Thursday, June 21, marks the first day of summer. But, this time of year it's hot and humid and we spend most of our days fanning ourselves. Bartenders are pulling out all the stops this summer to make something magical in glass, just for you. So, now is a good time to hit the streets and enjoy all of the great cocktails the city has to offer.
Recently, we scouted out a few places that you might want to try out this summer.
Faubourg Wine (2805 St Claude Ave.) has free wine tasting every Wednesday. Did we say FREE?! its a fun neighborhood wine shop with an awesome team. During the wine tasting you’ll get four different selections to try from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Inside, there is also a bar where you can sip a variety of regional wine selections for $5. Team member, Song Ly said, “It’s like it’s always happy hour. You get to taste, learn and have fun all at the same time.”
We popped into Manolito’s (508 Dumaine St.) recently and found that the mojitos and daiquiri’s there are great. The Floridita is the house daiquiri with maraschino liqueur. The Jazz Daiquiri is richer in flavor, refreshing and it was originally made to honor musicians in Cuba. It has rum, Creme de cacao and coffee. One aspect of Manolito's we love is that it is open Wednesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. This is a relatively new Cuban-inspired craft cocktail bar opened by bartenders Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich. The bar is petite, seats 35, and serves a lot of classics. Bartenders will use what’s called, “throwing the drink” technique, which simply means drinks will be mixed by pouring them from high in the air. Fun times, we tell you.
Compere Lapin (535 Tchoupitoulas St.) has a rocking happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 – 5:30 p.m. We’re told, with a wink, it could stretch sometimes to 6 p.m. Here bartenders serve $6 daiquiris and martinis. There are also specials on select wine and beer.
Have you ever had a cocktail served out of a copper bunny rabbit? Well here, you can! The house specialty cocktail has vodka, pineapple jalapeño tequila, ginger lime and Mumm champagne. It’s fun and a great way to enjoy a cocktail, especially if you love bunnies.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for upcoming drink festivals:
July 17-22: Tales of the Cocktail
Sept. 22: NOLA on Tap
