Try the Traditional Cocktails of New Orleans

Along with the Famous Bourbon Street Drinks, New Orleans is filled with pubs, bars and restaurants which are known for creating some of the city’s most notorious cocktails.  Some, like the Sazerac are considered the first cocktails in the country.  The event planning staff here at NOLA Adventures is familar with a lot of traditions here in the French Quarter and across the city, but none are more traditional that this list of Traditional Cocktails.

Traditional New Orleans Cocktail Drinks (InfoGraphic)

Sazerac

In 1838, Antoine Amedie Peychaud, owner of a New Orleans apothecary, treated his friends to brandy toddies of his own recipe, including his “Peychaud’s Bitters,” made from a secret family recipe. The toddies were made using a double-ended egg cup as a measuring cup or jigger, then known as a “coquetier” (pronounced “ko-k-tay”), from which the word “cocktail” was derived. Thus, the world’s first cocktail was born!

By 1850, the Sazerac Cocktail, made with Sazerac French brandy and Peychaud’s Bitters, was immensely popular, and became the first “branded” cocktail. In 1873, the recipe for the Sazerac Cocktail was altered to replace the French brandy with American Rye whiskey, and a dash of absinthe was added.

Today, the Sazerac is best enjoyed in many of New Orleans’ finest restaurants and bars, most notably the Sazerac Bar in the Fairmont Hotel, where celebrities, locals, and tourists enjoy the drink.

Hurricane

The hurricane is an extremely sweet alcoholic drink made with fruit juice, syrup or grenadine and rum. It is one of many popular drinks served in New Orleans.

The creation of this passion fruit-colored relative of a Daiquiri drink is credited to New Orleans tavern owner Pat O’Brien. In the 1940s, he needed to create a new drink to help him get rid of all of the less popular rum that local distributors forced him to buy before he could get a few cases of more popular liquors such as scotch and whiskey. He poured the concoction into hurricane-lamp-shaped glasses and gave it away to sailors. The drink caught on, and it has been a mainstay in the French Quarter ever since. It is more commonly served in a disposable plastic cup, as New Orleans laws permit drinking in public and leaving a bar with a drink, but prohibit public drinking from glass or metal containers.

Mint Julep

A mint julep is traditionally made with four ingredients: mint leaf, bourbon, sugar, and water. Traditionally, spearmint is the mint of choice used in Southern states. Proper preparation of the cocktail is commonly debated, as methods may vary considerably from one bartender to another. By another method, the mint julep may be considered as one of a loosely associated family of drinks called “smashes” (the mojito is another example), in which fresh mint and other ingredients are muddled or crushed in preparation for flavoring the finished drink.

Traditionally, mint juleps were often served in silver or pewter cups, and held only by the bottom and top edges of the cup. This allows frost to form on the outside of the cup. Traditional hand placement may have arisen as a way to reduce the heat transferred from the hand to the silver or pewter cup. Today, mint juleps are most commonly served in a tall old-fashioned glass, Collins glass, or highball glass with a straw.

Ramos Gin Fizz

A Ramos gin fizz (also known as a Ramos fizz or New Orleans fizz) contains gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower water, and soda water. It is served in a large tall glass.

Henry C. Ramos invented the Ramos gin fizz in 1888 at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloonin on Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. It was originally called the New Orleans Fizz, and is one of the city’s most famous cocktails. Before Prohibition, the bar was known to have over 20 bartenders working at once, making nothing but the Ramos Gin Fizz – and still struggling to keep up with the demand. During Mardi Gras of 1915, 32 staff were on at once, just to shake the drink. The drink’s long mixing time (12 minutes) made it a very time consuming cocktail to produce.

Creole Bloody Mary

Bloody Marys are a quintessential New Orleans beverage. And if you enjoyed a few too many other traditional New Orleans concoctions the night prior, locals will often advise you that a big glass of Bloody Mary will perk you back up. Keeping that in mind, remember, everything in New Orleans is a little spicier, so why would our Bloody Marys’ be any different?

Many different bartenders and restaurants add their own amount of spice, zest and “add ins” to this drink, so you can either trust their good judgment or request that your drink be prepared with a little less (or a little more, if you’re daring) “creole flame” than usual.

