Dozens of bottled spirits line the backbar of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. But this legendary dive on the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip is equally renowned for spirits of the spectral variety. Occupying one of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter and one of the oldest examples of briquette-entre-poteaux (brick between cypress posts) architecture, it is named after Jean and Pierre Lafitte, notorious smugglers and privateers of the early 19th century.
Imbibe
Summertime Sip and Stroll
June 07, 2022
“Summertime, and the livin' is easy,” goes the first line of George Gershwin’s amazing 1934 aria “Summertime,” one of the most popular jazz standards of all time. Summer is a wonderful time for evening strolls to take in the sights and sounds of New Orleans, dipping in to cool your heels and treating yourself to a refreshing sip and live music now and then.
Lift a Glass to Springtime in New Orleans
March 07, 2022
Springtime in New Orleans is one vibrant celebration after another, and we are all more than eager to get out and kick up our heels! Flowers are blooming, the days are longer, we feel the first teases of summer weather, and we have never been so ready! The French Quarter is a wonderful place to take a leisurely stroll to visit classic establishments, local favorites, and a few hidden gems!
Shaking Up the Classics
March 07, 2022
Anna Tusa, owner of Briquette, was brainstorming over cocktails, thinking of creative ways to engage her guests in a small-group setting in her restaurant. “Why not do craft cocktail classes over lunch or dinner? We have a ton of great food tours, cocktail tours, and ghost tours, so why not a craft cocktail class paired with a three-course lunch or brunch?” From those pandemic ponderings, Tusa begun the Shaken Up NOLA Craft Cocktail Classes in 2022. The class is the best of both worlds, a food tour and a cocktail tour meshed with live demonstration and education in a relaxed environment.
Reveillon on the Rocks: A Toast to a New Year
December 07, 2021
Let’s toast to the New Year! May all your joys be true joys, and all your pain champagne! What a year 2021 has been! Yet New Orleans is always a place for celebration, and we will be among the first to pop a champagne cork or toast with a drink crafted for the season. The “holidaze” and cocktails go together like gumbo and filé! At this most festive time of year, cheers and toasts abound! Pop that cork at one of our local brand-new or classic traditional bars for holiday memories to cherish. There’s always a reason to gather with friends and family to toast each other and celebrate life.
Drinking in the Spirits of New Orleans
September 30, 2021
When my friends come to town, invariably their first question is “Where is an interesting and unique place to go for a drink?” shortly followed by “Will you meet us there?” Therefore I thought it may be helpful to share two of my favorite new bars, as well as one of my most beloved staples from the past decade.
Patrick Van Hoorebeek - Our Own Bon Vivant Extraordinaire
September 29, 2021
Patrick’s Bar Vin, located in the heart of the French Quarter at 730 Bienville St, takes sipping a glass of wine to a whole new level. The colorful, larger-than-life personality of Brussels-born Patrick Van Hoorebeek has gained him top posts for over 35 years. He even threw his hat in the ring to serve as Mayor of New Orleans with the slogan, “More Wine, Less Crime!” Always fashionably dressed, Patrick has been in the hospitality business most of his adult life and has worked locally in several famous hotels and renowned establishments.
A toast to the holidays with Patrick Van Hoorebeek
November 01, 2019
“In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it.” — Napoleon Bonaparte
You don’t have to be a diminutive French dictator to know that nothing says celebration - or consolation - like champagne. Beyond festive, an elegant glass of bubbles sets the stage for great things to come. When kicking off or celebrating the holiday season, take some advice from wine guru Patrick Van Hoorebeek, of the Patrick’s Bar Vin in the French Quarter, and do it up right.
Opening the bottle
You don’t have to be a diminutive French dictator to know that nothing says celebration - or consolation - like champagne. Beyond festive, an elegant glass of bubbles sets the stage for great things to come. When kicking off or celebrating the holiday season, take some advice from wine guru Patrick Van Hoorebeek, of the Patrick’s Bar Vin in the French Quarter, and do it up right.
Opening the bottle
Getting in the holiday SPIRITS
November 01, 2019
Cocktails and the holidays go together like lap sitting and St. Nick. Whether you celebrate with the pop of a champagne cork or a drink crafted for the season, cheers abound at this most festive time of year. Pop that cork at one of these New Orleans bars for a holiday experience both naughty and nice.
Carousel Bar
214 Royal St.
Carousel Bar
214 Royal St.
Libation Sensations
July 30, 2019
Legend has it that the cocktail was invented in New Orleans. Whether or not that’s 100% true, there is no denying that many a cocktail has been birthed in the Crescent City, undoubtedly the lodestar of American drinking culture.
In recent years, a new generation of innovative bartenders is mixing up venerable cocktail traditions, farm to bar ingredients, hand-squeezed juices, and homemade syrups and tinctures. Raising the bar means that New Orleans cocktail culture has never been more robust, thanks to these creative stirrers and shakers.
SoBou -- 310 Chartres St.
In recent years, a new generation of innovative bartenders is mixing up venerable cocktail traditions, farm to bar ingredients, hand-squeezed juices, and homemade syrups and tinctures. Raising the bar means that New Orleans cocktail culture has never been more robust, thanks to these creative stirrers and shakers.
SoBou -- 310 Chartres St.
Where to Cool off with Frozen Cocktails
May 01, 2019
Since the first ice production facility in the world threw open its doors on Tchoupitoulas in 1868 with man-made blocks of the stuff flying off the shelf at less than a penny a pound, New Orleanians have relied on icy treats, from rainbow-hued sno-balls to boozy frozen daiquiris, to get them through sweltering and sometimes suffocating summers.
