Holiday Hops & Pops
It is the time of year when we start to enjoy the smells of the season. A deep breath may stimulate your senses with peppermint, spearmint, and berries. A quick hop around town and you’ll find several seasonal happy hours…
Author: Daniel Victory
Are You Ready For Holiday Sippin’?
Yes, the holiday season is not far away. That means many local spots are doing their best to conjure up some of the best holiday happy hours around. SoBou (310 Chartres St.) is hosting its Holiday Sippin’ wine tasting…
Crisp Cocktails for a Crisp Day
The weather we love is finally here. So, lets get out and enjoy some fun and exciting happy hour specials. Bartenders all over town are pulling out the stops to make some delicious libations for us. Martin Wine…
Just Sip Back, and Relax
There is no doubt we are enjoying the fall/football season. It’s the time of year when groups get together and pass a good time. Often, cocktails are involved and who doesn’t love a great drink? There are so many…
Pigskin and Perfect Cocktails
Football Fans, we are here for you! There are so many amazing happy hours around town to get a good deal and watch the game while sipping your favorite libation. But some may argue that the best seat in…
Out-Of-The-Box Happy Hours
New Orleans is so full of bargain happy hours that you'd have to try really hard not to find one. You can check nearly every street corner, restaurant or your favorite watering hole and there is sure to be…
Happy Hour Mania
August is the perfect time to head out to some of our great local spots for great cocktails. There are plenty of great happy hours to enjoy this month, so grab a friend, make a list and sip something…
Tales of the Cocktail - Is It Still Worth The Buzz?
The annual spirit conference has officially hit the Crescent City and people far and wide are enjoying every thing the event has to offer. Traditionally, thousands of people from around the country, and even…
Cocktails are of the Essence
For the next few days thousands of people will converge on New Orleans for the festival some refer to as the party with a purpose. Essence Festival is celebrating 25 years and pulling out all the stops with its…
Cocktail Crawls, Women in Wine and Other Events This Weekend
In New Orleans, fun and cocktails go together like a hand in a glove. There are so many events where we can sit back and enjoy the amazing things the city has to offer. If you are looking for…
4 Places For A Summer Cocktail
We are always in the mood for great cocktails and fun things to do. Even though summer doesn’t officially start until June 21, it’s hot enough to quench our thirst and find some of the best deals around. Brennan’s…
Creative Cocktails And Where To Find Them
There is no question that we live in the best city in the world when it comes to the thrill of drinking great cocktails. This Memorial Day weekend get out and enjoy what bartenders have to offer, as we…
Sip Something Special
Who doesn’t love a great cocktail? We certainly do! If you are in the mood to hop around town and enjoy what several venues are doing to help quench our thirst, we've got you covered. We have visited several…
Where Are You Drinking Tonight?
It is one of our favorite times of the year when we all have fun feeling the festival spirit. If you are taking part in one of the various outdoor activities, we applaud you. Not only does New Orleans…
Sit And Sip On These Cocktail Specials
Finally, it’s festival season and time to pop into some of our favorite places for cocktails in between all of the activity in the city. We checked out some great happy hours and think you should too! Grab a friend…
Sip and Stroll Into Spring
We are in the most beautiful time of the year in New Orleans. And it’s time to step into many bars and restaurants for fun springtime sipping. We recommend enjoying this time of year with a cocktail in hand…
Spirits & Sweets, Oh My
Agave Week wraps up tonight, hopefully you enjoyed part of the 120 different spirits, 60 restaurants and bars and 48 celebrity judges for the second annual event. This year, Agave week took place at the Ace Hotel. And you can…
Mix Me Somethin’ Mister
Attention Mardi Gras revelers! By now many of us are experts on how to get around town and maneuver through the Carnival road blocks and closures. It takes pre planning and a strategic mindset to get where we are…
Love & Carnival Cocktails
New Orleans is gearing up for Valentine's Day and Carnival, and what better way to celebrate than with a cocktail? Flamingo A-Go-Go (869 Magazine St.) will host Galentine's Day on Friday, Feb. 15. They are celebrating women by showing chick flicks galore. You…
Happy Hour Just Got Easier
We are always looking for fun ways to imbibe in New Orleans. Many places have sent us invitations to their festive events. We want to share them with you, so you can get in on the action too. Here…
Over-The-Top Cocktail Experiences
On the high end
Cocktail Culture in the City
We know this is the time of year when we pledge to be kinder, warmer and gentler. It’s a time of renewed spirit and promises of a happy new year. With that said, this is also the time to…
Hey, When’s (Holiday) Happy Hour?