Absinthe Frappe

About a century ago, the Absinthe Frappe had a mighty following thanks to its cooling qualities and rich but delicate flavor. And it didn’t hurt that it happened to be an effective hangover remedy too. The drink even lent its name to a 1904 hit song, from the musical It Happened in Nordland. The 1912 ban on absinthe pretty much wiped out the frappe–though an Herbsaint version lingered in New Orleans until the absinthe ban was lifted. Now that new bottlings of absinthe are all over, and it’s high time to rediscover this pleasant drink.

Milk Brandy Punch

The Brandy Milk Punch (or simply Milk Punch) is one of the true classics of the cocktail world. It dates back to sometime around the 1600-1700′s when brandy and rum punches were a must at any party. Many other variations of this Milk Punch can be found: some add rum and some egg for a eggnog-like drink. One things is for sure, this drink is intoxicating and even if it seems soft, it does pack a punch.

Café Brulot Diabolique

Café Brulot Diabolique, or “Devilishly Burned Coffee,” was invented at Antoine’s Restaurant by Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder and became especially popular during the Prohibition as a means of concealing alcohol. The concept of flaming coffee may sound frightening, but this traditional post-dinner libation is the perfect ending to a memorable meal at some of New Orleans’ most historical dining establishments.

The preparation is a spectacle in itself – all ingredients are artfully combined tableside in ornate bowls. Once the alcohol is added, the waiter adds flame to the concoction, ladling the flaming liquid into cups and in some cases, onto the table to create a fiery display. Today, the drink is found at only a few restaurants, such as Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and Arnaud’s.

Pimm’s Cup

While this drink was born in a London bar at the hands of a bartender named James Pimm, the Napoleon House has taken his creation, put a slight twist on it, and placed it down in one of the city’s most charming watering holes. Hey we here in New Orleans have a fantastic way of putting new twists on old favorites.

The cocktail is perfect for New Orleans Summer evenings – cool, light, and refreshing, the drink takes Pimm’s original recipe and adds lemonade, Sprite and a cucumber garnish.

Mimosa

Like a lot of things in New Orleans, our drinks are traditions of the past Spanish and French influences and the Mimosa is no exception. Mimosa cocktail is a French import that has made its way into the city’s tradition and onto breakfast and brunch tables.

Mimosas are a cool and light alternative to New Orleans’ other favorite brunch beverages such as the sugary-sweet Brandy Milk Punch and the spicy Creole Bloody Mary. While Mimosas are not specific only to New Orleans, it seems to have truly met its match alongside the traditional Breakfast and Brunch staples in the Big Easy.

Now that Jazz Fest has wrapped up and the summer is about to kick into full gear, there’s a few more festivals and special that will fill up the weekends in the month of May in New Orleans.  From the French Quarter to the Audubon Zoo in Uptown, there’s likely something for everyone to enjoy in the coming weeks.

Mother’s Day at Audubon Zoo: May 13th, 2012

Mother's Day at Audubon Zoo: Mom's Get In for Free!

What a more fun way to spend the day with your mom than at the Zoo!  This mother’s day celebration at the zoo is presented in conjunction with Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, this event will be headlined by grammy winning songtress Irma Thomas.  The day’s events run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST and include special events and merchant tents to buy gifts for mom from.  Best thing about this event – Mom gets in for free!

11:15am - 12:00pm    Patty Shukla Kids Music
12:30pm - 2:00pm      Mark Brooks & Friends
2:30pm - 4:00pm        Irma Thomas & The Professionals

Mid-City Bayou Bayou Bugaloo:  May 18-20th, 2012

The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival

The MotherShip Foundation runs the 7th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival that will be held May 18-20, 2012 on the banks of historic and beautiful Bayou St. John. Over the last six years, Bayou Boogaloo has experienced tremendous growth. 2011 was a milestone year for what has quickly become on the South Louisiana’s signature cultural celebrations.  The Festival is a family-friendly event with a kid’s stage, along with games and activities for children. Attendees can partake in delicious food, spirits and libations, listen to great local music, and enjoy the very best art that New Orleans has to offer.

