Where can I find New Orleans's best Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz?

I'd start with the Hermes Bar at Antoine's -
http://www.antoines.com/

If you're really serious about your Ramos Gin Fizz, I mean really serious, I'd head straight to Bar UnCommon, in the lobby of the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel, where you will find the legendary, incomparable, world famous Chris McMillian, on Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Here's a video about the Ramos Fizz that he made back when he was working at the Library Bar at the Ritz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj417erX2W8 Having enjoyed Chris' Ramos Fizz myself I'd endorse his recommendation that it would be the perfect first drink of the day. It's wonderfully foamy, light, and soothing. You could have it with breakfast. Or for breakfast. And by the way, I like Chris' Vieux Carré Cocktail more than the one they make at the Carousel Bar in the Monteleone Hotel, where the drink was invented. Although it's true, the Carousel Bar would be the more historically correct choice.

The Sazerac Cocktail is a more complicated matter. The great bartenders of New Orleans have various different ways of making the Sazerac, and you may want to explore a little to find the style that suits you best. Chris will certainly make you an excellent one. His most visibly unique touch is the use of Herbsaint Legendre, which I believe is the original recipe, rather than the usual Herbsaint that is used by most bartenders.

Chris Hannah at the French 75 Bar is also brilliant, and makes a fantastic and unique Sazerac. He pre-chills both the rye and the glass, which means that he's able to make the drink without using ice. This results in a drink that's a little more concentrated, but certainly doesn't come off as harsh or overly strong. I love the way the drink evolves as it warms up, amongst the wafting aromas of 92 years' worth of cigar smoke, in the beautiful French 75 Bar.

Paul, the weekend bartender at Tujague's, another legendary figure who has been mixing drinks in the Quarter for over 30 years, has a very unique and different style. Whereas most bartenders use maybe 4-5 dashes of Peychaud's, Paul pours in the equivalent of maybe 12. It results in a somewhat sweeter, but still delicious drink.

You might also try the newest establishment to license the term "Sazerac Bar," which is in the recently renovated Roosevelt Hotel. It's a gorgeous bar, with excellent bartenders, although they don't have the legendary status of the ones I've mentioned above. If you order a Sazerac at the Sazerac Bar, you'll get a drink made with Sazerac Rye, rather than the Old Overholt that everyone else uses. Sazerac Rye is aged for six years, rather than Old Overholt's four, and is a bit more expensive. I suppose it wouldn't look right if the Sazerac Bar licensed the Sazerac name, and then used rye with a different name on it.

I would have only one concern about your cocktail mission. I've never been to New Orleans during Jazz Fest, but having spoken to many bartenders and restaurant staffers about what goes on there, I'm convinced that Jazz Fest is far from the best time to savor and appreciate the best food and cocktails that the city has to offer. The experience of sitting in a historic bar, slowly sipping a gorgeous cocktail made by one of America's finest mixologists, is, to me, an experience to be treasured. I fear that, during Jazz Fest, even the most high-end bars will be uncomfortably mobbed, and the bartenders will be forced to simply mass-produce drinks that will get people plastered at a rapid, assembly line-like pace. It's likely that a lot of the drinks won't even be made by the masters themselves, but by their assistants. I think I might find that at worst heartbreaking, and, at best, not really indicative of the quality that can be had under better circumstances.

Wow! What fantastic information. Thank you so much! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't now sitting at my desk, craving a ramos gin fizz at 9 am.

I've heard Chris McMillian is the man when it comes to New Orleans cocktails, so that seems like a good place to start.

Has anyone had a sazerac or ramos gin fizz at Lafittie's Blacksmith Shop or the Carousel Bar? I'd love to hear what the rest of you think.

(And about being there for Jazz Fest--yes, I too think the city is going to be quite crazy. Luckily I've been to New Orleans several times, so I know how wonderful the relaxed pace can be. And I'm not expecting that this trip. But, I will be there the entire week, so I'm hoping the weekdays will be somewhat more chill than the festival weekend.)

THis may provide some help - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/607253

We tried a sazerac at Tujaques - we heard that it was a must-try and that we had to have it there. We didn't care for it, tasted like medicine - but we are not really into cocktails anyway, so what do we know? Maybe it was supposed to taste like that

Looks like everyone's on the hunt for the best New Orleans cocktail. Thanks SAnParis2 for passing along that thread.

november_moon: you're right, the Sazerac is a serious cocktail. Not sure I'd be able to drink more than one!

