley — is Wildsam Field Guides: New Orleans. it’s adorned with a wonderfully eclectic borderline ridiculous. But this grand dame RRP: £14.49 selection of paintings, photographs and of New Orleans’ cocktail-making remains a objets d’art (apparently, the designers remarkably relaxed establishment, dominated How to do it drove here from Chicago with an empty by its long, curved, walnut counter. A ABERCROMBIE & KENT offers a van, stopping at every thrift store they combination of affable, laid-back staff and seven-night trip to New Orleans from passed on their 925-mile journey). Hot the fact that pretty much everyone sits at £2,999 per person based on two people sharing. Includes flights, transfer and Tin is indisputably a party bar (one of the bar itself, makes this a superb spot for accommodation at the Four Seasons its best sellers is a feisty number drinking solo. The smart money, of course, is Hotel New Orleans, B&B, plus guiding, called chasing sunrise), but it also boasts on the sazerac itself or the silken ramos gin and is covered by Abercrombie & an impressive selection of delicious fizz — shaken (and shaken and shaken) to Kent’s flexible booking policy. mocktails. hottinbar.com perfection. therooseveltneworleans.com abercrombiekent.co.uk PLUMER JOHN ILLUSTRATION:

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