Asian Heritage Festival: May 19th, 2012

Asian Heritage Festival at Audubon Zoo May 19th, 2012

The Asian Pacific American Society will partner with the Audubon Nature Institute once again this year to put on the Asian Heritage Festival on Saturday May 19th, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Audubon Zoo.  This day long event features costumed performers, live entertainment, exquisite arts and crafts, internationally themed displays and authentic Asian dishes. Festival goers can purchase hand-made crafts from India, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and other Asian countries!
The Asian Heritage Festival is free for Audubon members or with Zoo admission.

Hornets’ Day:  May 20th, 2012

New Orleans Hornets' Day

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium is once again holding “Hornets’ Day” on May 20, 2012 from 10 am to 1 pm CST.  Activities for this fun event include meeting the Hornet’s basketball coaches, the cheerleaders (The Honey Bees), Face Painting, Temporary Tattoos, Caricature artist, Air Hugo and Air Hugo Jr., Hugo, the Buzz Patrol and the Stingers.

Entrance to Hornets’ Day is free with your admission.

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience: May 23rd-26th, 2012

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

Celebrating its 20th year this unique event highlights the wonderful cuisines of New Orleans and the tastes of national and international wines.  The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience features seminars, dinners, auctions, wine pairings & tastings and opportunities to meet and chat with local celebrity chefs.  All proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, Acadiana, Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s ProStart Program, Delgado Culinary Arts School, New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts’ Culinary Program, the John Folse Culinary Institute and the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans.

New Orleans Greek Festival:  May 25th-27th

New Orleans Greek Festival 2012

Come out and enjoy the annual Hellenic party with a uniquely New Orleans flair! There’s plenty of room for everyone since the Greek Festival has expanded and reconfigured the grounds to better accomodate our guests. Enjoy delicious Greek food, delightful drinks, and entertainment the entire family will enjoy.

New to the festival this year are paddleboards and Greek Orthodox Artifacts which will be on display during all Cathedral Tours!  Returning are the Goatburgers at the Greek Grill, Toga Sunday (wear a toga on Sunday, get in free!), Pomegranate Iced Tea, Snowball, and Daiquiri and the Hellenic Dancers.

The festival ground are at 1200 Robert E. Lee Boulevard • New Orleans, Louisiana and entrance is just $5, children under 12  are free.

Jazz Fest 2012 Poster Feature Trombone Shorty

Each year Jazz Fest brings hundreds of thousands of people to the wonderful city of New Orleans.  Tourists and local residents alike, all converge on the fairgrounds to take in the culture and music that the “Big Easy” is known for.  As this year’s Jazz Fest wraps up, it was a delight to find that even CNN recognizes the impact that Jazz Fest has upon our nation.

From such acts as Al Green and Trombone Shorty to Bruce Springstein, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffet and even the Beach Boys, music lovers of all types could find something to enjoy at this year’s event.  We have a treasure trove of music greats here in NOLA. Between the French Quarter Fest at the beginning April and the two weeks of Jazz Fest that starts at the end of April and continues into May, you’re bound to find something that will make you want to get out of your chair and dance.

CNN has put together a nice montage of the performances that happened at Jazz Fest 2012 and it even includes spotlighting some of the local cultural influences. New Orleans isn’t just Bourbon Street, there’s so much more to this beautiful city and this video clip highlights just a bit of that.

If there’s one thing that Bourbon Street & the French Quarter is known for, it’s the Cocktails.  The 12 by 9 block area of the French Quarter holds a treasure of delectable drinks for tourists and locals to enjoy. From the most powerful drinks to the old stalwarts, there’s bound to be one that will be your favorite after visit to New Orleans.

Being event planners in New Orleans we’ve had our fair share of taste testings of a lot of these different drinks in the French Quarter.  From Tropical Isle’s Hand Grenade to Absinthe at Pirate’s Alley Cafe, there’s likely to be a few drinks that will top your list of “must try” while visiting the Big Easy.  So to get you off on the right foot, we’ve created a handy Drinks of the French Quarter InfoGraphic.

Famous Drinks of Bourbon Street & The French Quarter (InfoGraphic)

The Hand Grenade

Probably the most famous drink in all of New Orleans is the Tropical Isle’s Hand Grenade ®.  With it’s unique florescent green drink glass fashioned in the shape of a hand grenade, it has new revelers on Bourbon Street asking “what is that!?”.  Well, that is a trademarked recipe that is likely one of the most powerful drinks in the French Quarter.  Made with grain alcohol and other liquors, it comes in both regular and “skinny” for those trying to count calories – or have less of a hangover in the morning.

