Many have expressed fear. Some have mentioned lack of dexterity. Others note they have no talent. Poppycock. You can do it. You can make superb cocktails at home, and that approach to quality drinking has become more necessary as our…
In the heat of a New Orleans summer, like now, for instance, creativity and more effort fade away to a “Let’s just get this done as quickly as possible” attitude. Understandable. The daiquiri cocktail takes its name from both a…
Noted playwright, George Bernard Shaw, is rumored to have said, “England and the United States are two friendly nations separated by a common language.” When it comes to names of food and beverages, it seems he hit the point…
Let’s dispel two errant thoughts to which the headline may move you: 1) We are not talking about a Four Seasons musical group hit; and 2) We are not referring to any woman you may have known. Sherry is…
Usually the trek to arrive at a New Orleans’ July is not so manic, not so distressing. This year we have all paid a dear price for the journey and we have arrived at a season not usually associated with…
Our previous column, The Joys of Rum, Part 1, seems to have hit a responsive chord among readers and so we are pleased to continue the thread. Besides, rum is such a broad topic and close to our lives…
Rum needs better publicity representation. How can a spirit so outstanding and enjoyable not be a part of every drinking person’s daily program? If nothing else, on historic value alone, rum certainly makes for a better story than vodka.…
It does appear as of this writing that Louisiana and New Orleans have gone about dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in as good a fashion as can be done. That may be damning with faint praise as we still…
Even in a place with a strong Italian and Sicilian heritage, such as New Orleans, the Garibaldi cocktail, like its namesake, is relatively unknown. Which is a shame because the cocktail is easy to make and has a valid background…
There is a lot of talk right now about something called “The New Normal.” And there are those who seem to believe we are going to maintain changes now forced on us as to lifestyle when the pandemic recedes.…
One of the cheapest and cheesiest devices in all of fictional literature is the “dream sequence.” The author inserts a complete left-turn to the story line, often dramatic but totally out of sync with where the story was headed.…
There is likely no other town in America where food preparation at home is so glorious. Most of our great chefs learned the craft at their mother’s, grandmother’s, aunt’s or dad’s side. This tribute to generations has not fully translated…
We will look back on these days, a shared experience of note, and probably never smile. Likely it will be more of a head shake and a comment, “Can’t believe that ever happened.” But now, today, we know the…
The phrase, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation” has never rang so true for so many. We are all pretty much on the same path, the same schedule. This town, like most towns in America, is shut down.…
Other versions for the reason of the name may swirl about, but the new Double Dealer bar, located in a basement directly below the Orpheum Theatre (yes, a basement) actually derives its name from a 1920’s era regional literary magazine. …
(This article was composed before the full implementation of the effects and governmental restraints as applied to the Corona Virus outbreak. This article was penned on Friday March 13, which now seems eons ago. But the hope is that…
For many New Orleanians, even those who for most of the year are not strict followers of a particular Faith, Lent is a season of sacrifice. Nothing wrong with that approach, and it does not hurt to give up…
A cocktail that takes its name from a motorcycle part immediately sets itself off as singular. However, the sidecar is anything but, and is, in fact, another style of the New Orleans mid-19th century curated cocktail, Brandy Crusta. The sidecar…
There are a lot of reasons to drink adult beverages. And I know this is a strange time of year to ponder this issue. Carnival season does not align itself with healthy lifestyles, including doing plenty of exercise and…
Sometimes that which we really love just disappears. Take certain models of automobiles, or a high school sweetheart, or a favorite store, or even something as mundane as Windows 7. Gone. And there is nothing we can do about…
In an instant, a city street corner is filled with all manner of people and happenings, is transformed into a place filled with anticipation and promise. The distant wail of a siren draws everyone’s attention. The crowd settles in. The…
When the weather turns cool, and to be honest in January that really should happen despite how we do winter in south Louisiana, then to me the perfect accompaniment is whiskey. Oh sure, brandy, port and hot toddies all…
What is about to unfold here over the next seven weeks is mind-boggling, except that we’ve done it before many times. Every year is better, more elaborate, grander and in some cases unstoppable, until the following year. The Carnival Season…
The long-standing tradition of taking a few moments at the beginning of every year to define areas within our lifestyle where improvements can be made is a laudable exercise. More often than not, shortly after this personal evaluation, those positive-purpose…
Regular readers of this missive will spot the misstatement in the headline. I am not a proponent of tightly defining style nor substance of adult beverages. I am a graduate of the “drink what you like the way you like…
So many special flavors and aromas surround the holiday season – nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, burning embers, pine, eggnog, brandy, and baking aromas just to name a few. There is no reason to limit our sensory experiences by drinking the…
It’s not much of a contest whenever some challenge arises regarding where in the world the most amped celebrations take place. While New Orleans may not be in the top spot all the time, for sheer numbers of celebrations, and…
For our annual December list of restaurant, food and drink “bests,” our team of writers, plus our editorial staff, met with the difficult task of honoring a few of our favorites. The restaurants, people and places listed within mark some…
We’ve been put on notice about our diet, and now our drinking pleasures are assaulted. But it’s all rightfully so. New Orleans is a tough town for healthy living. Maybe eating and drinking in a healthy fashion makes some…
We cannot prove whether Ernest Gantt was born in New Orleans or not, but that is the legend. What is easier to prove is that this hospitality character became the renowned Donn the Beachcomber, opened an international string of Tiki-style…
