The Roosevelt Hotel is home to New Orleans' most famous cocktail – the Sazerac
A SIP OF NEW ORLEANS
This Louisiana city is the spiritual home of the cocktail, where countless classics were born. Phil Huckle shares their stories
T
he population of New Orleans is 376,971, according to the 2022 US census. The contrast with New York (8.9 million) and London (9.3 million) is stark. I mention the difference in population size as all three cities have an influential drinks and cocktail culture, but it’s New Orleans that punches above its weight: The annual ‘Oscars of the drinks industry’ – Tales of the Cocktail – is held here, and it is home to the Museum of the American Cocktail. Steeped in history, it was founded by France as La Nouvelle-Orléans in 1718; ceded to the Spanish in 1769; briefly returned to France, and then bought by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803 in the Louisiana Purchase. It has survived more than its share of disasters, including war, famine,
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disease, crime and Hurricane Katrina. Yet its people always overcome their challenges, which is what makes New Orleans so special. I worked there as a bartender for four years and can honestly say it is my favourite place in the world. Here are the bars and drinks that I return to time and again.
The Sazerac
In the 1830s, from his pharmacy in the French Quarter, Antoine Peychaud dispensed herbal bitters as a remedy for a host of ailments. One concoction involved mixing bitters, water, sugar, and French Brandy, which he served in a small egg-cup-shaped glass called a coquetier. Before long, numerous coffee houses around the city began serving this remedy and the Sazerac was born. Absinthe was added at a later date and
