Tales of the Cocktail 2009

July 7, 2009 toJuly 12, 2009

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It’s that time of year once again.

This will be my third trip to “the Spirited Event of the Summer.” Five+ days of adventure in New Orleans as more than 15,000 people explore the world of cocktails and fine spirits.

I’m on the “Founder’s Day Pass” so I’ll be at almost all the big events.

I’ll be posting regularly on my twitter feed. Follow me at http://twitter.com/jm9900.

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06/10/2009 | Events, Spirits | No Comments

The Carousel Lounge’s Vieux Carre

monteleone.jpgA couple who are friends of mine are going to New Orleans for the Memorial Day Weekend.

“Be sure to find Marvin Allen at the Monteleone Carousel Lounge and order a Vieux Carre,” I told Barbara. Somehow, just because I visit there every other month or so, I’m supposed to be an expert on everything New Orleans.

“What’s a Vieux Carre and how do you spell it?” Barbara asked as George furiously wrote down my suggestion on a cocktail napkin.

“Not sure how to spell it, exactly. It’s French. Who can spell in French?” I replied. “You don’t have to spell it right or pronounce it right, Marvin will know what you want.”

Vieux Carre Cocktail

1/2 ounce rye whiskey
1/2 ounce cognac
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
dash Peychaud’s bitters
dash Angostura bitters

Shake, serve on the rocks with a twist of lemon

Vieux Carre is the traditional French name for the French Quarter and this classic drink is hard to find elsewhere.

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05/08/2008 | Spirits | No Comments

The best sazerac in New Orleans

The bar at Besh’s steak houseIt was still early on a Friday night. I had just lost all the money I was willing to part with at the tables of Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans. I had played “Let It Ride” for more than five hours, holding my own most of the time. I had hoped for a big pay-off eventually, but my $300 ran out first.

I started walking out of the casino, towards the Poydras street exit right where John Besh’s steak house is. There I saw a little bar with plenty of traffic. Upscale compared to most casino bars, this one actually charged for drinks.

I sat in one of the lonely bar stools. I had an hour or so to kill before my wife ran through the rest of her cash at the nickle slots.

“If I asked you to make me a Sazerac, would you know how?” I asked the barman.

Foolish me.

Behind the bar was Mark Quigley. I came to find out that he’s been behind some bar somewhere in New Orleans for more than thirty years.

“Oh, yeah,” Mr. Quigley replied. “I know how.” (I use the term “Mr. Quigley” to express my utmost respect.)

Now a Sazerac isn’t a complicated drink, at least not in the number of ingredients required to get it into a glass. In a Sazerac, the complications come from the exact measurement of the ingredients and precise application of the techniques used to prepare it.

“OK, make me a Sazerac,” I said in cautious anticipation.

Now I’m no Sazerac virgin.

I’ve had Sazeracs made by the best: Marvin Allen at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel bar, Chris Hannah at Arnaud’s French 75 and Chris McMillian at the Ritz’s Library Bar (back before its recent disappointing transformation into a place to be avoided at all costs).

Mr. Quigley set a short rocks glass on the bar and filled it with ice. In a second glass, he muddled a sugar cube with a dash of Peychaud’s bitters and then added a three-ounce pour of baby Sazerac rye whiskey, topping the entire mixture with perfectly clear ice cubes. With his bar spoon, Mr. Quigley expertly stirred the precious drink to its ideal temperature and dilution.

As that second glass sat on the bar, Mr. Quigley emptied the ice from the first glass. In true New Orleans fashion, he then poured a small amount of Herbsaint into the chilled glass and tossed the glass into the air, spinning it quite naturally to distribute a fine sheen of flavor around the inside of the glass. A few quick shakes removed the last drops of liquid left in the bottom. Into this glass, he strained the contents of the other glass.

As a finale to the ritual, right in front of me he twists a lemon peel over the drink, and then slides the perfect Sazerac towards me, the glass sitting perfectly centered on a Harrah’s cocktail napkin.

No doubt at all: Mark Quigley makes the best Sazerac in New Orleans.

Sazerac
The classic New Orleans cocktail

3 ounces rye whiskey (Sazerac is best)
1/2 simple syrup (or to taste)
dash Peychaud’s bitters (accept no substitute)

stir with ice, pour into a glass rinsed with Herbsaint liqueur (absinthe works great, too). Garnish with a lemon twist.

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04/14/2008 | Spirits | 2 Comments

Tales of the Cocktail

July 16, 2008 toJuly 20, 2008


The Most Spirited Event of the Summer: July 16-20th, 2008

I’ll be there again this year! (I was there last year and it was a blast: and the spirited adventure of a lifetime). I’ve booked my room at the Hotel Monteleone, the hub of all the activity.

Those of you planning on going, stay at the Monteleone and you’ll not need to drive anywhere, inebriated or not. TOTC rate is only $99/night (if the rate is still available): a great New Orleans deal. If you’re on a budget: the Holiday Inn is right across the street for a little less.

If you’re planning on going, let me know via email to jmartin@off-focus.com. I’ll try to coordinate a Houston contingent.

Regardless, put it on your calendar now and look for the full agenda which should be published online in early April.

Tales of the Cocktail 2008

About Tales of the Cocktail

Tales of the Cocktail, a culinary and cocktail festival on July 16-20, 2008, features award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders, chefs and designers in the New Orleans French Quarter at five days of cocktail events such as dinner-pairings, cocktail demos and tastings, seminars, mixing competitions, design expos, book-signings and much more. Measuring some of their success in garnishes, Tales of the Cocktail 2007, used 7250 mint leaves, 3580 lime wedges, 800 watermelon cubes, 560 gin soaked dried cherries, 1390 orange slices, 2 tons of ice and more for thousands of sippers!

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03/13/2008 | Events, Food, Spirits | No Comments