Posts
All Comments
Fat Tuesday is tomorrow, and even if you're not in New Orleans to ring in Mardi Gras, you can still celebrate with a tipple that enjoys the title of the city's official cocktail. The sazerac, which dates back to pre-Civil War times, has been around so long that it's rumored to be America's oldest cocktail - and there's a reason why. Watch the video, then make the recipe: we guarantee this aromatic drink will please any spirit-forward cocktail enthusiast.
If you're hosting a Mardi Gras brunch, there's only one drink to serve, and no, it's not a bloody Mary, it's a Ramos gin fizz. However, if your soirée is after dark, you've got to make a huge round of hurricanes! This classic recipe comes from Dale DeGroff and features two kinds of rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and passion fruit nectar. To batch it, multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of people who will attend your party. For those who don't have time to make a libation from scratch, I recommend ordering hurricane mixer from Pat O'Brien's; it's the bar in New Orleans that made the hurricane famous.
To see my favorite recipe, keep reading.
Combine two Mardi Gras traditions into one cup: king cake and bourbon. This bevvy, or alcoholic beverage, is essentially a bourbon-vanilla milkshake. Cinnamon, almond, orange, and creamy vanilla are the main flavors, inspired by king cakes, or a ring-shaped cake eaten during Mardi Gras that is covered in white glaze and garnished with purple, yellow, and green sprinkles. Can you see the resemblance in this cocktail?
If you're wondering what's the deal with the little plastic baby garnish, it's a Southern/Gulf Coast tradition that a tiny plastic baby is inserted into the king cake for tasters to find it. Whoever does has good luck for the year and must host the next party.
Here's an inspired idea: if you plan to make a large batch of this cocktail for friends, say, using one gallon of ice cream, then pour the cocktail in a large pitcher and stir the plastic baby into the pitcher, so one lucky imbiber will end up with the baby in his or her glass. Just be sure to warn friends beforehand that there might be a plastic object in the glass, and encourage them to use straws to prevent any accidental swallowing!
Inspired by Bourbon House's King Cake Bevvy
Ingredients
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1-3/4 ounce bourbon
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 ounce orange juice
Purple, yellow, and green sugar sprinkles, for garnish
Tiny plastic baby, for garnish
Directions
Makes 1 cocktail.
