When you stop to consider how New Orleans spends a “night on the town” as opposed to just about any other place you can mention, well, there’s just no comparison. And I say that with a great deal of civic pride, as well as countless nights spent traveling and experiencing other places.
This is not to denigrate anyone else; it’s merely calling ’em like you see ’em. Most of us have had the good fortune to do a bit of traveling, so we have experienced cultural advantages which most communities possess in one form or another. Historic sites, unique in-person happenings, fine dining, even great drinks, but lacking in most places is the singular joy of sense-of-place that New Orleans provides.
Oh, yes, and Go-Cups.
Such a simple concept, and yet unique. Sure, many fine towns offer this important service to mankind, but darn few do it with style. Our compact geography provides ample opportunity to enjoy multiple venues, close together, and with the added advantage that as you move from one place to another, you will never be without liquid fortification.
It gives me great pleasure to be with people from world capitals, like New York or Los Angeles, and have them be amazed with the ease of which the current beverage offering is moved from a fine and proper glass to a plastic cup, followed by the user walking through the door and out onto the sidewalk without the benefit of someone yelling to get back into the licensed establishment.
Strong accents are usually the “tell” whereby locals in most communities can distinguish a visitor. New Orleans accents, by the way, are not understood by the rest of America, and the authentic New Orleans accent is practically never noted as New Orleanian. Our friends in other places keep expecting us to sound like we just walked away from Tara, when in truth we do sound like we just drove out of Brooklyn.
But besides the accent, traveling New Orleanians are defined by, “Do you have a go-cup?” That’s followed by the bartender correctly identifying where we are from, followed by a “not here, mate, not here.” It’s simply amazing how we take the go-cup for granted, and when we discover that 98 percent of the remaining civilized world does not tolerate such a liberty, we feel completely denied. We all thought travel was supposed to be broadening. But not when it comes to go-cups.
At that moment of denial, as we sit at the bar scoffing down our drink because we want to move along, the joy of being on vacation in (insert place name here) is diminished. It’s not like we have to use go-cups to enjoy ourselves; it’s just that we have become accustomed.
It’s also the case that everything goes into the traveling beverage plastic holder. Not just beer, but everything from Big Ass Beers to daiquiris to fine wines and Cognac to elegantly designed cocktails. Quite a democratic approach to pleasure. Your drink may have cost you 99 cents or $30, but it all ends up in the go-cup.
Not necessarily along those lines, but I bring this up because sometimes we all fall into ruts and keep doing the same ole’ thing, going back to the same ole’ places. Maybe it’s time to change the scenery a bit, discovering or re-discovering places we have not frequented before, if ever.
Over on Fulton Street, that upscale block that looks a bit European in style with outdoor cafes right across from high-end restaurants, the Louisiana-themed restaurant and bar, Grand Isle, has held its own for many years. Fresh seafood, well prepared, is the specialty of the house and lately the comfortable bar area has seen an emphasis on designing and preparing fine cocktails.
Now there are those, not from here, who have never equated a fine cocktail with dining. Those are the kinds of discoveries, like the go-cup, that visitors keep making. What a novel idea, placing a beverage with spirits right next to the dinner plate. The frightening part of it all is that at moments like these, when visitors first are exposed to the concept, suddenly New Orleans seems like the most progressive city on the planet. I will refrain here from making the obvious follow-up remark.
Anyway, here are a couple of interesting offerings from Grand Isle’s bar master Eric Dahm, a new New Orleanian, which are quite tasty:
Agave Swizzle
2 oz sweet reposado tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz dark agave nectar
1 oz aloe juice, with pulp
0.5 oz smoky mescal
Hibiscus blossom
Pour tequila, lime, agave, and aloe over ice in a highball glass, and stir to combine. Float mescal. Slap hibiscus between palms, and place as garnish.
Apéritini
1.5 oz dry gin
1.5 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz orange curaçao
2-3 dashes orange bitters
Lemon peel
Combine gin, Lillet, lemon juice, curaçao, and bitters in an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.
Just a short walk across Poydras, over to the W Hotel and the sexy bar, Whiskey Blue, is another style of seductive cocktails, with more of a “let’s sip on these and gaze into each other’s eyes” feel. Do I need to point out that right above the bar are hundreds of comfortably-appointed hotel rooms?
Paloma
1.5 oz Don Julio Silver
.5 oz Aperol
.5 oz agave nectar
.5 oz fresh lime
1 oz grapefruit
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice into a highball glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Grassy Kroll
2 oz Bison Grass Vodka
5 cubes of lemongrass
5 cubes of ginger
.5 oz simple syrup
Squeeze of lemon
Build in a mixing glass. Muddle the lemongrass, ginger and simple syrup. Add the vodka and ice, shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass and top with a splash of club soda (don’t fill to the top of the glass). Garnish with 6 inch long piece of lemon grass.
There you are, not just some new cocktails to try but maybe some new, fun places in which to try them.
One of the things I really love about this town is that even for those of us who have been blessed to live here, there is something new to discover every day. New Orleans is not only for our visitors. It satisfies the soul for those who reside here.
