La Louisiane: Classic New Orleans Cocktail
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The La Louisiane is a classic cocktail that lives under the radar despite its fabulous flavor. Give it a try and find out if the potent potable ranks as your favorite New Orleans cocktail.
New Orleans deserves credit for many of the country’s best drinks. There’s the Sazerac, which may be the country’s oldest cocktail, and the Grasshopper, which may be the greenest. Other notable New Orleans cocktails include the Absinthe Frappé, Hurricane, Ramos Gin Fizz and Vieux Carré. They’re all famous in the Big Easy and beyond. The same can’t be said about the La Louisiane cocktail.
While the La Louisiane is a true-blue New Orleans creation, its light dimmed in the second half of the 20th century. However, with five distinctive liquors that create a distinctive flavor, this potent potable deserves a prime spot in the limelight.
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History of the La Louisiane Cocktail
While we don’t know exactly when the La Louisiane cocktail was invented or which bartender deserves credit, our research has led us straight to the Restaurant La Louisiane. Famous for French food as well as its version of fettuccine Alfredo, the restaurant was a local fixture for more than a century after it opened in 1881.
Although the acclaimed restaurant shuttered its doors in 2005, its self-named cocktail lives on. That cocktail, La Louisiane, is a boozy beverage that’s crafted with five liquors and no mixers. While some consider it to be a mash-up of the Sazerac and Vieux Carré, the La Louisiane is a drink that stands on its own.
Originally crafted with equal amounts of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine, rye is the star of the La Louisiane recipe now. However, these three liquors, plus absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters, are all integral to the magical elixir.
Fun Fact
The La Louisiane cocktail has two pseudonyms: De La Louisiane and Cocktail à la Louisiane.
Ingredients
The La Louisiane is a cocktail powerhouse thanks to the following ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Craft a La Louisiane Cocktail
Once you gather the necessary ingredients plus a few basic bar tools, the first step is to measure the rye, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine with a jigger. We use a Japanese jigger to reduce spillage and get accurate measurements.
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Immediately pour the measured liquors into a mixing glass.
Add three dashes each of absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters.
Toss in a handful of ice and stir with a bar spoon until the ingredients are chilled and combined (approximately 20 seconds).
Strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Variations
We don’t recommend tinkering with this cocktail recipe since the La Louisiane is a classic cocktail. Instead, we recommend crafting the following similar yet different classic cocktails to find your personal favorite.
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La Louisiane Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce vermouth (sweet)
- 1 ounce Bénédictine
- 3 dashes absinthe
- 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 1 maraschino cherry (garnish)
- ice cubes (for mixing)
Instructions
- Measure the rye, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine and pour each into a mixing glass.
- Add dashes of absinthe and Peychaud's bitters into the mixing glass.
- Toss a handful of ice cubes into the mixing glass and stir until the liquids are mixed and chilled (approximately 20 seconds).
- Strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
- Garnish the crafted cocktail with a maraschino cherry.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
The La Louisiane cocktail is a classic New Orleans cocktail that’s crafted with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. Dashes of absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters provide the cocktail’s final touches.
The La Louisiane cocktail was invented in New Orleans.
Rye, Bénédictine, Sweet Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, Absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, Maraschino Cherry (garnish) and Ice Cubes (for mixing)
The La Louisiane cocktail is stirred, not shaken.
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