Dry January, Anyone?
January is often the time for starting new and fresh, giving up pesky habits and creating new ones. We, at Drink Up Nola, always love a great cocktail but recently we’ve been hearing from many of you wanting non-alcoholic…
Recipes
The Best Luxurious Options for Staying in on New Year’s Eve
Swirling COVID-19 or not, we never leave our neighborhood on New Year’s Eve. Instead, we have a nice dinner involving decadent things not usually on the menu, raise glasses with some neighbors, then head home well before midnight to…
The Best: A Puppy Necessitates Last Minute Solutions for Gifts and the Table
With temperatures often reaching the 80s and COVID-19 concerns swirling firmly anew, some of us have approached the holidays with lackluster enthusiasm or at least mild trepidation. In addition to the aforementioned excuses, in my house there is Crazy…
Season To Sip
'Tis the season for the holiday cocktail. From festive martinis to eggnog, enjoy one or all of them for great holiday imbibing. Sure, there are the tried and true holiday cocktails, but if you're looking to upgrade from your…
The Best Holiday Cookie Recipe: Pecan Icebox Cookies from My Mother
When she was a teenager and couldn’t possibly have cared less, I used to pester Cecilia, to observe closely and learn to cook at least a handful of dishes native to Louisiana, lest she end up like some of…
Sweet Tidings
INSTAGRAM LIVE @NEWORLEANSMAG - DEC. 21 AT 5 P.M. David Guas wrote in “DamGoodSweet” (with Raquel Pelzel, The Taunton Press) that he makes some version of bread pudding for his family every holiday season. I spice up this…
The Best Thanksgiving Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours
When my daughter, Cecilia, was still living at home (she is now almost 25 and working as a biomedical engineer for the Feds in Birmingham) our little family had a tradition of inviting everyone to our house on Thanksgiving…
The Best Oyster Dressing, My Dad’s
The 15th anniversary of the death of Andy Benson, Jr. recently passed, and I am staring into another holiday season without him. My father loved holiday traditions, and he was the glue that held our family together. Shamefully, those…
Thanksgiving Test Drives
It’s the happiest time of the year for me, and I definitely don’t mean Christmas. The weeks before Thanksgiving are my absolute favorite because I start trying out recipes for the big day. Some recipes are standard and not…
The Best for a Beautiful Weekend
It is supposed to be a gorgeous weekend. In connection with the Three Rivers Arts Festival that takes over downtown Covington on Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.), wildly popular North Columbia Street artist Marianne Angeli Rodriguez…
The Best Creole Chili Made with Vaucresson’s Chaurice Sausage to Chase Away the Chill
A couple of years ago my friends with Camellia Brand beans asked me to develop a recipe for a Creole-style chili with pork instead of the traditional beef that is familiar in Texas-style chilis or the more newfangled “white”…
Oyster Celebration
Cook With Us! Join Jyl in the kitchen Nov. 16 for a cook-along with tips, tricks and more. Instagram Live @NewOrleansMagazine In early March 2020 when I checked in to Commander’s Palace for brunch only to discover the…
Stiff Drink, Anyone?
