Weekend in New Orleans with Mom Day 1

A 4 AM alarm and Mom and I were on the road by 5:10. Saturday morning traffic was blissfully light. We made it to the Park and Fly (only getting a bit lost once), dropped off the car and were shuttled to the airport. We got there with a lot of time to spare so we got a cup of coffee and enjoyed our cranberry bread. Finally, we were on our Delta commuter jet (a 60 person jet) with a flight attendant who looked like she came from high school and talked like an alien. No one had ever told her to A R T I C U L A T E and S P E A K C L E A R L Y. We couldn’t understand a word she said!

At the NOLA airport, we got our car – a bright red Chrysler Cavalier with Florida plates. We drove Uptown and took a quick tour of the area. Then, it was off to Domilise’s for a shrimp po-boy.

(Note-What makes a po-boy special is the bread. A po-boy isn't a po-boy unless it's made with good quality, fresh French bread. New Orleans French bread has a crunchy crust with a very light center. The loaves are about 3' in length, and are about 3-4" wide. Today, the German bakery, Leidenheimer's, makes this “French bread”).

We found our way to the Marriott and had a short wait while our room was being cleaned. We sat in the lobby bar and watched the parade of fashions in a wedding party group. We were thrilled to find our room- on the 40th floor.

We stopped by Jackson Square to see the place where George W. promised to do “whatever it takes” to bring New Orleans back. We barely had time to get our bearing and it was time for our first tour.

The Cocktail Tour
Joe Gendusa, our tour guide, started our tour with a bit of history of New Orleans.

Quick facts:

• In 1874 Southern Comfort was invented in New Orleans.


• The tallest building in the city is 51 stories high- and has an additional 21 stories below ground for support.


• 19 months after Katrina, 65% of the city is still without electricity
  The French named the streets of the French Quarter- alternating saints (Saint Ann Street..) with sinners (the names of the bastard children of the King).


• The original French city was burned to the ground. The only remaining French building is the old Urseline Convent. The architecture of the Quarter comes from the Spanish.
  

Our first stop was the Napoleon House. The building's first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck, and since then, the Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America, a haunt for artists and writers throughout most of the 20th century.

Their signature drink is the “Pimms Cup”. Created in 1840 in England, Pimm's still claims to be "made to James Pimm's original recipe, a closely guarded secret known only to six people." What a summer cooler!

Pimm’s Cup: Fill a tall 12 oz glass with ice. Add 1 1/4 oz. Pimm's #1 and 3 oz lemonade.Then top off with 7up.Garnish with cucumber

Just down the street is the Pharmacy Museum. About 165 years ago, an apothecary (druggist) named Antoine A. Peychaud created the first cocktail. In his shop, he dispensed his own special potion of “bitters” (adopted from an old family secret- good for anything that ails you) mixed in with French cognac. He served it to his friends (French) in the courtyard of his French Quarter business. He served it in a crockery double ended egg cup called a “coquetier” (Kak-kuh-tyay). The Americans mispronounced the French word- and the “cocktail” was created.

Sazerac, the original cocktail is made of ¼ oz. simple syrup (tsp. sugar), 3 dashes Angostura Bitters, 4 Dashers Peychaud Bitters, 1 ¼ oz. Rye Whiskey. Place in mixing glass and stir until cold. Strain into 8 oz. tumbler lined with a few drops of absinthe. Add lemon twist.

“As you sip it, you come across layer after layer of flavor -- the warmth and glowing burn of the rye, effused with the flavors of spice and honey, the bite of the bitters balanced with the sweetness of the sugar, with the subtle yet complex flavor of the anise underneath and the perfume of the lemon oil from the twist feel like a symphony inside your mouth. This is also a drink that warms up well, revealing even more flavors. Sip it very slowly. Savor it. Take your time with it.”

Then, it was on to Antoine’s (713 St. Louis Street), the oldest continually operated family restaurant, opened in 1840. The current family is the 7th generation. Their claim to fame is the invention of “Oysters Rockefeller”.

The front room of the restaurant is primarily for tourists. In the back are the Rex Room (for the Krewe Rex)

The Proteus Room (For the Proteus Krewe)

The 165 foot wine cellar with over 30,000 bottles

The Mystery Room (where alcohol was served during Prohibition – guests entered through a door in the ladies room) and the room for the Escargot Club (the table is always set for 12. The all male members can invite a guest- once in their lifetime).

From there, we headed to the Court of Two Sisters and saw the beautiful wisteria covered courtyard. Known for their buffet brunch and their signature cocktails. We tried a “Bayou Bash”.

At Pirate’s Alley Café, Mom tried a “Green Fairy”, a concoction made with absinthe (130 proof). In 1911 absinthe was outlawed. Called by many names, mixed with gin, it’s “The Obituary Cocktail”, mixed with champagne, it’s “Death in the Afternoon” and mixed with vodka, it’s a “Russian Funeral”. The ban was lifted in 1985, but it’s still not legal to buy the liquor in the U.S. Somehow, the New Orleans bars circumvent the ban.

The Green Fairy is made by pouring absinthe over a sugar cube balanced on a slotted spoon over a tall glass. It’s followed by water poured over the sugar cube. The cube is then burned and crushed into the drink. A chemical reaction ensues- causing what appears to be fairies flying through the green liquid.

Note: Absinthe is a strong-herbal liquor distilled with wormwood and anise. It can contain other aromatic herbs like star anise, anise seed, fennel, licorice, hyssop, veronica, lemon balm, angelica root, dittany, coriander, juniper, and nutmeg.

Our final stop was Tujagues, the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans(1856). They invented the grasshopper. Originally an all men’s bar, there were no chairs. The men stood at the bar (and, not wanting to lose their place at the bar, would pee into the trough under the bar). Today, the bar is still the haunt of locals. The restaurant offers a fixed price menu- starting with shrimp remoulade, soup (gumbo or chowder), beef brisket, 4 choices of entrée, dessert and coffee. We tried a “Woodland Plantation Punch” (way too sweet) and ordered a gumbo for dinner.