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La Belle Cuisine
The Twelve Drinks of Christmas
By Marcelle Bienvenu
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans
December 10, 2009
“It was glorious walking through the lobby of
The Roosevelt. The Christmas decorations were not as grand as those I remembered as a child, but still incredibly beautiful. But the thrill of the evening was going to the
Sazerac Bar
for a Sazerac, possibly the most honored cocktail of New Orleans and a personal favorite of mine. Like so many others, I am delighted that The Roosevelt and the Sazerac Bar are
back in operation.
As I sat in reverie. remembering all the great times I enjoyed at this grand hotel, I also gave some thought to other cocktails I associate with certain bars in the city.
For instance, at the Old Absinthe House a gimlet (half gin and half Rose’s lime juice) was my choice, especially on a hot, hot summer evening. At the bar near the Rib Room at the Royal Orleans, a vodka martini (up) was my chosen poison. Papa and I enjoyed many a Vieux Carre cocktail while we slowly spun around the Carousel Bar at
The Monteleone Hotel. I remember having an Ojen (pronounced
oh-hen) cocktail at Galatoire’s when lunching there.
At Commander’s Palace, I’ve downed a few Ramos gin fizzes, Bloody Marys and
milk punches at jazz brunches. I could go on and on, but I know you get my drift.
Here then are recipes for twelve of my favorite drinks you might enjoy during the holidays. (Please don’t have them all in one sitting!) You will, of course, have to stock your bar with the a few items you might not have on hand. If you can, serve and enjoy the drinks in the correct type of glassware. AND, please use good ice.
The definition in my book is CLEAR cracked or coarsely crushed ice.
For those of you who like to know the history of these drinks, I suggest you get
the book by Phillip Collier, “Mixing New Orleans, Cocktail and Legends,” from
which I pinched some of the recipes used here.
Let us begin with the Sazerac.”
 
Sazerac
Makes 1 cocktail
3 dashes Herbsaint
1 lump sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 dashes Peychaud bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Ice cubes
1 1⁄4 ounces rye whiskey
lemon juice (a squeeze)
Lemon twist for garnish
Coat a chilled Sazerac glass with the Herbsaint and then pour out.
In a separate 10-ounce glass, dissolve the sugar in the water and add
the bitters, the ice cubes and the rye whiskey. Stir well and strain into
the Sazerac glass. Add lemon juice and garnish with the lemon twist
to serve.
Vieux Carre Cocktail
Makes 1 drink
Ice cubes (clear ice)
1⁄8 teaspoon Benedictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
3⁄4 ounces EACH rye whiskey, Cognac
and Italian vermouth
Lemon twist for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass over ice. Stir and garnish
with
lemon twist.
Ojen Cocktail
Makes 1 drink
Crushed ice
3 ounces Ojen liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice. Pour the liqueur over the ice. Add
the Peychaud’s Bitters on top and allow it to permeate the drink
before serving.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This drink is believed to be invented in the 1880’s by Henry C. Ramos at his restaurant in New Orleans. The drink was made famous, however, by
The
Roosevelt Hotel where Louisiana Governor, and later Senator, Huey Long
was a great customer. Huey loved a Ramos Gin Fizz so much that he once
took the bartender from the Roosevelt with him on a trip to New York to
show them how to properly make the drink."
Ramos Gin Fizz
Makes 1 drink
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
3 dashes lemon juice
2 dashes lime juice
1 egg white
3 dashes orange flower water
3 ounces milk or cream
1 1⁄4 ounces gin
Cracked ice
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass. Shake with metal shaker.
Strain
into a 7-ounce Ramos glass.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"In his book, Collier tells us that for unknown reasons, the Brandy
Alexander
as associated with Tennessee Williams, but it probably
wasn’t his favorite drink.
It was always my choice when I had an
after- dinner-drink at the Royal Orleans.
I’ve taken liberties with
the recipe and make this for a delicious drinkable dessert."
