GENERAL INFORMATION

THE SAZERAC BAR @ ROOSEVELT NEW ORLEANS HOTEL

French Quarter, Central Business District

Hotel Bar

123 Baronne Street

New Orleans, LA 70112 (view map)

T: 504.648.1200

Website:

www.therooseveltneworleans.com

DOOKY CHASE

Treme

Creole

2301 Orleans Avenue

New Orleans, LA 70119 (view map)

T: 504.821.0535

The Sazerac Bar

It’s debatable whether New Orleans is the actual birthplace of the cocktail. Drunken folklore about its origins has been passed down for generations, resulting in strong recollections ending up on the wrong side of a foggy hangover. Regardless, New Orleans takes its drinking very serious and they make it ridiculously convenient to always have a cocktail in hand. There is no such thing as “last call” in New Orleans, it’s open 24/7. Bars and liquor stores are in abundance. They have drive-thru daiquiri places, so you never have to leave your car. They have “go-cups” for when you’re ready to leave a bar, so you can finish up your drink on the streets.

Bourbon Street bars may be the main stage, but they’re not the only game in town. There are nearly 1,500 bars in New Orleans and one of the most famous is the Sazerac Bar, located in The Roosevelt hotel. The hotel has had a circular name history. Originally, it was called The Grunewald, but was sold and renamed The Roosevelt. In 1965, it was acquired by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and was named The Fairmont. In 2005, the building suffered major damage from hurricane Katrina and closed. In 2007, the Waldorf-Astoria Collection bought it and renamed it yet again, this time back to The Roosevelt. You may hear locals still refer to it as The Fairmont. However, through all its various incarnations, the Sazerac Bar has remained a constant, right down to the original design - honey-colored African walnut wood and 1930’s WPA-era murals by artist Paul Ninas. It was the watering hole of choice for the “Kingfish” (Louisiana’s 40th Governor, Huey P. Long). His beverage of choice - the Ramos Gin Fizz.

Below we have two cocktail recipes, a Sazerac from The Fairmont’s Sazerac Bar, and a Ramos Gin Fizz from The Roosevelt’s Sazerac Bar.

The Sazerac

The Sazerac is now the official cocktail of New Orleans, just narrowly beating out the Ramos Gin Fizz. It wasn’t a simple task for the concoction to be crowned the Big Easy’s sanctioned adult beverage. It took the Louisiana Legislature 10 different votes, spread out over several debates and a good long month to approve the designation.

The Sazerac waited over 150 years to win the honor. Credit for the drink goes to Creole apothecary Antoine Amadie Peychaud. Back in the 1830’s, he used to concoct a medicinal brew of aromatic bitters for soothing reasons. Just to make it tastier, he mixed it with other ingredients. Soon it caught on and a local coffeehouse named the Sazerac Coffee House began serving the drink, originally with cognac. Over time, slight changes have been made in the recipe, but Peychaud’s Bitters is still a key ingredient. The main ingredient changed from cognac to rye around 1870 when the Sazerac Coffee House changed hands. When absinthe was outlawed in 1912, Herbsaint took its place and more recently with absinthe returning, this has changed back.

The Sazerac Recipe

Courtesy of The Fairmont’s Sazerac Bar

Ingredients

1-1/2 ounce of Rye whiskey

1/2 ounce simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water)

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

Herbsaint

Preparation

1. Line a short rocks glass with Herbsaint, swirl it around the edges to give the inside of the glass a think coating, then discard the excess.

2. Over ice in a mixing glass, add simple syrup, bitters and Rye. Stir. Strain into the rocks glass.

Variations

Lemon Peel: some recipes suggest squeezing lemon peel oils into the drink and then throwing out the peel, others include dropping in the peel. 

Absinthe: further, more recent original recipes call for absinthe again.

Bitters: some have both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, while others have just Peychaud’s.

Sugar: either a sugar cube which is then muddled with the bitters and then mixed, or simple syrup just mixed with the other ingredients. This depends on whether you prefer a consistent sweetness throughout (simple syrup) or slight variations (sugar cube).

Ramos Gin Fizz

The Ramos Gin Fizz requires labor intensive attention. For a bartender, it gives them the chance to show off a bit due to its need for constant shaking until the drink thickens enough to hold a straw. But you have to wonder if there are times they’d rather you just order a beer.

