Though most cocktail menus feature a range of clever, obscure or even vaguely pornographic drink names, few names tell what’s actually in the drink. Coquette’s menu takes a different tack. Bar Manager Jason Kaplan explains, “During COVID, we kept everything simple. Entrees don’t need cutesy names, why should cocktails?” Guests agreed and the practice stuck. Jason never planned to be a bar manager. “I was content to be behind the bar and just do the job,” he said. Still, he admits, “You always have ideas in your head of what a bar should be.” When visiting bars in other cities, he would focus on parts that would work well in New Orleans, for a hypothetical bar he named “Jason’s Tavern.” His current bar, Coquette may not bear his name, but as we know from cocktails, names don’t much matter. Instead, what matters is who is behind the drink and what is in the glass.
The No-Name Rum Cocktail
1 1/2 ounce Clarin Communal
1/2 ounce Spanish brandy
1/4 ounce Fey Anmé Forest Bitters Amaro
1/2 ounce Sorel liqueur
1/2 ounce Giffard Caribbean Pineapple liqueur
1/4 ounce lime sherbet (see below for recipe)
1/2 ounce purchased tamarind syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 dash Bitter End Jamaican (measure carefully, it’s strong)
2 dashes Bitter Cube Jamaican No. 2 bitters
Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain over ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel.
Lime “Sherbet”
This is meant to remind you of the classic snowball syrup.
4 limes, peeled
2 1/2 cups sugar
Additional limes to yield 20 ounces juice
Muddle the peels and sugar with a wooden spoon to extract oils. Let sit at least one hour, preferably overnight. Put mixture in pot and add 20 ounces of lime juice and cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved. Strain, then cool. Keeps three weeks in the refrigerator.
- To batch the drink, you will need to add water. Jason adds 3/4 ounce of dilution for each serving (ex. 10 servings gets 7 1/2 ounces water).
- Several unusual ingredients in this recipe are all available at either Keife & Co. or Martin’s Wine Cellar.
- Jason recommends the following books:
- “Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail” by David Arnold
- “The Flavor Bible” by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
