Arnaud’s Richelieu Bar has been serving guests drinks for over 100 years, even when the bar wasn’t technically there. As bartender Sean Hutchins recounted, “During Prohibition this was a speakeasy … you would enter through the door at the back of the coat check.” He notes that today, “guests step in here and go back in time.” While the bathtub gin of that time has been replaced with the good stuff, the Dorothy Parker gin in his Queen’s Bower is a cheeky nod to that era. Arnaud’s is only a half block from Bourbon Street, so Sean’s clientele is “a mix of old New Orleans and visitors who want to experience Arnaud’s in a more casual setting.” He insists that half-block is a “world away.” How so? “Bartenders are better, and drinks (and their prices) are better,” he said. With a laugh he added, “And bartenders are nicer!”
Queen’s Bower
0.75 ounce Dorothy Parker gin or dry gin
0.75 ounce Lillet blanc
0.75 ounce Green Chartreuse
0.25 ounce St-Germain
0.75 ounce cucumber water (see recipe) or cucumber soda
0.5 ounce lime juice
0.5 ounce creme de cassis (float on top)
Garnish: blackberries and cucumber slice
Add all ingredients except the Creme de Cassis to a shaker with ice. Shake quickly (about five seconds) and strain over crushed ice. Drizzle the Creme de Cassis on top. Garnish with skewered cucumber and blackberry.
Cucumber water:
Blend a peeled cucumber and strain it through a fine mesh.