The drink was invented by Henry Ramos in 1888 at his own bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans. The Roosevelt bought the rights to the drink during Prohibition and trademarked the name.

Ramos Gin Fizz Recipe

Courtesy of The Roosevelt’s Sazerac Bar

Ingredients

2 oz gin (Old Tom if you can find it)

1 oz heavy cream

1 egg white

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar

3 drops orange flower water

club soda, to top

Preparation

1. Shake ingredients with cracked ice for at least a minute.

2. Strain into a chilled rocks glass.

3. Top with a splash of club soda.

Red Beans & Rice

Traditionally, red beans and rice were served on Mondays. This was cleaning day, so a pot of red beans would be put on the stove in the morning to simmer all day, while chores were done around the house.

Every once in awhile the stew requires a quick stir, a little water, but not much else.

Dooky Chase Restaurant

I went to Dooky Chase

To get me something to eat

The waitress looked at me and said

Ray you sure look beat,

Now its early in the morning

And I ain't got nothing but the blues

- Ray Charles, Early in the Morning Blues

Leah Chase has been dubbed the Queen of Creole Cooking and at the age of 87, she’s still toiling away in the tiny kitchen at Dooky Chase in the Treme neighborhood in New Orleans. In January, her grandson Edgar Chase IV joined her in the kitchen full-time, after studying abroad at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

The restaurant Dooky Chase opened in 1941 as a late night place for musicians to hang out. Five years later, Miss Chase married Edgar “Dooky” Chase II and since they didn’t have a chef, she started cooking. She ended up serving famous legends like Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, and Lena Horne - who loved her fried chicken. Cab Calloway, John F. Kennedy, and the Jackson Five all stopped in for her famous Creole cooking. In the 1960’s, the restaurant served as a gathering place for Civil Rights leaders.

Dooky Chase was severely flooded during hurricane Katrina. But thanks to donations from chefs locally and abroad, they were able to replace pipes, and restore the restaurant. Luckily their extensive art collection was spared. They have completed the renovation and are open again for lunch, with Edgar IV at the helm.

Edgar, who has been cooking along side his grandmother since he was a teenager, says he’s lucky to have Miss Leah as his teacher.

Red Beans & Rice Recipe

Courtesy of Dooky Chase

Ingredients

1 pound red kidney beans

2 quarts water

1 large onion (chopped)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound smoked ham (cubed)

1 pound smoked sausages (in 1/2 inch slices)

1 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon whole thyme leaves

2 level tablespoon salt

Preparation

1. Pick through beans, removing all bad beans and any other particles.

2. Wash beans well.

3. Place beans in 5 quart pot.

4. Add the 2 quarts of water.

5. Add onions; bring to a boil.

6. Lower heat and let beans boil slowly for 1 hour.

7. When beans are soft stir well, mashing some against side of pot.

8. Heat oil in frying pan; add ham and sausage.

9. Saute in oil for 5 minutes.

10. Then add the sausage, ham and oil to beans.

11. Deglaze pan with the cup of water, then pour into beans.

12. Add all other ingredients.

13. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Beans should be nice and creamy.

14. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings

Tips from chef Chase

Always add thyme and black pepper. Never put cayenne pepper in the beans. Put in a little sugar.

Old-fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe

Courtesy of Dooky Chase

Ingredients

1 loaf stale po’ boy bread or 5 cups cubed stale white bread

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

1 cup water

6 eggs (beaten)

8 ounces crushed pineapple

1 large apple (grated)

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 pound butter ( softened)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a bowl, break bread and moisten with evaporated milk.

3. Add water.

4. Pour eggs over mixture and mix well.

5. Add pineapple, apple, raisins, sugar, and vanilla and mix well.

6. Cut butter into pieces and add to mixture, mixing all ingredients well.,

7. Pour into a greased 9 x13 inch baking dish.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 o 40 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Shrimp Clemenceau

This is one of Edgar Chase IV’s favorite thing to make at Dooky Chase.

Shrimp Clemenceau Recipe

Courtesy of Dooky Chase

Ingredients
1 stick butter
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup button mushrooms
1 cup green peas
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup white wine
Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan.

2. Add potatoes. Cook 5 minutes

3. Add shrimp, garlic and mushrooms.

4. Cook until shrimp are tender.

5. Add peas, parsley and wine.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Cook for 5 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

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MAPS

- Map: New Orleans

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