Ready or not, here they come. Starting February 21, those living near the city’s major parade route will get hit with the annual swarm of revelers who will show up with designs on the liquor cabinet. Sure, you can put out a haphazard collection of bottles and mixers and hope there’s something left at the end of the night, or you can pull a stylish and festive move and serve up a punch in that family heirloom punchbowl that sits around collecting dust. Set that out with a platter of deviled eggs (buy the eggs pre-boiled and pre-peeled in the dairy section of Costco or any grocery). Both are easily replenished from the refrigerator. Done.
Mardi Gras Punch
Serves 24
Excerpted from CURE: New Orleans Drinks & How to Mix ‘Em from the Award-Winning Bar by Neal Bodenheimer (Abrams, 2022)
1 bottle Marsh House rum (750-ml)
1 bottle medium-bodied red wine (750-ml)
2 ounces Wray & Nephew white over proof rum (60 ml)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (240 ml)
1 cup Lemon-Orange Oleo Syrup (240 ml) (recipe follows)
7 dashes Angostura bitters
32 ounces filtered water, sparkling water, or sparkling wine (1 quart, or 960 ml)
Fresh or dehydrated lemon wheels, each with a few drops of Angostura bitters on top, for garnish
Combine all the ingredients except the garnish in a large punch bowl. Add a large block of ice and stir until chilled. Add additional bitters to taste, if needed. Garnish with the lemon wheels and serve with a ladle in individual glasses.
Lemon-Orange Oleo Syrup
Makes 1 cup
Peel from 1 orange
Peel from one lemon
1 cup white sugar
1 cup hot water
Combine the peels and the sugar in a non-reactive container. Cover and allow to rest in a warm, dark place for at least 8 and up to 48 hours.
Add the hot water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cool and strain the mixture into a non-reactive container. Store, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.
What to Eat | Deviled Eggs
Makes 48
2 dozen hardboiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and rub through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and butter; mix until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into a pastry or zip-top plastic bag with a cut-off corner. Fill the egg whites by pressing the bag.
The Expert | Neal Bodenheimer
Generally regarded as New Orleans’ Master of Libations, Neal Bodenheimer opened Cure in 2009, reigniting the Freret neighborhood in a resurgence that continues today and sparking New Orleans’ cocktail renaissance. Over a decade in, Cure still feels like a tantalizing secret. The evergreen, romantic cocktail bar is set with candle-lit tables, or patrons can get in on the impressive bartending action from front-row seats at the bar. A tropical courtyard carries the vibe outside. Bodeneheimer’s cocktail menu presents reinvented classics while breathing new life into forgotten formulas. His Mardi Gras go-to is the Mardi Gras Punch. “This punch is a lot like Taaka,” Bodenheimer said. “It mixes easy; just add people.”
