It’s another slept-in morning following another late night in New Orleans — they seem to pile up in this town. I can’t figure out whether to have breakfast or lunch, but at the sprawling, naturally lit Swizzle Stick Bar in Loews New Orleans Hotel (300 Poydras St., 504-595-3305, cafeadelaide.com), red-haired mixologist Lu Brow senses my needs.
“What can I get you to drink?” she cheerfully asks, already reaching for bottles. “A little brandy milk punch? It’s an eye-opener. Perfect for starting the day.”
Brow should know. She helped open Swizzle Stick and co-devised the inventive drinks menu at recently launched SoBou. In fact, she’s among the first bartenders to elevate the New Orleans cocktail scene, taking it beyond Big Gulp-proportioned Hurricanes and classic Sazeracs.
“New Orleans has always been known as a great food town,” Brow says, sliding me the cloudy libation. “Why not apply the same quality to cocktails?”
As revealed by a crawl through the city’s more ambitious drinking spots, her question is being answered. Here are some recommended haunts for boozing hard in the Big Easy.
Sylvain
625 Chartres St., 504-265-8123, sylvainnola.com
With half of Sylvain’s rustic dining room taken up by the bar, it’s clear that cocktails here don’t assume a back seat to food. Jangly punk rock dominates the sound system and bartenders measure shots with the precision of lab technicians. They do their own take on the sacred Sazerac and mix a superior Blood and Sand, with orange flavors perfectly setting off the main ingredient of Scotch. Then a generous, on-the-house shot of smoked Brimstone corn whisky from a Texas distillery called Balcones gets passed around for tiny sips — “Tastes like ribs,” says one imbiber — followed by a sampling of what the bartender laughingly characterizes as “the worst whisky ever made!” The hooch turns out to be Jeppson’s Malort, beloved by Chicagoans despite its lousy taste. “I like to make people try this to see their faces when they drink it — it’s never pleasant,” the bartender later says.
Bar Tonique
820 North Rampart St., 504-324-6045, bartonique.com
Situated on the edge of the French Quarter, this homey, not exactly touristed establishment feels like the kind of neighborhood bar that should be in every neighborhood. The drinks are well-balanced and derived from a combination of original and classic cocktails. If you’re not sure what you want, ask the person on either side of you. Most likely, they’ve been here many times before and will offer counsel. Otherwise, just check the menu for offerings such as the gin-based Tru Kick and rummy Saint Claude. Cocktails are helpfully broken down into sours, slings, ensembles, and more. Daily specials of Moscow Mules, Mai Tais, and Bacon Bloody Marys along with a noon ’til 5 happy hour (specials and select drinks are all $5) help you to save money for a blowout dinner later in the evening.
Perestroika at Pravda
113 Decatur St., 504-581-1112
Under previous owners, Pravda had been a Russian-themed bar in the most heavy-handed of ways — complete with draping red fabric and Cyrillic lettering on the walls. But that is changing thanks to Nick Detrich, who added the Perestroika — Russian for restructuring. Formerly the bar manager of Cure, an early comer to New Orleans cocktail culture, Detrich partnered on buying the place along with its massive inventory of vodkas and absinthes. He’s since gutted the selection for quality and has taken things to another level, bringing in Russian beer, high-end slivovitz and Eastern European wine. But that’s just for now. Ultimately, Detrick plans on overhauling the interior and transforming the space into a rum bar. He’ll pay tribute to what rum means in cocktail culture, underscoring the point with a selection of highly aged exemplars from around the globe. I can’t wait.
SoBou
310 Chartres St., 504-552-4095
Want to escape the blasts of tackiness that litter the French Quarter? Duck into the sophisticated and curvy-looking SoBou for one of its original drinks such as the refreshing Faubourg Tall Boy, made with Earl Grey-infused gin, crème de cassis, lemon and sparkling wine. While you sip, take a stroll and check out the display case that houses vintage cocktail shakers, glasses and recipe books. Empty vials fill bottom-lit shelves, padded stools line the long-and-lean marble-topped bar, and SoBou’s self-designation as a “Creole saloon” seems about right. Clearly, the joint serves as a good retreat for big conversation, as evidenced by chatty tables of revelers, couples getting close at the bar, and a pair of gamines sipping cocktails and debating the merits of second tattoos.
Bellocq
The Hotel Modern, 936 St. Charles Ave., 504-962-0900, thehotelmodern.com/bellocq
Named after the photographer E.J. Bellocq, who photographed Storyville prostitutes at the turn of the 20th century, Bellocq the bar pays tribute to elegant lounges that once fronted the city’s classiest brothels. There are cushy easy chairs, wood paneling on the walls and a big silver punch bowl atop the zinc bar. Staying true to the theme, co-owner Neal Bodenheimer offers up a menu of succulent punches and icy cobblers, leaning heavily on fortified wines — such as sherries and ports — that served as primary ingredients during E.J.’s heyday. The menu here has been designed to resemble an old Blue Book, which used to clue in visitors on prime places for purchasing pleasure, and the beverages on offer get rounded out with a selection of spirits-based cocktails hearkening back to the 19th century. Drinking here might be a bit of a time trip, but it’s one worth taking.