The VooDoo Mojo

This rum based drink can be found at The Bourbon O! which sits at the corner of Orleans and Bourbon and is part of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel.  The bright purple drinking cup it comes in might remind you of your high school chemistry class, but what’s inside is definitely not for high school kids.  Don’t let the sweet fruit juices fool you, the mixture of several different types of  rum in this drink can certainly pack a punch.

The Turtle

No, we’re not talking mutant ninjas, nor a dance, we’re talking about Turtle Bay‘s delicious concoction, The Turtle.  This drink is made with grain alcohol and fruit flavored liquors and it comes in a unique turtle shaped plastic drinking cup. Drinking one to many of these might have you wishing you could crawl back into your own turtle shell in the morning.

Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane

Hurricanes can be powerful – both the weather events and the drinks.  The hurricane drink from Pat O’Brien’s is likely the most famous rum based drink in all of the French Quarter.  It’s so famous and delicious that Pat O’Brien’s even sells the mix so that you can take it home with you and enjoy it from your home.

Jester’s Daiquiris

With over 12 different flavors to choose from, Jester’s Mardi Gras Daiquiris is definitely a place to stop on Bourbon.  They serve up one of the most powerful daiquiris in the French Quarter with their Jester Daiquiri.  Revelers can choose from flavors such as Jungle Juice, 190 Knock Out and the traditional Pina Coloda, just to name a few.

Shark Attack

Where else but on Bourbon Street can sharks attack out of the water?  This fun drink, like The Hand Grenade ®, can be found at all three locations of the Tropical Isle and at the Funky Pirate.  The brave souls who attempt to survive a Shark Attack are treated with “blood” in their drink and a toy shark to take home.

Lafitte’s Hurricane

Even pirates had to deal with Hurricanes!  Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on the far end of Bourbon Street, at the corner of St. Phillip, is home to one of the most powerful Hurricane drinks in the French Quarter.  The bar is considered the oldest building in the French Quarter and the oldest operating bar in America, after all those years, we think they’ve perfected the art of intoxicating drinks.

Absinthe

Legend has it that when you drink Absinthe, a little green fairy will appear.  While debate over whether the legend is true, one thing is certain, to experience Absinthe the right way a stop at Pirates Alley Cafe is in order.  Not only is the drink famous, but the bartenders dress as pirate wenches and tell the story about why Absinthe and the Green Fairy go hand in hand.

Horney Gator

While gators roam the swamps of Louisiana, Horney Gators roam Bourbon Street and you can find yours at Tropical Isle.  This drink come in an orange colored souvenir cup shaped like a gator, along with tiny toy gators to top it off.  Be careful when you wrestle with this gator though, you might not like yourself in the morning.

Magic Potion

If your not afraid of the goth side of life, take a stroll to Ye Olde Original Dungeon just off of Bourbon on Toulouse Street for one heck of powerful and “magical” drink.  Magic Potion is an Everclear based drink and comes in 3 different flavors – Rasberry, Strawberry and Grape.  We hear that drinking one to many rounds of this Magic Potion might have you doing things you might not ever thought you’d do.

Well hello there!  Nice of you to come by NOLA Adventures for a visit!  We just launched our party planning / party concierge business in New Orleans, LA and are excited to be offering personalized party planning, event coordination and exclusive deals for special events and parties.

In the coming months we plan to share photos from our clients’ events, information and tips on making your trip to New Orleans much easier, and reviews about different festivals, attractions and tourist spots in the Big Easy.  As locals we have a unique view of our beautiful city and we love to share that with anyone who comes to visit.

From time to time we might even have a deal to share that comes from one of our exclusive vendor partnerships too, so keep you eyes here – there’s a lot of new and exciting news to come!  In the meantime, feel free to help us spread the word!

We specialize in planning these types of events in the French Quarter and all of New Orleans:

• Bachelorette Parties
• Bachelor Parties
• Girl Getaway Weekends
• Guy Getaway Weekends
• Shopping Excursions
• Birthday Parties
• Family Fun Adventures
• Special Events – Parties, Conference Events, Reunions
• Weddings & Anniversaries