Drinks of
New Orleans

New Orleans has a rich cocktail history that includes many of our favorite classic cocktails. The tradition of this significant lineage lives on in many of the city's bars and lounges and there is no shortage of fantastic sips when you visit. Here’s the history and anatomy of some popular NOLA cocktails.
Key:
Combine
ingredients
Shake
Stir
Strain
Pour
over ice
Garnish

New Orleans Classics

Sazerac

The Sazerac, America’s first cocktail, was created right in New Orleans in the 1830s and was named the Official Cocktail of New Orleans in 2008.
Back in 1838, Antoine Peychaud created the drink in a French Quarter bar and named it for his favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils. In 1873, the drink was changed when American rye whiskey was substituted for cognac, and a dash of absinthe was added by bartender Leon Lamothe, and today he is now regarded as the Father of the Sazerac. In 1912, absinthe was banned, so Lamothe substituted his special bitters in its place.

Ramos Fizz

The Ramos Fizz (or New Orleans Fizz) in one of the famous New Orleans cocktails that has stood the test of time.
Henry C. Ramos knew he was onto something when he concocted this now infamous cocktail back in 1888. He made it at Meyer's Restaurant in New Orleans.

To show just how tempting this cocktail is, there is a story about Huey P. Long (Governor of Louisiana, 1928-1932) bringing a New Orleans bartender to New York to train bartenders there so he could have a proper Ramos Fizz whenever he was in the city.

Hurricane

The Hurricane is a New Orleans cocktail that is as popular as ever, especially among the many tourists who visit the city.
The local favorite was created at Pat O’Brien’s bar in the 1940's when O'Brien found too much rum in his bar. He decided to create this drink to relinquish the majority of the supply in order to buy more the popular whiskies of the day.

The name of the drink came from the shape of the glass it’s served in – the iconic curved glass resembles a hurricane lamp. The perfect place to have one is still at Pat O’s in the legendary courtyard overlooking the flaming fountain, but you’ll find them elsewhere around the city as well. But be sure to exercise caution – while these drinks are sugary-sweet, they pack a punch.

Vieux Carre

Named after New Orleans’ French Quarter, and like the French Quarter, it’s strong, fun, and a little bit crazy.
Rye whiskey and Peychaud's Bitters make yet another appearance in another of the essential New Orleans cocktails. The place to get a Vieux Carre in New Orleans is the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. Not only is this hotel the main site for the annual Tales of the Cocktail, but it is the birthplace of this classic cocktail. In the 1930's Walter Bergeron first mixed this libation, appropriately giving it the French name "old square," which refers to the French Quarter the hotel is nestled in.

Drinks with a Little Nola Flair

These drinks may have not been created in New Orleans, but the bartenders here have added a bit a zest to make these drinks New Orleans classics.

Creole Bloody Mary

Bartenders tend to add their own amount of spice and zest to this drink, so you can either trust their good judgment or request that your drink be prepared with a little less (or a little more, if you’re daring) flame than usual.

NOLA Pimm's Cup

While the drink was born in a London bar at the hands of a bartender named James Pimm, the Napoleon House has taken his creation and put a slight twist on it.