Do you guys have a favorite cocktail in New Orleans, outside of the Sazerac or Ramos Gin Fizz?

You'll likely hear this a lot, but Pimm's Cup at Napolean House.

Yum! I've had that one, and it was delish. Might be my current favorite, too!

I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you're into the Pimm's Cup, you might want to try Chris McMillian's version, and see how you think it compares to the one at Napoleon House. I personally have only tasted the one at Napoleon House, but I saw Chris making a Pimm's Cup, and, well, it looked interesting. It was certainly more elaborate. Although, no matter how good it is, I still think there's something irreplaceable about drinking amongst the decaying walls of Napoleon House on a steamy afternoon, working up a bleary midday buzz, listening to classical music, and channeling the decadent malaise experienced by the poor New Orleanians of the early 1800's, when they were forced to recognize that Napoleon would not be coming to rescue them after all, and they might be stuck living with the Americans forever.

I wouldn't classify the Ramos Fizz as among my favorite cocktails. It's a light, soothing, refreshing drink, which may be more foam than liquid. Pleasant, but not really deeply moving.

MollyM, are you inquiring about favorite cocktails that are specific to New Orleans (like, for example, an Absinthe Suisesse), or just well-made drinks that happen to have been made by bartenders in New Orleans?

I have found that many bartenders in New Orleans make an excellent Bloody Mary. I especially love when they put a dash of Guinness in, and of course, the spicy green beans are the perfect garnish.

hawksbill, that would be an interesting experiment--master Chris McMillian vs the tried and true Napoleon House.

I really am open to any drink suggestions, but I am especially interested in cocktails that represent the Big Easy. I know Pimm's Cup is British, but I do associate it with New Orleans (thanks to Napoleon House).

And wow, that Bloody Mary sounds phenomenal. I'm sure I'll need at least one of those during the week!

I drank Sazeracs all over the place last week. The bartenders at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone made the best, in my opinion. The Sazerac finishes a lot different than the way it starts in your mouth; the Carousel Bar provided a drink with the easiest transition. Lovely drink.

Bowsprit, I've never had a Sazerac at the Carousel Bar. Did you happen to notice what they did differently? I ask because I'm trying to refine my own recipe...

I suppose that a comprehensive tour of New Orleans cocktails should probably include an Absinthe Frappe, or an Absinthe Suisesse, or both. I think that Old Absinthe House is probably the most traditional spot for the Absinthe Frappe, but I can't say that I've had one.

Another drink with a traditional home is the Obituary Cocktail at Lafitte's Blacksmith House, but I've never heard of it being offered elsewhere in New Orleans.

Oops - that should of course be Lafite's Blacksmith Shop.

They swirl anisette around the interior of the small glass before they add the cocktail for one thing. I don't know what else they did or even what kind of alcohol was used (well or call, but I didn't request a brand) but it was the smoothest Sazerac of many I had in New Orleans. : )

Bowspirit: That was presumably Herbsaint that they swirled around the inside of the glass. Every Sazerac has that feature, though, so the Carousel Bar's special touch may have been something different. I will definitely plan to investigate this at my earliest convenience.

MollyM perhaps you've gone and are back? I just saw this thread. It has been many years since my visit to NO but DH says the original sazerac cocktail was made at Antoine's.

How was your search??

hawksbill: No, it wasn't Herbsaint. I asked and he showed me. It was annisette and I think that's what made it 'different'. Good luck in your pursuits; the longitudinal study sounds like lots of fun. If you need a control group, post back. I'm sure you'd get many volunteers. I'll go first...

www.nola.com/bar-guide/index.ssf/2009/07/the_old_absinthe_house.html

Born in the Big Easy lived there for years my fav.

Careful with the Absinthe very authentic not fake

Bowsprit: That's quite interesting. It's also possible to use Absinthe to rinse the glass, although I've never seen that outside, of my own kitchen. I thought maybe the drink would be better with absinthe, not that I really know.

TDudette: Your husband may have confused the story a little bit. The usual story is that the Sazerac Cocktail was invented by Antoine Peychaud, an apothecary who moved to New Orleans from the West Indes, in the 1830s. He prepared the cocktail using his own bitters, which he claimed had medicinal properties, and a then-popular brand of Cognac called Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. Eventually the recipe was changed to use cheaper rye whiskey instead of Cognac, and the absinthe component was replaced by Herbsaint when absinthe was outlawed. But Peychaud's bitters are still a key component.

