NEW ORLEANS FEATURES - New Orleans Offers Some Unique Cocktails

New Orleans Offers Some Unique Cocktails

With 2,000 bars in the city of New Orleans, there is no shortage of cool drinks. While Cosmopolitans and gourmet martini menus are everywhere, New Orleans is a town with its own drinks. While the city is best known for the Hurricane, other unique cocktails lurk in some of the more renowned watering holes.

The Hurricane was brewed up at Pat O'Brien's (718 St. Peter St., 525-4823). During World War II, bars had a hard time getting Scotch because of rationing. In order to get single bottles of Scotch they had to buy cases of rum. Pat'O's turned their surplus of rum into the Hurricane, a mix of passion fruit juice and clear rum in a towering glass with an orange and a cherry. Now everyone has their own version of the Hurricane, with different juice mixes but the original and the signature Hurricane glass belong to Pat'O's.

While not the city's most common drink, the Sazerac is another New Orleans original. The cocktail used to call for a splash of absinthe to wet the glass before rye whiskey was added. Eventually the mildly toxic and hallucinogenic spirit was outlawed and Sazerac drinkers had to settle for Herbsaint for a hint of licorice in the glass. The Sazerac Bar in the Fairmont Hotel (123 Baronne St., 529-7111) is the home of the cocktail.

Absinthe used to be popular in New Orleans but as its own cocktail. In the traditional preparation, the bitter absinthe was poured over a sugar cube to soften its taste. The drink was then diluted with water. Special spoons and funnels were created for serving it and can still be found in New Orleans antique shops. While absinthe is still illegal, the spirit Absente is a refined version that lacks the wormwood content that spiked absinthe. Absente is only legal in one other state besides Louisiana. The Old Absinthe House (240 Bourbon St., 523-3181) offers the cocktail.

Bloody Marys are a popular hangover cure but New Orleanians have another option. Milk punch made with either bourbon or brandy is a morning eye opener at many local restaurants. The drink mixes liquor and milk with a kiss of nutmeg on the top. Brennan's Restaurant (417 Royal St., 525-9711) offers a fine Milk Punch with its renowned "Breakfast at Brennans."

Bourbon Street has a bottomless thirst and the will to quench it. Some of the drinks are more notorious than historical, but there are all sorts of creative drinks available on the strip, some in neon colors and served in bucket-sized containers. Creatively-shaped drink containers are the pioneering work of a local company whose work is carted along the street every night with all sorts of potent mixes inside. If you're still standing at the end of the strip, there's the Hand Grenade at Tropical Isle (721 Bourbon St., 529-4109). The grenade shape is most appropriate to the drink inside.