Texas Lou

Last night I went to a classic cocktail night at a local bar.  I also marked another first off of my list.  I tried absinthe for the first time.  I was under the impression that absinthe was illegal in the United States, but according to our instructor and Wikipedia, it was recently made legal again about three years ago.

All of the drinks we learned how to make had their origins in New Orleans, which is a spectacular city and should be visited be everyone at least once in their life.

The first drink we made was a sweet sipping beverage called Sazerac.  It was very strong and sweet and we drank it from a small 4 ounce shot glass.  When making this drink, I learned how to muddle.

The next drink was called a Ramos Gin Fizz which was made using gin, lemon juice, lime juice, orange flower water, heavy cream, sugar, and an egg white.  This drink was quite tasty and had a nice texture, but making it burned about as many calories as were consumed drinking it.  To give this drink it’s frothy texture, between 2 and 12 minutes of shaking was required.

Next, we made a Vieux Carré which means “old house” when translated from French.  It contained rye gin, sweet vermouth, cognac, and several different types of bitters.

Lastly, one of my favorites, was the Old Absinthe House Frappe which consisted mostly of absinthe and fresh muddled mint leaves.  It was reminiscent of a mojito and would make for a very nice cold sipping drink on a hot New Orleans day.

Now I’ve got my menu of drinks to order next time I hit up NOLA!