Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/2622
Tales from Tales G oing back to the event that started Tales, I em- barked on the New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour. Led by our licensed tour guide and histo- rian Joe, we ventured down the streets of the French Quarter, 12 blocks long and six blocks wide. While there were up to 20 establishments we could have visited, Joe selected four for this tour. Home Base: Carousel Bar, Monteleone Hotel An actual revolving carousel! You sit and revolve around the bartenders—just slowly enough that you don't get dizzy from the ride (possibly from the drinks, though). Drink: Vieux Carré, a cocktail invented in 1938 by the head bartender of the Monteleone Hotel, is made of rye whiskey, cognac, vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, served in a double Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stop One: Antoine's With 17 dining rooms seating 900 people and 35,000 bottles in the cellar, Antoine's has been owned by the same family since 1840 and is the birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller. Drink: Sidecar, a very classic French drink that is made of Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice, shaken with ice and served in a Martini glass whose rim is dipped in sugar. Stop Two: The Court of Two Sisters Established in 1832 and named after two Creole sisters who optioned the notion shop on the site at the time. Miss Flo has been a fi xture there since the 1960s. Drinks: Mint Julep made with bourbon, mint, sugar and water; and Miss Flo's creation, The Bayou Bash, made with Southern Comfort, fresh fruit and red wine. This drink will remind you of your fi rst trip to New Orleans, before the classic cocktails, when you drank Hurricanes. (Pat O'Brien's may not be worthy of a stop on the New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour, but as the home of the Hurricane, it sells more alcohol by volume than any other bar in the world.) New Orleans Cocktail Tour 86 / the tasting panel / september 2009 This view of the revolving Carousel bar at the Hotel Mon- teleone gives a good idea of the dizzying energy present at Tales of the Cocktail.