CONTRIBUTOR
I write about travel and food. So I love forks in the road.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
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New Orleans is the Scheherazade of cocktail cities: It has infinite stories to tell about civilized drinking and exotic elixirs. The birthplace of some of America’s great cocktails—including the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz—the city also has a seemingly bottomless supply of classic (and instant classic) bars to explore.
And when it comes to pouring out serious wisdom about New Orleans’ best bars, bartenders, and secret potions, I look to Ann and Paul Tuennerman for guidance. In 2002, the Tuennermans started Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans and have grown it into a worldwide celebration of cocktail culture throughout the year.
Here, the couple talks about their favorite cocktail bars (and concoctions) in the city.
Ann and Paul Tuennerman—the couple behind New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail—talk about 10 of their favorite New Orleans bars.
Latitude 29, 321 North Peters Street
“Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry and Mrs. Bum are the global authorities on tiki. They were inspired to move to New Orleans after attending Tales of the Cocktail. Latitude 29 is a chic tiki-gastropub that serves exotic drinks that span the entire 80-year history of tiki drinking and island-inspired cuisine. New Orleans is a perfect place for the tiki renaissance: tiki pioneer, Don the Beachcomber, is a New Orleans native who singlehandedly invented the tiki bar in 1934.”
French 75, 812 Bienville Street
“This celebrated intimate lounge serves classic New Orleans cocktails that are not to be missed—from the French 75, the Sazerac, or the Brandy Crusta. All of the cocktails are wonderful, as is the bar team.”
“Erin Rose is a classic New Orleans neighborhood bar, which I describe as tank tops to tiaras! It’s a meeting place for locals, musicians, artists, bon vivants, visitors…basically anyone (and everyone in between) is welcome. It’s known for its Frozen Irish Coffee and its potluck holiday dinners, where all are welcome.”
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Bacchanal Wine, 600 Poland Avenue
“Bacchanal Wine opened he same year as Tales of the Cocktail. And like us, it has evolved into what it is today: a beloved neighborhood bar, restaurant, wine shop, and music venue. It has often been called New Orleans Backyard—a beautiful space that is casual and elegant at the same time.”
Cane and Table, 1113 Decatur Street
“Self-described as the kind of place that serves ‘rustic colonial cuisine with prototiki cocktails,’ the restaurant offers fruity and island-inspired drinks—with lots of rum. With a husband who is a sailor, a rum bar is a must.”
Napoleon House, 500 Chartres Street
“Few places capture the essence of New Orleans like Napoleon House. The building’s first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it—but the name stuck. And since then, Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America.”
“A pioneer of New Orleans’ craft cocktail movement and a wonderful place to enjoy a well-made cocktail—preferably with a date or friends and colleagues.”
Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone at 214 Royal Street
“The only carousel where you have to be 21 to ride. This bar will always have a special place in my heart, as it has been the spiritual home of Tales of the Cocktail. Walter Bergeron invented the Vieux Carre cocktail here in the 1930s. I love the inspiration for this cocktail. It was meant to reflect the diversity in New Orleans neighborhoods at the time.The ingredients reflected the melting pot that was New Orleans: bitters, American Rye, Benedictine, and Cognac.”
Sazerac Bar, The Roosevelt Hotel at 130 Roosevelt Way
“This bar is named after what I consider to be the world’s first branded cocktail and history in a glass. (Each of the ingredients tells a story.) The bar and hotel take you back to the grandeur of old New Orleans—a time when Huey P. Long would stroll in. Order a Ramos Gin Fizz.”
Gene’s Daiquiri’s, 1034 Elysian Fields Avenue
“A quirky one-stop-shop for traditional New Orleans daiquiris named after rap stars and mobsters. Only in New Orleans do we have entire shops dedicated to one kind of drink! They have over 100 unique combinations of daiquiris to keep you coming back.”
thanks to: http://www.forbes.com/sites/karlaalindahao/2016/10/23/new-orleans-travel...