You don’t have to go to the North Pole to get really ‘cool’ holiday cocktails. Luckily we live in a city full of spirits, where imbibing is a past time. We love it especially during the holidays because so…
Ho-Ho Holiday Happy Hours
Now is not the time to be in the "Bah, Humbug" state of mind, because in New Orleans we use the money we saved from bargain holiday shopping to enjoy many of the happy hours that are happening all…
Holiday Tastings, Wine Not?
All across town there are establishments getting ready for the holiday season. The sound of clinking glasses is loud and clear. We are so excited because that means there are plenty of fun events, tastings and cheer to last…
Come On Get Happy (Hour)
If you're a returning reader, you know here at "Drink Up, Nola," we love a good happy hour. And, lucky for us, New Orleans is full of them. This week, we have a few new happy hours to mention,…
Sip Down and Shuck Up
Happy hours in New Orleans hardly ever get a bad rep. After all, we have some of the best drinking spots on the planet, from cocktail bars to good old traditional long standing restaurants. Here, we are highlighting some places…
DRINK: Off the Beaten Path
The beauty of New Orleans is that we can enjoy a great cocktail just about anywhere, for any reason. Imbibing doesn’t just have to be at your neighborhood bar or fancy restaurant. We embrace the cocktail culture whole heartedly morning,…
Falling Into Fall Cocktails
Ahhh... the smell of fall is in the air. Leaves start to turn, the weather gets crisp. No, wait, we live in New Orleans, REWIND. Fall for us means the beginning of oyster season, the temps and humidity go down…
A+ Happy Hours For End of Summer
You’re sitting at your desk, tapping your pen, day dreaming about making a mad dash to a great happy hour. Time can’t seem to move fast enough. Don’t worry, there are plenty of daily specials, deals and decent happy hours to…
Drink Up, NOLA
Changing the way you cocktail in the Big Easy
about
Daniel Victory is creator and owner of Victory and New Orleans Drink Lab. He has been lauded as a pioneer of the New Orleans "craft cocktail" emergence and is considered one of the most engaging ambassadors of the Crescent City.
His dedication to preserving the artistry and sophistication of classic cocktail creation, as well as the ambiance and high standard of service set forth by many generations old bartenders, sets Daniel Victory apart from the rest.
Daniel Victory said, “If bartending was a science then every martini would be the exactly the same (at least everyone using the same brand). Exact measurements of all the ingredients would yield exactly the same drink. It’s simple scientific method — a system of repeatable experiments that yield the same results. However, anyone who has ever had martinis will tell you, they are not all the same.”
To Victory, bartending is an art form.
By 2009 Victory garnered international acclaim after being recognized as one of the top 5 bartenders in GQ Magazine/Bombay Sapphires “Most Inspired Bartender” contest. After appearing in the December 2009 issue of GQ, Daniel traveled the world as a National Ambassador for Bombay Sapphire. After a year of never being in the same place more than 3 nights and a whirlwind of knowledge he decided it was time to return home, plant his roots and explore cocktail consulting.
In an effort to preserve everything he learned, Daniel became one of the founders and lead educators of the Crescent City School of Bartending and influential in establishing The Flo Woodward Memorial Scholarship.
Daniel is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program and the Goldman Sachs & Bloomberg LP Business Coaching program.
The next step in leaving his imprint on his hometown is Victory. Nestled in between the Central Business District and New Orleans’ famed Canal Street, stands the physical combination of his aesthetic, travels, smarts & history. Victory has high standards and is often found molding the next generation of bartenders.
In 2015 Victory expanded his vision and yet again put his skills to work. The Old New Orleans Drink Lab is born. A groovy, old world feel where cocktail history and education are his top priority. Here you'll learn to make Crescent City classic cocktails and get the history along with it.
With Victory constantly mixing things up, there’s no sign of slowing down.