Antoine's Restaurant was opened at approximately the same time when the Sazerac Cocktail became popular, in 1840, but it is named for its original owner Antoine Alciatore, not Antoine Peychaud.

Another commonly told story is that the word "cocktail" was first used to describe the Sazerac cocktail, so that the Sazerac was the world's first cocktail. According to this story, which has been propagated by Stanley Clisby Arthur, Peychaud used to serve the drink in an egg cup, whose French name is coquetier. Coquetier was mispronounced by some as "cock-tay," and eventually as "cocktail," and this, supposedly, is how the word "cocktail" came to be.

As a Sazerac fan, I'd like to believe that, but the word "cocktail" actually appeared in print as a description of a beverage at least as early as 1806, when Peychaud was only three years old. Chris McMillian told me that the real derivation of "cocktail" as a term describing a mixed drink may be related to a practice of cutting the tails of horses as a way of indicating their mixed breeding. Such horses, he says, were called "cock-tails."

I have to stop reading this thread! It's going to force me to start looking for 3 day budget packages to New Orleans!

Absinthe is an illegal substance, isn't it? I think so...

You guys are awesome! I arrived in New Orleans this morning and looks like I have my work cut out for me. Today I had a tequila, fresh lime, and simple syrup cocktail (the Alcatraz) from Cochon Butcher, and the signature Bubbly Vive (champagne, chambord, and lavender liquor) from the new Vive Bar at Hotel Le Maris.

Now on to the classics! I'll report back!

MollyM, if you arrived this morning and you've already had two interesting cocktails before lunch, I'd say you're making excellent progress on your cocktail tour! This thread is making me jealous too. I loved Cochon Butcher! So many delicious ways to eat a pig over there. And only in New Orleans would a butcher/sandwich shop have such a great cocktail bar. I really have to get back to New Orleans soon. If you have time in between concerts, you may want to check out the Museum of the American Cocktail, which is located inside the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, which in turn is inside the Riverwalk Mall, on the uptown side (i.e. away from the French Quarter). It's small, but interesting. I combined it with a trip to Cochon Butcher.

Bowsprit, absinthe is now legal in most countries where people are likely to be reading this. In the U.S., absinthe was banned from 1912 until 2007, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms started allowing sales of absinthe that was "thujone-free," which is defined as having a thujone level less than 10 ppm. Thujone is a substance that is derived from grande wormwood, which is used in making absinthe, but not "absinthe substitutes" like Pernod and Herbsaint. Thujone is known to be toxic in large doses, and some have ascribed hallucinogenic properties to it. But it appears to be safe in the very small doses that are present in absinthe, and its hallucinogenic properties seem to be mythical. U.S. law requires that absinthe to be sold in the U.S. must be submitted to ATF for testing, to verify that the thujone level is low enough. Many brands have undergone that process, and can be found in liquor stores.

More info about the legalization of absinthe in the U.S.: http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-america/legalization.html

More info about thujone: http://www.thujone.info/

A British company that sells a much wider variety of absinthe than you're likely to find in your local liquor store (as well as lots of absinthe-related paraphernalia), and will ship to the U.S.: http://www.absintheonline.com/

Another British company that ships absinthe to the U.S.: http://www.absintheclassics.com/

Thank-you! Absinthe fascinates me. Can I get it in a drink in New Orleans?

You can get it in a drink in New Orleans, but it seems like most places are still using Herbsaint for mixing, even when making an Absinthe Frappe or an Absinthe Suisesse. I guess, after absinthe was banned for nearly a century, Herbsaint eventually became even more authentic than the original absinthe.

Absinthe fascinates me too. I've assembled a small collection of it, and I enjoy drinking it by itself occasionally. Not often. There's a little ritual involved when you drink it by itself, called La Louche, in which you gradually add drip water onto a sugar cube that is suspended over the drink. This lowers the alcohol content, and causes aromatic oils to come out of solution, which intensifies their flavor. The flavor is really powerful, and I don't find myself wanting to repeat the ritual very often.

There are places in New Orleans that will break out an absinthe fountain, spoons, etc. and do the whole ritual for you. Here's a little discussion of places that will do that, and/or make cocktails using actual absinthe: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/590491

Here's a little more information about La Louche: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/rodr0069/myblog/2009/09/how-to-prepare-absinthe--to-louche-ro-not-to-louche.html