Michael Glassberg, the Eliza Jane Hotel’s Head Bartender, shares the hotel’s history through his drinks menu. Peychaud’s bitters were once produced in the building, as was The Daily Picayune. After the newspaper owner died, his wife, Eliza Jane Nicholson, became the United States’ first female publisher. Peychaud and Eliza Jane’s families immigrated from San Domingue, so Michael chose Haitian rum as the base spirit. “I have a vision of them arriving on a boat,” Michael says, inspiring the name. Michael moved to New Orleans after Katrina and began bartending because, “I watched a lot of Cheers.” His job at the Swizzle Stick was “ground zero…everyone came through the place.” In the nascent days of craft cocktails, he remembers, “We were a tight group of bartenders.” He notes the key to running a hotel bar is to “create interesting cocktails, but also offer guests what they expect. We want to say ‘Yes’ as often as possible. The guest’s happiness matters.”
Maiden Voyage
1 1/2 ounce Barbancourt Haitian Rum 4
1 ounce Cardamaro
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup undiluted
2-3 dashes Peychaud’s
Shake all ingredients with ice. Finely strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
- Cardamaro is a wine based amaro that mixes well with bourbon. It’s also delicious on its own over ice after dinner. Store it in the fridge.
- When creating a new drink, Michael says, “Don’t try so hard. Many home bartenders make complicated drinks. There’s a reason people order classics made with three ingredients over and over. Stick with simplicity.”
- Considering bartending? Michael advises, “Find a job without a lot of cocktail making, somewhere easy, serving shots and beers. There’s a rhythm to being back here and the best way to know if you like it (and if you like people) is in a busy, high volume environment. If you can bartend in a club, you can bartend anywhere.
