Mardi Gras Cocktail Recipes for your Krewe

DRY JANUARY? Not in NOLA! With January 6th being King’s Day and the official start of Carnival Season, I will share a few of my favorite cocktail recipes you can enjoy with your Krewe on the parade route, at Carnival Balls, or on Mardi Gras Day!

First up is a play on one of the hottest drinks right now, and this is a batch recipe. You can whip up a batch and enjoy on the parade route or at home before you hit the streets.

KING CAKE ESPRESSO MARTINI

½ cup Absolut Vodka

½ cup Absolut Vanilla Vodka

½ cup Three Olives Espresso flavor vodka

1 ½ cup Cold Brew Concrete; I used Cool Brew

½ cup Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients into a pitcher or any container with a lid. Stir and refrigerate for 24 hours.

When serving, shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with purple, green, and gold sugar.

**If you are on the parade route and want a quick pick me up, store it in a gallon container in an ice chest, shake it well, and pour it into your favorite plastic cup or Swig.

KING CAKE OLD FASHION

1oz Vanilla Rum

1oz Spiced Rum

½ Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Simple Syrup Splash of Vanilla

3 Dashes of El Guapo Holiday Pie Bitters

Rim a high ball glass with purple, green & gold sugar. Fill with ice, combine all ingredients, stir, and garnish with sugared pecans.

Mardi Gras Side Car

2oz Remy VSOP

1oz Cointreau

¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

Orange twist

Purple, green & gold sugar for garnish

Garnish a coupe glass with the purple, green, and gold sugar, and set aside. In a shaker tin filled with ice, combine all ingredients, shake well, and strain into the coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

BANANAS FOSTER KING CAKE MARTINI

1.5-ounce Bumbu Cream

1 ounce Absolut Vanilla Vodka

½ ounce banana liquor

½ ounce brown sugar simple syrup

3 dashes El Guapo Holiday Pie Bitters Purple, Green & gold sugar for garnish

Garnish a martini glass with the purple, green, and gold sugar, and set aside. Put all the ingredients into a shaker tin filled with ice, shake well, and strain into the martini glass.

For my beer drinkers, Abita Brewery with its Mardi Gras Bock and Urban South Brewery with its Carnival Time pair well with King Cake and fried chicken.

I hope that everyone has a fun and safe Carnival Season.