Kathy Casey Dishes on Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans
After spending a week in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail I can say I am satiated AND saturated...lots of great food and of course many great cocktails.
‘Tales’ home base is in the famous Hotel Monteleone, owned by the Monteleone family since 1886. Located in the French Quarter, the hotel is home to the Carousel Bar--which has a slowly rotating circular bar making one revolution every 15 minutes. Its history is littered with famous people and appearances in famous old movies. Very old school, and fun.
The Carousel bar’s signature cocktail is the Vieux Carré, meaning "old square," and the French Quarters nom de plume, invented at the Hotel Monteleone by a bartender named Walter Bergeron sometime in the 1930s. It has all the hallmarks of New Orleans character and style and definitely earned a place on my top-10 cocktail list.
The Vieux Carré Cocktail
3/4 ounce rye
3/4 ounce cognac
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Benedictine
Dash Angostura bitters
Dash Peychauds bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice, strain into your best old-fashioned glass with fresh ice, then zest and garnish with a lemon twist. And, finally, raise your glass in the direction of New Orleans.
And the party continues…..
‘Tales’ kicked off its festivities with giant toast in the sponsored by Herbsaint, everyone gathered outside the streets as a local candy maker passed out absinthe truffles and featured mixologists from the show shook up cocktails made with Herbsaint's own blend.
Next my party posse headed up the street to another French Quarter institution, Napoleon House, for a mufalatta and a Pimm’s Cup.
Then there was dinner…at my favorite restaurant, Cochon--be sure to try the Fried Rabbit Livers on Pepper Jelly toast, their signature Cochon Dish (aka; delicious pork, of course) and a side of grits!
As the week progressed the eating and drinking persevered. A special part of Tales of the Cocktail are the Spirited Dinners, where mixologists and chefs pair cocktails with a multicourse dinner. My Chef and Associate Mixologist and I attended the GW Fins dinner featuring Bar chefs Marin Cate and Jeff Berry--also know as the “tiki gods” in the cocktail geek world. Five courses, each paired with an entrée-sized cocktail. Our last cocktail was served in a whole carved-out pineapple! We were getting full, and delightfully tipsy, responsibly of course!
We did feel sorry for the guy who had to core out all those pineapples.
Here, for your pleasure, was the menu for the night:
First Course
Chilled Melon Soup
Jumbo Lump Crab, Lime Gelee, Cilantro Spouts
Menehune Gonzalaz
El Tesoro Blanco Tequila, Rhum Clement Premiere Canne Rum,
Green Chartreuse, Hibiscus Tincture
Second Course
Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs
Mache, Cinnamon, Mascarpone, Candied Pistachio
Captain Vadrna’s Grog
Old New Orleans Cajun Spiced Rum, Lime, Grapefruit, Demerara Syrup
Captain Vadrna’s Grog
2-1/2 ounces Old New Orleans Cajun-Spiced Rum
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce demerara sugar syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
1/2 ounce white grapefruit juice
Dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and lime wedge speared
Shake ingredients well with plenty of ice, then pour unstrained into double old fashioned glass. Garnish. Recipe by Mixologist Jeff “Beachbum” Berry.
Third Course
Wood Grilled Louisiana Shrimp
Lemon And Papaya Relish
Hedgehog’s Dilemma
Caramelized Mango, Lemon Juice, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, Passion Fruit Syrup,
Myers Platinum Rum, Angostura Bitters
Fourth Course Pineapple Basil Glazed Mahi
Coconut Cashew Rice, Crispy Plantains, Lemongrass Butter
Miehana
Lime, Orange And Pineapple Juices, Grand Marnier, Cruzan Estate Dark Rum, Cruzan Coconut Rum Served in a Cored Fresh Pineapple
Fifth Course
Frozen Peach Soufflé
Raspberry Coulis
Pupule
Lemon And Pineapple, Chambord, Bols Creme De Cacao,
Angostura 1919 Rum
The staff at GW Fins were amazing, the food impeccable, and the cocktails really were as fantastic as they read. It was a tiki’licious evening!
I can’t wait to come back next week--YES…in another five days…I’ll be in New Orleans again to judge the National Seafood Cook-off! Stay tuned…
For more Dishing with Kathy Casey and recipes visit www.kathycasey.com/blog
Beachbum Berry on July 15, 2009 at 01:23 PM
"We did feel sorry for the guy who had to core out all those pineapples."
That guy was me, Kathy! But I'd do it again in a second -- what a fun night, and thanks so much for coming. It was great to meet you!
Martin Cate on July 17, 2009 at 07:58 AM
Thanks for the kind words, Kathy! Jeff and I had a great time doing the dinner- glad you liked it!
AlchemistGeorge on July 18, 2009 at 03:33 PM
I really appreciate it that you said the Vieux Carre is "on your top 10 list." With the thousands of drinks out there and the hundreds that are pleasant, it is very helpful to me when people call out a drink as particularly good - it helps me pick which ones to try next - life IS short ....
Thanks.