Louisiana Cocktails: True Originals

Pair your meal with a little bit of history. Check out the stories behind these cocktails original to Louisiana, then come on over and taste them yourself!

Brandy Milk Punch

This classic cocktail is a rich and creamy way to enhance your evening. While the Brandy Milk Punch wasn’t invented in New Orleans, one of the world’s top brunch restaurants — Brennan’s — takes much-deserved credit for perfecting it and is a great place to try this creamy cocktail.

Vieux Carré Cocktail

This eye-opening libation was invented in New Orleans in 1937 by Hotel Monteleone head bartender Walter Bergeron. It’s bold, richly spiced and sure to warm you from the inside out. Featuring Bénédictine, Cognac, Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, this cocktail is a slow-sipper full of flavor.

Sazerac

We would be remiss not to mention the official cocktail of New Orleans and the drink widely known as “America’s First Cocktail,” the Sazerac. We like to call it the perfect representation of Louisiana in a glass. The cocktail gets its name from the delicious Sazerac rye whiskey and blends in Herbsaint, Peychaud's Bitters, sugar and lemon peel for a classic cocktail. Try it at the aptly named Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt Hotel, swing by The Sazerac House to explore the history of this libation with interactive exhibits and tastings or grab the recipe and start sipping this legendary cocktail.

French 75

Combining bubbly with lemon and cognac, this classic cocktail is a tasty way to kick off any meal or celebration. For the perfect French 75, stop by the bar with the cocktail in its name, Arnaud's Restaurant French 75 Bar. Signature drinks here are made with high-quality spirits, locally sourced ingredients and house-made syrups. Known for its white-tuxedoed bartenders, the French 75 Bar welcomes guests in surroundings that transport you back to yesteryear, including mosaic tile floors, cushioned chairs and a vintage wooden bar custom built in the late 1800s.

Grasshopper

Mint-chocolate haters, look away! This sweet after-dinner drink is made of five different spirits, including chocolate and mint liqueurs and brandy, mixed with cream. As history tells, Tujague’s owner Philip Guichet Sr. traveled to New York City to enter a cocktail competition in 1918, on the very eve of Prohibition. He entered this frothy concoction and won second place. He then brought the recipe home to Tujague’s in New Orleans, where it remains a popular staple.

La Lousiane Cocktail

If you like your booze to be very boozy, look no further! Born in New Orleans in the 1800s, this sweet and stout coupe chiller features rye whiskey, vermouth, Bénédictine D.O.M liqueur, absinthe, bitters and a cherry garnish. "It is the secret cocktail of New Orleans," says Saveur, "and these days it’s starting to get its due."

Taste your way through a variety of spirits made right here in Louisiana, and check out this list of local distillers to stock your bar for every occasion.