Creamy Brandy Alexander
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream,
slightly thawed
10 jiggers brandy
7 jiggers dark crème de cacao
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Serve immediately or store in the freezer.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This delightful eggnog recipe was shared by the restaurant for
publication in 'Cooking Up a Storm: New Orleans Recipes for Recovery
(Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans) '
:
Galatoire's Eggnog
Makes 10 small servings
5 large eggs
1 1⁄8 cups granulated sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg,
plus some for garnish
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1⁄8 cup bourbon
1⁄8 cup brandy
3 large egg whites
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, beat together the eggs and sugar.
Stir in the half-and-half. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly,
until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film
and reaches at least 160 degrees. Remove from the heat. Stir in the
cream, nutmeg, vanilla, bourbon and brandy. Cool, then cover and
refrigerate until ready to serve.
Just before serving, beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric
mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the eggnog.
Serve cold in punch cups and sprinkle with nutmeg.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Where would we be without a spicy Bloody Mary to get us
through the holidays?"
Bloody Mary, My Way
Makes about 4 drinks
4 cups good quality, thick tomato juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8-10 drops Tabasco, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4-5 jiggers vodka
Lime wedges for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine all of the ingredients and chill for at least 1
hour. Stir again before serving. Pour into tall glasses over chipped ice
and garnish with lime.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This drink is ideal for serving before a brunch of
grillades and grits."
My Milk Punch
Makes about 1 gallon
1 (4/5-quart) bottle of bourbon or brandy
3 quarts half-and-half
4 tablespoons vanilla extract
Simple syrup (recipe follows)
Grated nutmeg
Combine the bourbon, half-and-half, and vanilla in a 1-gallon container.
Add the simple syrup to desired sweetness. Chill well in the refrigerator.
Serve in chilled glasses (not over ice) and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Boil until the sugar dissolves and liquid thickens slightly. Cool completely before using.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I recall having this cocktail on the patio at
Commander’s Palace and
I believe it got its name because it was made by “slinging” the mixture
(to mix it) from one glass to another."
Singapore Sling
Makes 1 drink
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/3 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce club soda
1/2 ounce cherry brandy
Slice of Orange
Maraschino cherry
Fill a 12-ounce glass with crushed ice (not cubes). Squeeze the juice over
the ice, then pour the gin and simple syrup over the ice and mix well. Add
the club soda to almost fill the glass. Float the cherry brandy on top and
garnish with the orange and cherry.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The late Dr. Bernard Bienvenu, a cousin, introduced me to this
delightful
cocktail when we had drinks at the French 75 Bar at
Arnaud’s many
years ago. Here’s to you, Bernard."
French 75
Makes 1 drink
1⁄2 ounces Cognac
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 teaspoon simple syrup
Champagne as needed
Twist of lemon
Place the Cognac, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice
and shake only long enough to chill. Pour into a frosted Champagne glass,
top with Champagne and add a lemon twist. Serve immediately.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It was at Kolb’s Restaurant on St. Charles Avenue that I had my first
Southern Comfort Manhattan. On Fridays, many years ago, I would
have lunch (I believe it was a dish of crabmeat on lettuce topped with
sliced hard-boiled eggs), but before going to the table, I had a version
of this cocktail."
Southern Comfort Manhattan
Makes 1 drink
2 ounces Southern Comfort
1⁄2 ounce sweet vermouth
3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Maraschino cherry
Combine the Southern Comfort, sweet vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass half-filled with ice. Stir well and then strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry, and serve.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Many moons ago when I wrote for Dixie Roto at The Times-Picayune, the
staff would go to lunch at Mandini’s on Canal Street. Our drink of choice
(for 50 cents) was a
Vodka Gibson
which is simply a
vodka martini with
a pickled onion rather than an
olive
for garnish.
Cheers!"
Featured Archive Recipes:
Bloody Mary Collection
Classic Cocktail Collection
Eggnog Collection
New Orleans Libations
More New Orleans Libations
New Orleans Réveillon
New Year's Champagne Collection
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