Each print issue, FLOOD asks one of our favorite drinking establishments to give us the lowdown on their favorite beverages. This installment: Ace Hotel New Orleans. You don’t open a hotel on the edge of the French Quarter without being prepared to meet the needs of a variety of revelers, so we asked each of the hotel’s four bars how they keep the party going.
HOLYWATER
Bar: Seaworthy
Bartender: Lauren Schell
“This is a variation on my good friend Karin Stanley’s drink, the Cradle of Life. The fire caramelizes the sugar cube, giving it richer notes than we could accomplish with just sugar or simple syrup. In addition to it being eye catching and interactive, it gives the drink depth and character on the palate.”
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. lemon juice
¼ oz. grapefruit juice
1 oz. orgeat
1 oz. Maison Rouge
1 oz. Coruba Spiced Rum
Float Angostura bitters
Shake and pour into rocks glass on crushed ice. Garnish with inverted lime half holding ½ oz. Green Chartreuse and sugar cube. Light the Chartreuse. Blow out flame and enjoy.
Ace Hotel New Orleans’s Lobby Bar / photo by Fran Parente
MEMORIES OF TOMORROW
Bar: Lobby Bar
Bartender: Salvatore Agnello
“While living in Chicago, I developed a love for Chartreuse mixed with hot sauce. This cocktail is a play on a French 75 that will warm you up as the cool fall weather settles in.”
¼ oz. Green Chartreuse
¼ oz. Crystal Hot Sauce shrub
½ oz. lemon juice
4 oz. Blanc de Blancs champagne
Shake everything but the champagne. Strain into a coupe. Top with the champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.
The bar at Josephine Estelle / photo by Fran Parente
SOUTH BEND SOIREE
Bar: Josephine Estelle
Bartender: Kyle McElfresh
“This is a play on a spicy margarita that was inspired by the grilled shishito peppers on Josephine Estelle’s menu. The spice in the cocktail comes from both the infused agave and the shrub. The mezcal adds a nice smokiness.”
1 oz. blanco tequila
½ oz. joven mezcal
¾ oz. hibiscus shishito agave
¾ oz. lime
Dash Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub
Mix all together, shake, serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
CREOLE APOTHECARY
Bar: Josephine Estelle
Bartender: Jenna Rosenbloom
“This is an ode to Antoine Amédée Peychaud, an apothecary in New Orleans who created his famous bitters in the 1800s. Peychaud’s Bitters are the only bitters used to make the city’s signature cocktail, the Sazerac.”
1 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. Peychaud’s Aperitivo
¾ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. ginger syrup
Shake and pour into rocks glass on crushed ice. Finish with a Peychaud’s Bitters float.
Alto at Ace Hotel New Orleans / photo by Fran Parente
MAYON MULE
Bar: Alto
Bartender: Sophie Burton
“We wanted to give the classic Moscow Mule a bit of a tropical and Asian vibe. This was actually inspired by my love of Filipino food, hence the coconut flavor.”
1 ½ oz. Aylesbury Duck Vodka
½ oz. Clément Mahina Coco
¾ oz. lime juice
½ oz. ginger syrup
2 oz. soda
Shake everything, add soda water, and strain into a mule mug. Garnish with an orchid.
This article appears in FLOOD 5. You can download or purchase the magazine here.