We are not sure about y’all, but now is the time for a stiff drink. We have been through the wringer for more than a year and the cycle of ups and downs seems never-ending. So, while we are…
The Best: Gorgeous Cakes for Sale to Benefit ARNO, Eat to Benefit Haiti at Station 6, and join me in Fig Tarte
I know I have plenty of company in feeling that things are just rough as all hell right now. I found some good news on Nextdoor, an app geared to neighborhoods, where I discovered my neighbor, Kat McCann, and…
The Best Way to Avoid COVID this Weekend
Like so many in New Orleans, my income is largely tied to the hospitality industry, which is tied to tourism. Like so many New Orleanians, the foundation of my security has been rocked yet anew by another spate of…
Summer Snacking: Melanie’s Boredom Busting Cheesecake Yogurt
With Louisiana setting records for COVID-19 hospitalizations and the reinstated mask mandate to help curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, these days we’re opting for a semi-self-lockdown. That plus the oppressive heat means we aren’t even…
The Best of All Things Brennan
Commander’s Palace recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of offering 25 cent martinis at lunch. Ti Martin and her cousin Lally Brennan own and manage the fabled Garden District restaurant their family started generations ago. Ti generously shared the story…
A Summer Recipe
I tend to be the type of person who works things out in my heart and mind mostly by writing about them. Sometimes I share it publicly and other times I write it down just to get it out…
Sharing The Best of New Orleans Culture with the World
Yesterday the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council (NOCDC) invited me to address an international group of NGO (a nonprofit organization that operates independently of any government, typically to address a social or political issue) managers interested in learning more…
À Votre Santé
The French 75 is my favorite cocktail. I love the lore. I love its namesake bar at Arnaud’s in the French Quarter. I love sipping a Cognac version during colder months. I love the lighter take made with gin…
Gatherings | Goodness To-Go
Picnic Pasta Salad with Oregano Dill Dressing Serves 6-8 Dressing 1 ½ cups vegan mayo ½ cup finely chopped fresh oregano ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons nutritional…
Fire up the Grill
Chef Daniel Esses shared a version of this recipe with me years ago when he was the man behind the menu at Three Muses on Frenchmen Street. Today he mans the kitchen at Rimon in Tulane University’s Hillel Center,…
The Best Recollections and a Recipe for Crawfish Bisque
In 1957 a feature in Holiday magazine described ladies dining on bowls of crawfish bisque Galatoire's. The article was already a relic by the time I read it years ago, but it stuck for its description of the women…
Celebrate the 2021 Top Female Achievers
Celebrate this year's Top Female Achievers with New Orleans Magazine Wednesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. on our Facebook page. Before you tune in, make sure to grab yourself a cocktail and a snack with these recipes provided by…
Enjoy National Burger Month with Recipes from Local New Orleans Restaurants
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Did you know... May is National Burger Month. Celebrate your love for the classic – and not so classic – burgers all month long at two of New Orleans’ favorite restaurants, or make them at…
Kitchen Gourmet: Local Catch
Tip Use your favorite salsa, either homemade or commercial, for this recipe. Crema is a slightly tangy Mexican cream. If unavailable, substitute sour cream thinned with a little milk or cream. It’s a tradition in these parts to take…
Fish Friday: Picnic Fish Fry
Every week in Lent, we brought readers a fish-forward recipe from a local New Orleans chef or restaurant. Because New Orleans is a seafood-driven city, we have a lagniappe recipe to add to your weekend plans. This week, try…
Fish Fridays: Ralph's On The Park's Blackened Gulf Fish
Every week in Lent, we’re bringing readers a fish-forward recipe from a local New Orleans chef or restaurant. This week, we have the blackened Gulf fish recipe from Ralph's on the Park. Blackened Redfish Ingredients: 1 cup of…
The Promise of Spring
This year, I welcome Easter with open arms. We’ve had our share of dismal, cold, wet weather this year. The barren landscape is quickly taking on its spring lushness. Wild dogwood, native azaleas and delicate bridal wreath add bright splashes…
A Frisky Devil’s Debut
Recipe Frisky Devil Combine 2 ounces bourbon, 1 ounce Drambuie liqueur, 1.5 ounces honey simple syrup and .75 ounces lemon juice in a shaker. Shake and strain over rocks with ice. Garnish with a strawberry heart (slice a V…
Drink Up, NOLA
Changing the way you cocktail in the Big Easy
about
Camille Whitworth is the owner and operator of craft cocktail lounge Victory, which has been in New Orleans’ downtown location for more than a decade. Victory is the city’s most eclectic and unique place for an array of small gourmet plates and an impeccably prepared cocktail. Whitworth is also the owner and operator of the New Orleans Drink Lab, an interactive cocktail venue where fun classes are taught and the venue serves as an incubator for bartenders to create specialty cocktails. Drinklab also serves as an event venue. Both businesses are 100% female-owned and operated by Whitworth.
Whitworth is also a 26-year professional journalist and creator/CEO of her media company Media by Design, which specializes in public speaking, media consulting, commercial production and media coaching. Whitworth was the main anchor at WDSU (NBC) for 14 years and continues her special reporting. She can currently be seen on WWLTV (CBS) as television host of the Healthy Lifestyles Segment presented by East Jefferson General Hospital.
